Creativity & Joy Resources
Weston Artspace is a volunteer-led creative hub where artists, makers, and curious minds come together to explore ideas, share skills, and make things collectively. Rooted in community, Artspace offers a welcoming environment for people of all experience levels — whether you’re an established artist or just starting out. More than just a studio, Artspace is a space for connection, collaboration, and creativity. Through workshops, shared making sessions, and community-led projects, we support people to develop their practice, try new things, and be part of something bigger. At its heart, Artspace is about access, inclusivity, and the belief that creativity should be open to everyone.
Fun Palaces supports local people to co-create their own cultural and community events, across the UK and worldwide, sharing and celebrating the genius in everyone. Check them out!
The Big Draw Festival is a worldwide celebration of drawing, with events run by organisations big and small across all different sectors that bring people together through the power of creativity. Whether you’re an individual, school, museum, care home, or community group, The Big Draw Festival provides a platform to reach a wider audience, introduce some more creative fun to your programming, and explore drawing in all its forms.
Blog: Getting out for walks or to pick your own fruit and veg are great ways to enjoy simple pleasures. This super cute blog highlights some of the best bits of Somerset. Walks, farms, lovely places to visit and more.
The Bureau of Silly Ideas: For over two decades, we’ve been exploring the serious side of silly - discovering how joy, curiosity, and shared surprise can open up conversation and bring communities together.
Art: The Dark Mountain Project is a UK-based arts and culture movement founded in 2009 by writers Paul Kingsnorth and Dougald Hine. It challenges mainstream environmental narratives, arguing that modern civilization faces inevitable ecological and social collapse and calling for new stories to navigate that reality.
The slow living movement in the UK involves a shift towards a more intentional, mindful, and balanced lifestyle, emphasizing quality over quantity and deeper connections rather than a constant rush. Originating from the Slow Food movement in Italy in the 1980s, the slow living ethos has expanded to encompass various aspects of life, promoting practices like slow food, slow travel, and slow aesthetics to foster greater well-being, meaning, and appreciation of the present moment.
PLAYFUL AND PARTICIPATORY ARTS AND CREATIVITY FOR CURIOUS ADULTS, CHILDREN AND FAMILIES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES. BASED IN BRIGHTON & LONDON. FOUNDED AND DIRECTED BY NIKKI SHAILL . CULTURAL EVENTS PROGRAMMING, ARTS PRODUCTION AND LEARNING
Books: The Art of Frugal Hedonism: A Guide to Spending Less While Enjoying Everything More by Annie Raser-Rowland and Adam Grubb. It sounds too good to be true. You can save money and the world, inoculate yourself against many of the ills of modern life, andenjoy everything more on both the sensual and profound levels? Preposterous!
Books: Is there such thing as a Western Taoist? Benjamin Hoff says there is, and this Taoist's favorite food is honey. Through brilliant and witty dialogue with the beloved Pooh-bear and his companions, the author of this smash bestseller explains with ease and aplomb that rather than being a distant and mysterious concept, Taoism is as near and practical to us as our morning breakfast bowl.
Poetry: "Wonderful" can refer to the latest poetry collection by World Poetry Slam Champion Harry Baker and his associated show, which explores themes of joy, grief, vulnerability, and the preciousness of everyday life, blending mathematical insight with poetic expression to connect with a global audience. The work has been described as a celebration of life itself, with poems that find wonder in mundane subjects like wellies, German wheat-beer, and even funeral planning.
Pure joy: The Tiny Chef Show...an incredibly creative offering that is pure joy.
Books: Strange Planet: A look at a distant planet, which looks much like Earth, full of hilarious but sharp observations about life, love and friendship, told in a peculiar way. A little bit of joy to remind you of the silly sides of the human experience.