Arts-based learning helps support mental health and wellbeing

Kristianne Drake

I was born in Gloucestershire but grew up in Cornwall. I’ve lived in Southampton since 2003 when I came to do a degree in photography at the grand old age of 33.

I didn’t do very well at school or college (probably due to undiagnosed autism, which I found out about when I was 47) and went into the world of work with a very limited overview of what might be possible.

In 2001 I decided to do an A-level in photography at a local college. The tutor asked if I was going to do a degree and I thought, why not? I came to Southampton as a single parent and studied until 2006, gaining a first-class honours degree but no more insight into possible career options.

I drifted into teaching (both informal and formal education), starting out as a freelance artist educator, and I am a founding Chief Executive Officer for In Focus Education and Development. Starting in 2015, we have since progressed from a limited company to community interest company and in 2024 we finally became a charity. It’s a journey I’m proud of and glad In Focus has made.

In Focus provides creative personal development, education and skills through our shared passion and working knowledge of photography and visual arts to encourage, teach and empower young people and communities. Arts-based learning is more than just about creating an artwork. Through participation you develop a stronger sense of self, which can support better mental health and wellbeing. There are also lots of transferable skills that come through participation – such as learning a new skill and sharing it with others – that can be applied to work and training. 

Currently we are running projects that have been funded for specific age groups with particular demographics. As a small non-funded charity, we mostly offer programmes for young people aged between 11-25 and you can find out more on our website.

We also host a free monthly writing group called ‘And There It Was… For The Curious…’, which is for anyone at any level who wants to do some creative writing in a fun and supportive environment. 

As part of the celebrations marking the 250^th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, we hosted a series of workshops at God’s House Tower this spring called ‘The Jane Who Club’. These were inspired by some of the questions asked by young people after they had been to see Jane Austen’s writing desk, which was exhibited at God’s House Tower.

None of the group had ever read any of Jane Austen’s books, and for some of the participants this was the first they had heard about Jane Austen. Despite this, they found the desk and all the accompanying materials really interesting. They quickly decided that Jane Austen was highly likely a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and this connection for them made it easier to engage with the work.

The workshops provided a residency for the young people we work with. In the first part, they were able to explore the exhibition and come up with ideas for creative workshops that they would lead. This included preparing materials and being taught how to write a workshop plan, including risk assessments and accessibility considerations.

In the second half of the residency, they each led the delivery of one of the workshop sessions they had prepared, to the general public at God’s House Tower. There were four workshops – badge making, blackout poetry using Jane Austen texts, creating Georgian fashion from craft materials and designing and writing a birthday card for Jane using handmade paper the group had produced during their preparation time. People said how much they had enjoyed the workshops and how well the young participants had done in leading them.

The young people enjoyed the whole experience, despite some initial hesitation about delivering workshops to the public. They told us that they appreciated learning about the preparation that goes into delivering a workshop, as well as the experience of delivering them to the public. For some it was a huge step, and they now have significantly increased confidence in doing something similar in the future.

More information about In Focus can be found on our website, https://www.infocusedu.co.uk/ where you can find details of our weekly workshops for young people aged 16-25 and make a donation to help us continue our work. We’re a small charity and rely on funding and donations – every little helps.