Jennifer Barton – a New York born Londoner – accepted Eventbrite’s #GTFOChallenge to go to 30 events in 30 days for the experience of a lifetime.

This is what happened in week three.

One of the best bits of my Eventbrite experience has been reconnecting with my creative side: the types of activities I never do for myself anymore, only with the kids (and then feel stressed out about because our house looks like a tip). 

This week, I’ve tried new crafts, revisited old faves and did life drawing with an unusual (musical, naked) twist. Plus, I explored more of London in the process. And I didn’t need to clean up afterwards. 

Win. 

Win. 

Win.

Here’s the latest from my #gtfochallenge adventures…

Acrylic Pouring Bear with Omo DIY

#Acrylicpouringart is big on TikTok (70.8M views and counting) and I can see why: it’s the type of craft where you really can’t mess up as you layer different colours together on a canvas (usually three or four). 

Or, in the case of this cool workshop, you can also acrylic pour straight onto a Bearbrick-style bear. (This is seriously good for ASMR lovers, too.) 

The workshop took place in Vivi’s studio at The Biscuit Factory in Bermondsey. Vivi runs Omo DIY (@omo_diy), which also hosts rug tufting workshops and make-your-own (extremely cute) DIY phone cases with charms and chains classes (So signing up for one of those!) 

I chose three colours for my acrylic pour – turquoise, green and black – which I mixed together in a cup with a spoon, different variations each time. I’d pour the cup of paint out onto my bear, layer some more paint in the cup, and repeat again. The final effect is a glossy, ombre, stylish paint job… and this bear is going to make a fabulous addition to my shelf display. The process itself is just lovely. Perfect for a date night alternative, kids’ party or solo crafting session…

Jesmonite Terrazzo Casting Workshop 

I was so excited to try this jesmonite terrazzo session run by multi-media artist Lauren Godfrey (@laurengodfreystudio), who has been working with jesmonite for the last decade. Jesmonite is having a moment: the non-toxic material is durable and casts in a gorgeous variety of colours, plus you can re-use pretty much everything again and again to make all kinds of homewares, like tiles, coasters and candlesticks. In addition to looking gorgeous, it ticks the “more sustainable than most materials” box, too.

The workshop was held at London Terrariums and brought together a gorgeous group of artists and creatives that felt very inspiring to be around. First, we hammered down our wooden frames (I used an electric drill for the first time ever, which feels newsworthy!), then we arranged our colourful perspex pieces, mixed the jesmonite powder and liquid with some marble powder, added a touch of pigment for a marbled effect… and left our jesmonite to set for 40 minutes while we chatted and sipped and nibbled on cheese sticks and biscuits. The second half of the session, when your tile has set, is all about perfecting it by sanding down your piece, using a variety of sandpapers. This is serious work (and takes as much shoulder strength as some of the swordfighting I did earlier in the week). 

By the end of the session, you not only end up with a finished tile, but a feeling of pure, unadulterated joy at having completed something from start to end… and having spent a few hours in the company of some truly wonderful people. (At least, that was my experience.) Totally doing this again…

Hacknakey Life Drawing with Naked Live Music

I had no idea what to expect when I headed off to Hacknakey, a life drawing evening complete with naked models performing live music… and I certainly didn’t think I’d walk into an atmosphere so welcoming, chilled-out and encouraging that I’d wonder if I could possibly pose as a life model there, too.

Hacknakey (@hacknakey) is a super fun and collaborative way to try life drawing or get back into sketching. There are lots of different exercises, like passing your picture along to the next person after a minute, collaborating on a picture with others and sketching models as they play naked Twister, to name a few of our warm-ups. After a break, everyone returns for a proper sketching session with live music – which can range from guitar to classical to electro beats – from the life models themselves. Such a gorgeous event. Loved the atmosphere and will definitely be back for more as an artist (and, possibly, a model, too)?

Vintage Collage Workshop

Collaging is one of my favourite ways to relax and let my imagination run wild, so I was beyond excited for this vintage collage workshop run by Laura of GooseGlitters (@gooseglitters). As soon as I saw the pile of 70s-era Vogues, I knew I was going to have an incredible morning. Laura saves old art books, vintage comics, vintage mags and more from the rubbish heap by repurposing them into collage pieces and cards, and though the workshop lasted over 2.5 hours, the time just flew by. (It really does when you’re having fun.)

We started by flipping through the books and mags and selecting our favourite pieces, then cutting them in quite detailed ways to help the final image look more seamless, and we spent a lot of time playing around with layout and mount before glueing the designs onto the page. (I couldn’t resist adding some glitter to mine.) 

One of the really cool things about collage – and all of the amazing materials on offer in this workshop – is how inspiring it can be. I was clueless about what I wanted to make when I started, but then found myself collaging themes related to a novel I’ve been working on, so the whole experience wasn’t just fun and meditative, but deeply personal and emotional as well. Can’t wait to frame it.

Keep reading about Jen’s adventures with the #GTFOChallenge on this blog – and follow her daily on: