MINDFUL MAKER CIC

Hello my name is Carolyn and I am a Mixed Media Artist and Educator based in Mirfield, West Yorkshire. 

I have been delivering a broad range of Creative Workshops to a number of organizations since 2017. I focus on mindfulness, sustainability and making Arts and Crafts accessible for all ages and abilities.

In my Crafternoon sessions, at Globe Arts, I focus on recycling and encourage learners to be resourceful turning 'Trash into Treasure'. In my Well-being sessions I focus on Mindfulness and the mental health benefits of being present in the activity of creating.

Prior to being a workshop facilitator I had a career spanning 23 years as a Woven Textile Designer for the Fine Worsted Industry. In 2016 I suffered a significant physical and mental breakdown due to a highly pressured role which became unsustainable. This resulted in the need to reconnect with my creative self and when ‘Mindful Maker’ was born. 

I initially volunteered with The Recovery College in Mirfield in their creative department. I delivered creative workshops to vulnerable adults. I worked with a team of volunteers and in most cases I was the creative lead. I learnt a great deal from this role in how to create a safe and inclusive space for learners. The outcomes were incredible and I felt a huge sense of purpose having encouraged learners through my own experiences and creative teaching. I also ran creative workshops for Support 2 Recovery in Huddersfield for vulnerable adults and CAMHS referrals. I found the latter hugely rewarding as I felt a real connection with children and a reminder of how I felt as a child growing up. It was from these sessions that I decided I would like to do more work with children. 

The work that I have done since leaving the textile industry has enabled me to broaden my skill set. I have attended many college courses learning lots of new creative disciplines such as printmaking, ceramics and fused glass. I love learning new skills and sharing them with others in my teaching. I will literally try anything and have built up a strong portfolio of inventive and creative sessions. 

I currently run the Thursday weekly Crafternoon sessions at Globe Arts in Slaithwaite together with one off specialist workshops. I have worked on some of their children's Arty Party events and their out and about family workshops at Zapato Brewing. You can also find me at Hive Community Cafe in Huddersfield as i regularly run workshops as part of their Wellbeing Wednesday sessions. I have made connections in my local town delivering adult & family workshops at Mirfield Library and more recently at Mirfield Community Center for The Kirklees Fostering Network for the foster children as well as their parents.

In September 2023 I set up Mindful Maker as a Community Interest Company. It is my mission to offer affordable creative workshops to vulnerable adults and children providing a safe environment to encourage and nurture learners through art and craft practices.