…And There It Was (by DIY Southampton)
Written by Kristianne Drake
One of our directors – Kristianne – has started running a monthly session in our Creative
Space as part of the offering from DIY Southampton – the name given to free events that
were run annually showcasing music, poetry, storytelling, creative workshops and local
crafts people. The new monthly sessions began in April and are called And There It Was…For
The Curious. Here Kristianne tells us a bit more about the events and how you can attend
them:
‘The idea for these sessions came about because I wanted to be able to participate in
something creative that was low/no cost and in a safe space (i.e. Not a pub/bar). As
someone who has both written and performed their writings, I also felt I had stopped
putting pen to paper during the pandemic and know that it has been cathartic in the past
and would help my mental health.
So I spoke to another poet I know – SM Ripper – about whether he was interested in helping
me run some sessions if I could find a space for us and within minutes we had started
planning what we wanted to do!
Whilst it seems obvious that we would use the In Focus Creative Space now, it didn’t occur
immediately to me. DIY Southampton’s home had been Planet Sounds for the ‘main’ events.
Once we had confirmed we could use the space in the evenings for these events we made a
plan to work out what the aim of them was. I wanted to get creative again, but also in a safe
space – for me that’s one where no one questions my identity and alcohol doesn’t play a
part. The other great thing about using the In Focus Creative Space was that it was free, and
we would be able to provide all attendees with hot or cold drinks and parking in a safe and
accessible space for FREE! For SM Ripper it was the opportunity to share his wonderful skills
of supporting creative learning and making people feel part of something bigger.
The idea of each 1.5 hour session is to bring people together without anyone feel exposed
or vulnerable, but also to feel included and part of the proceedings. We do a mix of gentle
group activities and individual work – which people can then decide whether they want to
share what they’ve created or keep it to themselves.
The first event was a lot of laughter, warmth and generosity of spirit in the small group that
attended. We pondered on what Hope is – celebrating crap Friday/ Wishingful thinking/High
tea with fancy scones/Probably a good idea/ A catalyst/ Stars in the night sky – created
some Blackout Poetry and had fun using words to describe things that didn’t include the
actual thing – Goose Soldiers in Tuxedos (Penguins!). But mostly it was an opportunity to
see people we hadn’t seen for a long time and make new friends over poetry, coffee and
biscuits!
The next event is Thursday 12 May from 19:30-21:00 and it is completely free to attend. You
don’t need to bring anything except yourself and an open mind with you!
If you want to know more please either check out DIY Southampton on social media or ping
an email to diysouthampton@hotmail.com or kristianne@infocusedu.co.uk