CLAIRE ATHERTON
Community Arts Producer Creative Health Researcher
Eco-Artist
Rest & Digest
"The practice of taking action to preserve or improve one's own health"
Starting in April 2023, and culminating in September 2023, Rest & Digest was a seven-month program, piloting a framework of professional development and wellness support for creative and cultural practitioners* who lived/worked in Great Yarmouth.
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A cohort compiled of 6 practitioners* were given a bursary to attend two days a month to focus on professional development and to improve wellbeing both mental and physical.
Sessions included: Wellness Walks, Supervision, Yoga, Artistic Boundaries and collaborations with local artists, academics and holistic therapists.
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*Creative & Cultural Practitioner = a person working independently who produces work in any of the art forms supported by Arts Council England.
Artists spent two paid days a month focusing on themselves and their artistic practice.
The first day was spent undertaking Wellness Walks, with Under Open Sky. These were split between two locations - the "green space" of Burgh Castle and the "blue space" that is Great Yarmouth Beach.
Before culminating with group supervision facilitated by Village Orchard East CIC.
The second day was focused on continuous professional development (CPD) featuring sessions around boundaries, play, and creative exploration and allowed the cohort to develop their artistic practice by exploring themselves as artists.
Sessions were facilitated by fellow artists including Magic Acorns, Original Projects, and Intuitively Creative, Dr Martin Mahony from UEA and all included somatic practice led by Nicola Pollett Yoga.
Each month had its own theme - Create, Communicate, Care, Connection, Collaborate and Collection. With a constant concept of 'play without outcome'. This gave permission to explore and experiment, to feel and show emotion, to make 'bad art' and to value the time and labour regardless. Long may playtime continue!!
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"We do not always create 'works of art' but rather experiments; it is not our intention to fill museums: we are gathering experience."
- Josef Albers
