Studio Visit with Growing Places Walking into Hayley Peacock’s Playoneering Studio feels a little like stepping into a living, breathing imagination. Light, materials, tools, and possibility all hum together in a way that makes you slow down, breathe differently, and remember something important… something we often forget as adults, that play is not just for children. Play is how humans of all ages make sense of the world. This truth sat at the heart of [...]

Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith is an award winning Physiologist who specialises in stress and rest research, Saundra and Restorasis (her well being consultation agency) have developed a framework wherein there are 7 types of rest (physical, mental, emotional, social, sensory, creative and spiritual) that all need to be fulfilled in their own way to ensure you feel energised and prepared to face the day. So what are the 7 types of Rest? 1. Physical rest [...]

Silence in Motion How Fluid Art and Texture Experiments Became My Anchor It all started during a period in my life when the world around me seemed too loud and chaotic. Constant stress because of the war and deep inner anxiety forced me to look for a quiet place. I found my refuge not in a geographical location but in a process. My salvation became fluid art—the art of unpredictable movement and textures, based on the [...]

Sustainability shame Have you ever felt that pull of shame when you throw something away that still has some use in it, or when you realise you have put something in the wrong bin? You are not the only one. But sustainability is not about getting it right every single time. It is about doing what you can, when you can. One of the most powerful things we do at Creatful is show how everyday household [...]

If you’ve ever struggled with your mental health and been to counselling or seen a therapist, you’ve probably been encouraged to keep a gratitude journal. On the surface it sounds simple enough, write down a few things you’re grateful for. But when you’re in the midst of ill mental health or navigating life challenges like bereavement, redundancy, or financial stress, gratitude can feel almost offensive. What is there to be grateful for when everything feels heavy? [...]

Dyslexia and Me Over twenty years ago, at age 18, I was diagnosed with dyslexia. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what it meant and I was mainly pleased that I got a free laptop to use at university. I knew that spelling was hard for me, that reading felt frustrating, and that learning took a little more effort. I was lucky to have parents who set a strong example of hard work and perseverance, [...]

Art of Recovery Portsmouth 2026 In March, we opened the doors of Victoria Park to welcome Portsmouth into the Art of Recovery exhibition a day that had been months in the making. A powerful celebration of creativity, courage and community, bringing together people with lived experience of addiction and substance misuse, the families and workers who support them, all while thanking the services walking alongside them every day. Curated by Creatful’s founding director, Nancy, in collaboration with Project [...]

Little Acorns Natural Creativity Afternoon For Easter Nancy visited The children of Little Acorns holiday clubs and nursery along with Preacher the storyteller who entertained the children before lunch with his own stories and one written by Elouise, one of the children. Preacher sparked the kids curiosity by asking them how they'd run a car without fuel, allowing them to come up with their own fun solutions After the children had lunch it was Creatful's [...]

Creative Writing With Sarah Sarah has been one of our women’s mental health group members in Buckland for years. She’s a kind, thoughtful woman and incredibly creative. She likes drawing, often sharing her sketches with us, and also has a passion for creative writing. Over the years I’ve watched Sarah grow in confidence, and recently she took a brave step: she approached our group host, Ali, to ask if she could facilitate an activity for the group. [...]

Our recycled Pen art for Repair café Havant Nancy, our director, has been keeping her used pens over the past two years to create a wonderful piece of art to donate to Repair Café Havant as a really representative symbol of their ethos of reusing what many consider rubbish or waste for creative purposes. Nancy says “I always save all our empty pens in my pen grave yard, when I have enough I make art and donate it [...]

Meet Charlee, one of our wonderful Creatful volunteers Charlee volunteers at Project W and Creatful Havant. Charlee brings a calm, grounded presence that makes a world of difference. The women who attend these groups may be navigating challenges like homelessness, addiction, or abuse and Charlee meets each person with authenticity, compassion, and care. Her lived experience allows her to connect in ways that feel deeply meaningful. She helps create a space where women feel safe, seen, and [...]

Community Art in Action Community art has become a vibrant and essential part of Creatful’s creative health programme, and over the past year it has brought people of all ages together to make, imagine and connect in ways that strengthen wellbeing and community spirit. These projects aren’t just about making something beautiful; it's all about belonging, confidence, shared purpose and the quiet joy of creating side-by-side. Community art offers benefits that ripple far beyond the final [...]