MADE BY MANY: Taking comfort in creative solutions after lockdown

It has been a creative time for Sarah Brown

As the new year gets into full swing, there is a lot that communities will be looking forward to in 2022: the opportunity to gather and safely celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, trying new things, and perhaps there’s some optimism in hoping for a healthier and safer 12 months.

At Made With Many we look forward to organising the Corby Pole Fair on June 3 and have plans to continue offering creative and cultural experiences for people in Wellingborough and Corby (we were pleased to announce further funding from Arts Council England for our programmes to 2025).

This month, many will be reflecting on New Year’s resolutions and how they choose to live their lives.

Last year, I decided not to put pressure on myself to achieve the unachievable, or test my vices, and simply tried to do something creative every day.

This helped enormously when the cold and dark took hold in January, as I focused on making things for friends’ birthdays and making home-made food to cheer others up.

As I look back on 2021, I realise that it was my most creative year yet, and possibly one of the happiest, as I truly believe that creativity has a positive impact on your mental health.

This year, however, I think many are opening their eyes to more information on climate change, and it feels that now, more than ever, there should be resolutions to do more for the planet and for future generations.

As I put together sustainability plans for the way we work at Made With Many, I feel there is a lot we can share with the community: encouraging creative skills to help people Make Do and Mend, offering a connection with nature through some of our children’s projects, and leading by example when we organise community and cultural events.

It’s not going to be easy, but perhaps if we approach

it in the same way, by doing one small thing each day that is more sustainable, there will be more creative solutions to the way in which individuals and communities can start to live more sustainably.

l Sarah Brown is a producer at Made With Many, a creative programme working across Corby and Wellingborough.

For more information on their work, see www.madewithmany.org