Does Being Creative Make You Happy Or Drive You Mad?

Amy Rose Williams & Charlotte Dawson

Mohammed Ali

Jack Lennon

Haydn Spencer

See More Messages from Creative Practitioners

This is a sample of a resource created by UK Charity AccessArt. We have over 1500 resources to help develop and inspire your creative thinking, practice and teaching.

AccessArt welcomes artists, educators, teachers and parents both in the UK and overseas.

We believe everyone has the right to be creative and by working together and sharing ideas we can enable everyone to reach their creative potential.

In response to the need to help teenagers navigate their use of digital media and increase their sense of wellbeing, AccessArt has launched a Digital Wellbeing Week.

Digital Wellbeing Week provides an opportunity for schools to encourage pupils to become more aware of their use of digital media, and how they can balance a more mindful and creative use of digital media with an exploration of creativity in the physical world.

The resources used in the Digital Wellbeing Week were created in collaboration with teenagers during the #BeACreativeProducer project. The resources have been designed to be shown in classrooms, assembly, or at home.

You can find all the resources you need below.

There are no set dates for the Digital Wellbeing Week – instead a school can choose a time which is convenient to them. The resources are suitable for Years 6 to 11 (UK schools) or ages 10 to 16.

The #BeACreativeProducer Project has 3 core values:

The project has 3 main core values:

• We need to help teenagers balance digital and physical, and to enable them to use digital in a mindful way

• We need to help teenagers value their creativity

• We can help teenagers find inspiration through friendship & collaboration

Monday

Meet the #BeACreativeProducer Team, and Then Try A quick quiz to help you think about how use use digital media

Follow-On Discussion Points:

How do you spend your time online?

How does it make you feel?

Is there anything you would like to change about the way you use digital media?

Tuesday

Be Creative! Why is Being Creative Important?

Follow-On Discussion Points:

What kinds of creative things do you do? In school and out of school? In the physical world, and in the digital world?

How do they make you feel?

Wednesday

How Can We Become More Creative?

Follow-On Discussion Points:

There are different stages to being creative. Sometimes you need to “take in” to get inspiration. Sometimes you need to make “space” to have ideas. Sometimes being creative feels good, but sometimes being creative is hard work.

Do you recognise any of these stages? How do you feel, in the different stages?

Can you think how you can help yourself, or help your friends, in the different stages?

Thursday

What Kinds of Things Can Hold Us Back?

Follow-On Discussion Points:

Do you recognise any of the “Ogres” that can hold us back?

How do you get round these thoughts?

Friday

Go For It! Tips & Tricks To Help You Be Creative

Follow-On Discussion Points:

Think about the things you like to look at online (music, fashion, art, dancing, film, games…).

Think about your own skills…

If you could have a dream, what would YOU like to produce/create?

Start small, or think big! It’s up to you!

What Next?!

Make your own films & animations!

We have lots of resources which share how we combined our skills to make our films and animations. Be inspired and make your own! You might use these resource in the classroom, at home, or even start a #BeACreativeProducer club.

More resources are added each month.

<< Back to the main #BeACreativeProducer Project pages <<

Sit back and enjoy the entire #BeACreativeProducer film, made by teenagers as part of the #BeACreativeProducer project. You can also watch the film in its smaller scenes here. 

<< Back to the main #BeACreativeProducer Project pages <<

How You Might Use our Animations

The teenage #BeACreativeProducer team have made over 25 minutes of film & animations to inspire creativity in ages 10 to 16. The scenes are split below for ease of viewing, or you can watch the film in its entirety here (26 minutes).

The animations introduce concepts about teenage creativity. You may wish to use them to stimulate conversation and discussion, to help teenagers assimilate the ideas before they go on to explore their own creativity.

We hope that throughout the animations, we demonstrate how teenage creative skills can be used collaboratively to create inspirational content. 

Once you have watched the animations, take a look at our animation resources which share animation techniques and ideas (including “the making of” certain scenes below).

Part One

Introduction

Part One

Are You A Consumer or a Producer?

Take our friendly quiz to help you think about your attitude to digital media!

5 minutes

Part 2 Scene 1

Be Creative

Intro: 1 minute 30 seconds

Part 2 Scene 2

Why is Being Creative Important?

5 Reasons why being creative is important!

Being creative can help build sense of self, help us create a safe space, help us tackle challenges in all areas of life, it’s fun AND everything in our world has been designed or made.

2 minutes 56 seconds

Part 2 Scene 3

So How Can We Become More Creative

This scene explores how we can allow our creativity to flourish.

5 minutes

Part 2 Scene 4

What Stops Us From Being Creative?

We all experience the same doubts: we think what we do won’t be good enough, or worry what other people will think, or we put things off until tomorrow (which never comes!). Explore the 7 “Ogres” which can hold us back from being creative!

4 minutes 14 seconds

Part 2 Scene 5

Creativity Hacks: Tips for Helping Creative Juices Flow!

Lots of things can help you on our creative journey. Work in collaboration with others, use social media to inspire and most of all, focus on the things you like doing…

5 minutes 10 seconds

Credits

Watch the Big Band!

50 seconds

Full Acknowledgments

Watch the Film in its Entirety (26 Minutes)

The #BeACreativeProducer Project Aims to Inspire & Enable Teenager Creativity Through Film & Animation. Start Your #BeACreativeProducer Journey Here!

Animations to Inspire

Made by the #BeACreativeProducer team, we have over 25 minutes of film and animation to inspire your teenagers.

The animations are the result of over 9 months work by 5 young people from Cambridgeshire, with all the artwork, sound, and animation created by the teenagers themselves.

Resources to Enable

We have created a whole range of resources which share how we made our animations, so that you can make yours! Learn to make stop motion animations using characters (bought and made), green screen, flick books, photoshop editing, whiteboards, and cut out lettering.

Meet the Original #BeACreativeProducer Team

Background to the Project

The #BeACreativeProducer Project started in June 2018 when 5 teenagers (Alex, Amelia, Immy, Lluis and Rowan) led by Paula Briggs from AccessArt, began on a journey to make animations designed to inspire creativity in other teenagers.

The legacy of the project – the Final Animations, and Resources, are an inclusive way to widen the benefits of the project to audiences of young people in the UK and overseas. 

The #BeACreativeProducer project encourages teenagers to work collaboratively, or alone, to create film and animations about the things they care about, and so helps young people develop their voice.

The project also helps teenagers balance their experience of the digital and physical world to feed their creativity.

Why Animation?

Exploring animation and film is an amazing way to inspire and enable teenage creativity.

The original #BeACreativeProducer Project demonstrates that an exploration of film and animation can offer teenagers a unique opportunity to develop their own creative interests, whatever they might be.  Better still, by contributing those interests to a collaborative project they could then see the results valued by others. 

The project encouraged teenagers to value their passions and skills, including woodwork, craft, printmaking, painting, drawing, calligraphy, drama, playing instruments, composing music (physically and digitally), and photo and film editing. All these skills have been brought together to make the final films and animations. 

Teenagers can work alone or in small groups to make their animations. Whilst some teenagers will prefer to work alone and bring a variety of skills into their project, others will prefer to work collaboratively, sharing skills and inspiring each other. 

Finally, making animations and films about things young people care about is the perfect way to help teenagers find and share their voice.

Who Might Enjoy Taking Part?

The #BeACreativeProducer project is suitable for ages 10 to 16. 

Teachers might like to use the animations in assemblies, classrooms and after school clubs to promote discussion amongst pupils about why we should value and develop our creativity, and to inspire their own #BeACreativeProducer journey.

Workshop leaders or facilitators might also like to use the resources in galleries, museums and community centres with youth groups and workshop audiences.

Parents and home educators might like to help facilitate the #BeACreativeProducer journey with their families. 

Watch our Animations

Watch All The Animations

See our Resources

See The Animation Resources

Organise a Digital Wellbeing Week

Find Out How You Can Use Our Films To Explore Digital Wellbeing

See How The Resources Are Being Used With Pupils

See how others have used the resources and be inspired…

See the Winners of our Last Call

See all Winners!

See the #BeACreativeProducer Project Show Reel

See Our Bloopers!

See the Original Team Present at the Houses of Parliament!

Read Their Presentation

Giving Teenagers Their Voice Through Film & Animation

“Imogen has really enjoyed being part of the team for the CP project. Although she was a creative individual before the project (participating in lots of dance classes and playing/composing classical music) Imogen has been introduced to many more creative avenues and now has a much broader view of creativity.

She particularly liked the group discussions that the team had at various stages, learning how to work as part of a small team, picking up new skills associated with stop motion animation, helping to run workshops, interviewing others and filming. Imogen is excited about the idea that the project might encourage other teenagers to become more creative in the future.

Overall her confidence has visibly improved as a result of this opportunity and she understands much more about how digital technology can be used to great effect in creative situations.”
Parent of #BeACreativeProducer teenager

“As part of the #BeACreativeProducer team Amelia has worked on an exciting animation project from initial concept all the way through to a fabulous finished product. With constant encouragement from Paula, ample opportunity to try things out, to reflect on and overcome false starts, and plenty of hard work later, Amelia is really proud of the results that the team has achieved.

An unexpected side-effect is that she has also gained great confidence in public speaking through canvassing members of the public for contributions to the project, leading workshops for (even) young(er) people and being part of the team that presented the project to the All Party Parliamentary Group for Art, Craft and Design in Education.” Parent of #BeACreativeProducer teenager

“The #BeACreativeProducer project ‘can do’ approach teaches teenagers to pick themselves up when they are down, demonstrates how collaboration and communication encourage creative thinking, provides stimulation, inspiration and constant feedback so that they never feel alone in their creative bubble.

Alex has grown in maturity and confidence as a member of the #BeACreativeProducer team. He has shown a level of commitment and tenacity beyond his years and far in excess of that we could expect a year ago; composing music for the project has given him a focus and reason for his creative exploration. He really understands that effort = output, has a real sense of pride in his work and values the importance of the team members and their network of mutual support.” Parent of #BeACreativeProducer teenager

Read, See & Hear the #BeACreativeLaunch Night

Read, See & Hear More About the #BeACreativeLaunch Night

Get in Touch

Email us at info@accessart.org.uk

Credits

Thank you all those who supported the original #BeACreativeProducer Project

Many thanks to AccessArt Young Artist Alex Tunstall

The #BeACreativeProducer Project was launched at Cambridge Junction. 

Congratulations to Immy, Amelia, Rowan, Alex and Lluis for an inspirational launch night, led by Paula Briggs from AccessArt. Find out more about how #BeACreativeProducer.

Enjoy the images and videos below!

Setting Up

The launch of the #BeACreativeProducer Project consisted of props made by the teenagers throughout the project, over 26 minutes of final animations and a workshop with 30 Year 6 Pupils from a local school. We spent the morning setting up, working alongside technicians from Cambridge Junction.

Exhibiting the Props

Some of the props we made as part of the animations were exhibited alongside the film and animation…

Workshop with Year 6 Pupils

We invited a local primary school, Morley Memorial, to visit and see some of the animations and have a go at making animations.

Live Link to the Baltic, Newcastle

The teenagers had a live link with teachers from primary and secondary schools attending a teacher meeting at the Baltic Arts Centre. They showed the props, answered questions and talked about art education. 

Time to Share the Final Animations!

The project was introduced by Paula from AccessArt…

and then it was time to share…

“I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the fruits of these young people’s labours last night – their creativity and confidence as 13 year-olds is absolutely awesome ! Well done for making it such a great project, and a super occasion.” Chris Owen, Honorary Visiting Senior Fellow, Cambridge School of Art

“A great event last night, you should be proud of what you started and how it developed into the final spectacular finish.  The yellow T-shirt’s were obviously so engaged with the project and totally behind what creativity can bring to their lives and hopefully that will inspire others to do the same.” Jane Reynard, Scolaquip

“A totally inspiring event from @accessart #BeACreativeProducer last night. Amazing young people, and looking forward to hopefully collaborating in the future.” Lynne Simpkin, NUA

“The pupils were awesome and so inspiring. All our art teachers were talking about it afterwards. They did u proud!” Paul Carney, Neaten

“What an event this was. It shared processes as well as outcomes, it showed creativity by the bucketload, it shared the strength and power of friendship and collaboration. It made my heart sing. Can’t thank you enough for the opportunity to watch this project develop and then to attend this unique and special day.” Susan Coles, Artist, Activist & Educator

Watch the Final #BeACreativeProducer Film

Or See The Animations Split Into Shorter Scenes Here