Not That Kind Of CIC

FCK Normal.

Did that get your attention?

Good, because that horrible, bland little word needs to do one.

We've all been there, be it when we were kids 'showing off', when we were teenagers trying a new look or as adults struggling to fit in with societal expectations - “why can't you just be normal?!”

I counter, why would I want to?

My name is Dale Tyler-Lodge (on the left in the photo above) and I have spent my life wondering where the hell I belong. I've suffered from poor mental health since I was in my teens. I've never fitted into the uni / job / marriage / babies / career format, and that always made me feel like there was something wrong with me. That was until I discovered art during the first Lockdown.

Art gave me an outlet to express everything that was swirling around inside my head and get it out onto a visual project. It helped me discovered who I was, what made me happy and how to harness feelings I thought would always control me. It showed me that one size does not fit all, and that actually, there were many people feeling like I did.

Art soon took over my life and I started to believe I could make a career from it. However that was when the stumbling blocks came along – the dreaded 'normal' had infiltrated there too! I found that to make my work saleable and be exhibited by traditional galleries, I had to compromise my artistic integrity. I began to speak with other Lincolnshire artists on social media, and found that I was not alone in this problem. One artist had been flatly told his work was 'unsellable' because it expressed his struggles and experiences. I felt that I was at a crossroads – did I give up trying to sell my work or comply with what was deemed 'normal'?

The seed of a third option started to grow in my mind. We were many, we were proud and yet we didn't have a space to show our work. We couldn't sit around waiting for the day someone else opens 'that' gallery that smashes the narrative. We would make it happen ourselves! And so, Not That Kind Of Gallery was born!

We are now coming to the end of our first year, and it has become more obvious than ever that what we needed for ourselves is desperately needed for others, especially young people. With schools and 'academies' becoming ever more like army camps that treat individuality like a disease, young people need a safe space to express who they are via creative outlets. 'Normal', and the lack of options for those who don't identify with the 'obey' narrative is creative an epidemic of poor mental health, criminal activity, bullying and self harm

That's where Not That Kind Of CIC comes in.

We want to offer art / creativity as an outlet sessions for young people struggling with their identity, bullying, negative mental health, poor body image – essentially anyone that feels they don't fit in. Some people struggle to talk about their feelings, but art allows for non-verbal expression. We want these sessions to be a safe place for young people to find their tribe and realise they are not alone and that it is ok to be who you are. And they will not be run by out of touch tutors - they will be hosted by credible, well known and respected artists who, themselves, used art to get them through shitty times.

The first part of funding we are seeking is to have someone set up our CIC and look into the funding options available for us. Once we have this, and we start getting funding, we can begin recruiting artists from similar backgrounds to run sessions. At the end of a set period of time, we will then host an exhibition of our students' artworks, not only giving them the opportunity to sell these pieces but also to show others that might not feel art is for them that you do not need to be from a classically trained, well off background to find benefits in creative activities.

Please forgive the rubbish video. It took me about five hours to just get that short bit! If we get to £500 I'll post the outtakes version.