Ultra-messy Paint Booth for FlowState - Find Yours

Aim

Fund construction of Ultra-messy Paint Booth - a key component of FlowState - Find Yours! creative self-expression & wellbeing programme

The importance of reaching Flow State

Remember how exciting and joyful it felt when you were tiny and could play freely, without inhibition, getting lost in the moment? If you can't, don't worry you're not alone. If you can remember that feeling of unbridled excitement, perhaps you managed to reach adulthood without being put off participating in the arts by a grumpy teacher or an unsupportive parent. You may be fortunate to have a creative job or hobby now and find your flow state fairly regularly. If being in your flow state brings you joy, satisfaction and a sense of wellbeing please hold that thought for a minute and consider how it must feel to be without that.

When wellbeing isn't a priority, there are consequences

I'm Michytee (Michelle Thompson), a Keighley-based multi-media artist, occasional poet and storyteller. Unfortunately, rather than put my natural-born creativity to good use, I put my effort into a 30+ year career in IT; the last 20 years as a director in an independent IT Support provider. Throughout those 30 years I wasn't really giving my own wellbeing much thought. Life got in the way. All work, a lot of stress and very little play eventually made me ill. A few years ago I developed a serious auto-immune condition which hospitalised me several times.

In between periods of illness I managed to use creative hobbies as a way to get better, but I still didn't really give myself permission to make my wellbeing my priority, so I soon got sick again. 

I have learned now that when I get into my flow state and express myself through creative activities regularly, I stay healthy. My body and mind need it. 

There's plenty of research data supporting my opinion (and experience) that when humans take part in a little creative activity on a regular basis, their sense of wellbeing improves and this has a direct impact on mental (and physical) health.

So it's time to use my creativity and my experiences to help other people who are struggling to get well and stay well.

I am now halfway through an MA Creative Practice course with Bristol-based Make Happen Institute and Plymouth Marjon University. My project for the year is to develop a programme of activities to encourage more people to explore their natural creativity, even though they may genuinely believe they aren't creative.

Economic challenges impact health

The area surrounding my studio has been highlighted in government reports, and in the media, as one of the 10% most disadvantaged in the country, which has a significant impact on local residents' mental and physical health. Many people here simply don't have the money to spend on hobbies or wellbeing services that would help them feel better.

There are plenty of community arts projects and workshops available in this area, in part as a result of the Bradford City of Culture legacy, but people who don't feel sufficiently confident to participate in creative activities in group settings simply won't engage with them. 

People who are convinced they are not creative will have developed that belief for a reason, or maybe several reasons (think unsupportive parents and teachers, or bullying in school). Creative opportunities may be shunned in favour of getting 'a proper job'. Many people need support to get past bad experiences which led them to believe they're not creative, not talented, not able to give themselves permission to explore or experiment just for the fun of it.

So now for the good news

I have opened up my studio as a safe, judgement-free space, working with people on a 1-to-1 and very small group basis, where a nurturing mix of calm, curiosity, fun and exploration reigns supreme and every idea, no matter how wacky, is welcomed.

Here people have permission to park life's worries at the door, or unload them inside the studio, so they are free to explore the vibrant world of their natural human creativity.

Here's a few of the feedback comments received from people who have tried painting activities in the temporary booth: 

"Release. Calm. Expressed. I was in need of that sensory stimulation today. I expressed many scenarios & emotions in my painting over the time of creating it".

"The freedom and ability to make a mess was great. Much more relaxed. And creative!"

"It helped being able to let go of any self-criticism or judgement for a few hours. Now I'm quite calm, clear-headed and relieved".

I'm savvy enough to realise those people who would most benefit from the programme may simply not be able to afford to pay for my services, so how will I help them?

Over the course of the next 6-12 months I will further refine the FlowState - Find Yours! programme and offer it to social prescribers, GPs, mental health support organisations, schools and the general public. 

And the future?

My long-term goal is to develop FlowState - Find Yours! into a community interest company, so I can access funding to enable me to offer subsidised or even free places to those who need them and then expand the programme out to other towns and cities. I'd like programme participants to become involved in further development and expansion of the programme too, with a view to creating jobs and building a strong creative and supportive community through a FlowStaters community art club.

So what will the money raised in this CrowdFunder be used for?

The ultra-messy paint booth I have planned is a key component of the FlowState - Find Yours! programme. It will replace the temporary shower curtained area of the studio, which my trusted team of activity testers provided feedback on. They love the really messy activities, but want more space and more of a feeling of enclosure so they can really let rip.

The new booth will be fully enclosed, so paint cannot escape. The walls inside and out will be painted with positive messages encouraging people to really let go. The inside walls will be covered with a layer of removable polythene sheeting, which will, over time become covered in paint splatters and more deliberate painting too, which can be removed to form part of a group art project on the topic of self-expression, or cut up for individual paint splatter collage projects. It's where people will be at liberty to make a mess on purpose and in doing so exorcise their inner critic or perfection demon, who's been telling them they are not creative.

Inside the Ultra-messy Paint Booth is where magic will really happen.

Making Wellbeing Happen in Keighley

Your support for this project will have an incredible impact on the wellbeing of the people of Keighley and beyond. Every pound raised (after the Crowdfunder platform's cut) will go towards this ultra-messy paint booth. 

If there's any money left over after the booth is finished, that will be set aside to provide funded places, which will be offered initially through Missing Peace Wellbeing & Support, a Keighley based mental health peer support community interest company I am collaborating with.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 4th December 2026 at 9:00pm