Craft as support in working with people

The project involved 24 participants, divided into two groups. One worked in the Ceramics Lab, the other in the Jewelry Lab. Through working with clay and metal, participants learned craft techniques while also exploring how the creative process, group dynamics, and guided reflection can contribute to relief, increased focus, and a better awareness of one’s own needs.

The program was not designed as a therapeutic intervention, but as a supportive creative space for people who often carry a high level of responsibility, emotional involvement, and the need to adapt to others in their work. Participants came from a range of professional backgrounds, including preschool teachers, school teachers, social pedagogues, youth workers, doctors, therapists, and nurses.

“When I think back to the workshop, I calm down and reconnect with myself,” wrote one of the participants.

The handbook will be aimed at professionals, mentors, organisations, and facilitators of creative programmes who are interested in using craft practices when working with groups under increased pressure. It will present the programme’s framework, research findings, feedback from participants and mentors, and practical recommendations for developing similar initiatives in other contexts.

The In the Shelter of Creativity project connects the fields of culture, craft, and health, and opens up the question of how creative environments can serve not only as spaces for learning skills, but also as spaces for support, reflection, and community.

The handbook will be freely available online in September.

Photo: Tjaša Bavcon