By Marnie Louanne
If youโre like me and have an ultra-creative kid in your life, then look no further than Creative Makes in Hastings.
Creative Makes has become my six-year-oldโs safe space where sheโs made new friends (hi Abby and Abby) and enjoys the process of creative expression thanks to her craft teacher, Melissa Cupidon.
Mel tells me that sheโs always enjoyed being creative and ever since she was small, sheโs loved making things and seeing the joy that creativity brings, and now she is instilling that joy in my daughter, Poppy, and I couldnโt be happier.
While I always enjoyed art in school, the primary school art class has to cater for all levels of ability and interest, whereas for Poppy, heading to craft each Thursday night brings her together with like-minded kids to do what they love best โ getting the creative juices flowing.
Not only do they paint, but theyโre using all sorts of media that they wouldnโt get exposure to in the school art room, like gelli printing.
I guess itโs a bit like attending PE but then being the half full forward on the local footy team at the weekend, Creative Makes helps kids tap into their niche and express themselves in a way that suits our little creatives best and we havenโt looked back.
Poppy is now into her second term of Mini-Makers at Creative Makes, having tested out their school holiday program over summer and coming away with a pretty awesome dream catcher that now hangs proudly above her bed.
Each week Mel encourages the kids step-by-step through the process of art, and thatโs what itโs all about โ the process. โI love the process just as much as the end product, getting messy is so much a part of the creativity that the end product simply isnโt as satisfying without the mess,โ said Mel.
Mel holds a Certificate III in Early Childhood and began to apply her creativity working in an early childhood setting with preschool children.
โI truly enjoy reliving the feelings of discovery I felt when I was young watching the children explore and create freely and without inhibition.โ
I love our car rides home with Poppy telling me everything she did at craft, the colours, the conversations she had, and sometimes the mess she made. Being creative isnโt just fun, the kids are also learning at the same time. Iโm excited at her excitement at learning what her little hands can do, problem solving, colours and textures, I love seeing her pride when her finished artwork comes home and we find the best position in the house to display it.
Mel is joined at the Creative Makes studio by artist, Jade Lees-Pavey and together theyโre fostering curious and imaginative minds of all ages, sharing their passion for creativity.
Creative Makes isnโt just for the young people in our lives, theyโre also serving up adult classes in life drawing, ceramics, mixed media and more. I promise you, you donโt even have to have picked up a paint brush to attend. Itโs all about the process and creative expression and I encourage you to give it a go. There is nothing that says perfect is best and I think itโs high time I got a babysitter on a Monday night and turned my hand to a term of life drawing.
โIโm all about people getting creative together. I canโt count the number of times that I have been told โIโm not craftyโ by adults, but I beg to differ,โ said Mel.
Being creative is more than just the end product, it is the time itself and the process weโve gone through and I couldnโt think of a better way to spend some time, and I think Poppy would agree.
Creative Makes is located at 6 High Street, Hastings.
P 0425 867 919
Facebook: facebook.com/melscreativemakes
Instagram: @_creativemakes_