Workshop Diaries: One space, two very different energies

I run regular creative workshops in Manchester, including sessions at Anaconda, a beautiful residential building in the city centre. Their sky lounge on the 43rd floor is a really special space to work in, and they often host community events alongside their mid-week creative sessions.

Recently, I ran two very different workshops there that showed just how varied a creative experience can be, depending on the setting and the energy in the room.

The first was a Thursday evening bargello card wallet workshop. Residents had come straight from work, the sun was starting to go down over Manchester, and there was a really calm, end-of-day feeling in the room. People were looking for a way to switch off.

With bargello, there’s structure to hold onto. I introduce the technique, and the plastic mesh gives a clear framework to work within. From there, people begin to make their own choices. Some follow the example closely at first, others start to shift colours and patterns and build something more personal as they go. One participant kindly sent me photos afterwards of their finished wallet, and you could clearly see that transition, starting with the chevron pattern from my example and then gradually developing into her own design as her confidence grew.

The second workshop was an abstract ink drop-in session, part of a busy Mother’s Day event in the same building. This time the space was full of activity, with music, food, and several different creative stations running at once, including a crumble dessert cart and buffet.

Here the energy was completely different. After a short introduction to the inks and techniques, people were encouraged to let go of control and just experiment. There was something really freeing about watching people respond to the inks as they moved and spread, rather than trying to direct every outcome.

What stood out to me is that both workshops, although very different in tone and structure, created the same thing in different ways. They gave people permission to create something of their own.

In the bargello workshop, the structure builds confidence.
In the ink session, the openness encourages play.

And both approaches lead people to the same place, where they start to trust their own creative decisions a little more.

This is something I see across all my creative workshops in Manchester, whether they are structured embroidery sessions or more open, experimental drop-in activities. The format can change completely, but the outcome is often the same: people slowing down, focusing, and reconnecting with their creativity in a way that feels accessible.

It also reminded me that teaching workshops isn’t really about teaching a specific technique in isolation. It’s about creating a space where people feel confident enough to explore their own ideas, whether that comes through careful, structured stitching or letting ink move freely across a page.

If you’re planning an event in Manchester and are looking for creative workshops that can work for different group sizes, energy levels, and settings, I offer both structured and drop-in style sessions that can be tailored to your space and audience. Find out more about my private workshops here.