Mainspring Virtual Studios is a series of free online creative courses designed and led by experienced neurodivergent creatives.
The courses are tailored towards neurodivergent people who want to develop their creative skills in a friendly and inclusive environment.
Our 2024 courses have now passed - but you can get a little taste of them by downloading our accompanying creative prompts and exercises!
What is it?
We are offering three separate online courses. Each course will have eight participants in total, and we will tailor the sessions to meet your access needs.
Writing the Self with Nicola Werenowska
These online workshops will address the relationship between writing and the self in a productive and fun way, exploring how we can use personal experience directly and indirectly to inform artistic work.
The workshops will have a focus on playwriting, but are open to writers from all disciplines.
Aimed at neurodivergent adults (18+), from beginners to experienced writers, the interactive workshops will include group and individual practical writing exercises; stimulating discussion; the opportunity to network and to share work; and receive group feedback. Participants will have the opportunity to present work at an optional sharing at the end of the course.
Tutor bio: Nicola Werenowska is an experienced, award-winning neurodivergent playwright who is committed to exploring underrepresented voices. Nicola was 16 when she was a runner up in the Royal Court Young People’s playwriting competition but it took her another 15 years before she wrote professionally, following her life-changing dyspraxia diagnosis. Nicola has been on attachment to Graeae Theatre, the National Theatre studio and a member of the Royal Court National Writers group. She is currently in residence with High Tide as recipient of a Peggy Ramsay/Film 4 2023 Bursary and is Associate Artist at the Mercury Theatre.
Writing the Self course dates: This course has now passed
Freedom to Play with Justine de Mierre
Freedom To Play is an online improvisation course, introducing neurodivergent creatives to the skills and techniques of spontaneous performance. Improvisation skills can boost creative practice by freeing us from creative blocks and giving us new ways to explore artistic possibilities, giving us the freedom to play with ideas in new and innovative ways.
Standard improvisation courses often unknowingly assume neurotypicality, causing discomfort that can prevent neurodivergent participants experiencing the full freeing up of creativity that improvisation can bring. This course will create a safe space to learn, develop and use the core skills of improvised performance in our artistic practice.
Tutor bio: Justine de Mierre is a neurodivergent performer and facilitator who has been working with improvisation for over 25 years, developing, performing and creating improvised work with artists, marginalised groups and the general public, and in a wide variety of environments from arts centres and community halls to shopping centres and on trains. In 2018 she founded The Unqualified Yes, an improvisation company offering face to face courses, which moved online during lockdown. As an openly neurodivergent teacher, her classes have attracted other openly neurodivergent improvisers, creating a safe space for neurotypical and neurodivergent people to play together.
Freedom to Play course dates: This course has now passed
Writing Poetry with Vicky Morris
This programme will offer a set of relaxed and inspiring poetry workshops for neurodivergent creatives. Whether you’re new to poetry, or already writing, this is an opportunity to build confidence and develop (or refresh) your poetry writing skills in a safe and supportive small group setting.
Vicky has mentored many emerging poets including recipients of the New Poets Prize. Through a range of engaging exercises and example texts, she’ll encourage you to generate ideas and write poems you’ll want to polish and send out into the world.
She’ll also offer insightful tips and tricks for strengthening your work, building your confidence as a poet, and getting the best from your neurodivergent thinking. The programme is open to new, aspiring and emerging poets who identify as neurodivergent.
Tutor bio: Vicky Morris is a British/Welsh poet based in Sheffield. Her chapbook If All This Never Happened won the Munster Fool for Poetry Chapbook Competition 2021 and was shortlisted in the Saboteur Awards for Best Poetry Pamphlet 21/22. Her poetry has appeared in places like The Rialto, The Poetry Review, Magma and The North. She has placed in various competitions including winning the Aurora Prize for Poetry 2020, and the Prole Laurate Competition in 2019. Vicky is the founder of Hive Young Writers and received a Sarah Nulty Award 2019 for her impact developing younger writers. She is a recent Arvon/Jerwood mentee and was shortlisted for the Mairtín Crawford Award 2022. www.vickymorris.co.uk
Writing Poetry course dates: This course has now passed
Who is it for?
These courses are open to people who:
Identify as neurodivergent
Are aged 18 or over
Are based in the UK
Can commit to all of the course dates
Have not taken part in a Mainspring Arts project in the last three years
Access support will be provided.
