Spotlight on Arts – Deepwell Arts and Harmonia Music and Arts
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What happens when people are given the time, space, and encouragement to create something with their own hands? What changes when creativity becomes a shared experience rather than a performance or a product?
In this edition of Spotlight on Arts, Rob Watson speaks with Francis Deepwell of Deepwell Arts and Poppy Haritaki of Armonia Music and Arts about the role that creativity plays in everyday life and why accessible arts spaces matter more than ever.
Based in a shared creative space, Francis and Poppy have developed a growing programme of pottery, crafts, music teaching, dance, exhibitions, workshops, and collaborative projects. Their work brings together people of different ages, backgrounds, and levels of experience, creating opportunities not only to learn new skills but also to connect with others through shared creative activity.
During the conversation, Francis reflects on her journey from higher education into community arts practice. After becoming increasingly concerned about the pressures and targets that shape contemporary education, she sought to create an environment where people could learn at their own pace, rediscover practical skills, and experience the satisfaction of making things. Drawing inspiration from the Arts and Crafts movement, her approach encourages participants to develop confidence, curiosity, and their own creative voice.
Poppy shares her own creative journey through music and explains how Armonia Music and Arts has grown into a space where people can explore music as a language of expression. Her work focuses not only on technical proficiency but also on helping people discover their own relationship with sound, improvisation, and creativity. Through teaching, performance, and collaborative projects, she seeks to create opportunities for people to participate actively rather than simply observe.
A recurring theme throughout the discussion is the idea of emergence. Creative practice often produces outcomes that cannot be fully planned or predicted. Whether working with clay, printmaking, music, or collaborative installations, both Francis and Poppy describe the importance of allowing ideas to develop organically. Rather than following rigid instructions, participants are encouraged to experiment, explore, and discover possibilities for themselves.
The interview also highlights the social dimension of creativity. Both guests describe moments when groups of people become deeply absorbed in making, creating a shared atmosphere of concentration and reflection. These experiences can be difficult to measure or describe, yet they often become the moments participants value most. Feedback regularly speaks of improved wellbeing, reduced stress, increased confidence, and a renewed sense of connection with others.
Listeners will also hear about the collaborative projects that have emerged between Deepwell Arts and Armonia Music and Arts, including an innovative exhibition that combined clay-based sound sculptures with live improvised music. These experiments demonstrate how different artistic disciplines can come together to create experiences that are greater than the sum of their parts.
Looking ahead, both organisations are planning new developments, new collaborations, and further opportunities for people to become involved. Their shared ambition is to continue building a creative environment that remains accessible, welcoming, and responsive to the interests and ideas of the people who use it.
This conversation offers an insightful reflection on the value of creativity in contemporary life. It explores not only the arts themselves but also the importance of creating places where people can gather, learn, experiment, and find meaning through shared activity.
Listen to the full conversation on Spotlight on Arts to hear Francis Deepwell and Poppy Haritaki discuss creativity, community, learning, and the continuing importance of making things together.
For more information, visit Deepwell Arts at deepwellarts.com and Armonia Music and Arts at armoniamusicandarts.co.uk.
