How to make the most of Creative Opportunities in Birmingham

More often than not as we get older we begin to stifle our creative sides. Being creative is good for the soul and often a great way to take care of your mental health. Moreover, I think everyone ideally wants to make the most of the area they live in. This sounds great but often it's difficult to know where to start; how do we find these opportunities and get involved? Well that is what this blog post is going to answer. Having not lived in Birmingham very long, I didn't realise the extent of amazing creative opportunities this city had to offer. 

There are a few organisations you can follow to keep in the loop about creative goings on in Birmingham. I’ve found the easiest place to start is by following the venues that host a range of creative opportunities; this way not only can you make sure the activities are nice and local but also you will discover which arts and cultures organisations that resonate with you most and maybe try something creative you might never have thought of.

You may have already heard of this one, located in Cannon Hill Park is the Midlands Arts Centre. This centre offers a huge range of arts based activities from pottery to cinema to dance classes. The centre is for all ages, supporting creativity from “cradle to grave”. MAC is in fact the location for the roller skating afternoon hosted by Bertz’s for our project Rolling Out. On their easy to use website there is a handy “what's on” section where you can select what type of creative experience you want to get involved in. You can also subscribe to the newsletter or drop them a follow on instagram to keep up-to-date with everything they are running.

Next up we have Grand Union. Grand Union is a gallery and artists’ studios complex in Digbeth, Birmingham. Grand Union works with many different local artists and community groups, Bertz Associates being one of them! One of the more recent projects they have been involved with is called ‘The School of Abolition’ which through various activities, including workshops, public art displays, screenings, and publications, ‘provides a space for individuals to share their ideas on abolition praxis while utilising the power of visual arts to engage the public to challenge carceral logics and other forms of societal power structures’. Grand Union believes that when art is embedded within communities for communities, it can be a powerful tool for social change. 

There have been some other notable creative opportunities too, like in May they held a Writing Workshop with Cindy Sissokho and the year before that they held a ‘Write me up: a workshop which evidences queerness through photography & poetry’ with De’Anne Crooks. They also have lots of more informative and educational events such as The Women in the Centre Walk and Exhibition. If you want to gain a deeper understanding  of Birmingham and get involved with a group of people who work tirelessly to make Birmingham a better place then keep an eye for creative workshops offered at the grand union. Subscribe to their newsletter or follow them on facebook and instagram to keep uptodate what's going on with them. 

Art galleries are always a great place to look for creative opportunities and it is no different with the RBSA Gallery. This gallery offers some really professional one-day workshops. If you want to learn how to draw portraits or make prints like a pro these classes are definitely the place to learn. You can subscribe to their calendar so that their new workshops and events pop up automatically on your personal calendar or you can visit their site to look at upcoming events and workshops. The RBSA also hosts open entry exhibitions which anyone can enter, regardless of experience. This is an opportunity for amateur or early-career artists to exhibit their work in a contemporary gallery space. RBSA Open Calls are an excellent goal to work towards if you are trying to motivate yourself to complete a creative project independently; they are also a lovely way to connect creative space at home with the community.  

This might be an obvious one but I couldn't leave it out, for family fun and free workshops check out the events held at libraries throughout Birmingham, they won't disappoint!

How social media and websites can help you discover creative opportunities

Another way you can make the most of creative opportunities is by utilising social media. The algorithm makes it such an easy way to discover more arts and culture organisations that align with your personal interests and needs.

You can also check out websites like Eventbrite and Class Bento. On these sights you can apply filters to your search to tailor them to just what you have in mind. Bear in mind that these sights will show a range of prices but you can find a bargain here and there and on eventbrite you can filter out all paid events. 

VisitBirmingham in another site to take a look at. They have a ‘What's on’ section and a ‘Things to do’ section which you can apply filters to. This site really has everything from spa breaks to Cadburys world so if it’s creative opportunities you are keen on you’ll need to apply the ‘Arts and Crafts’ filter. 

While you are at it ArtRabbit is another website that can point you in the right direction when looking for creative opportunities in birmingham. They often point you towards exhibitions but also you’ll be able to find workshops, talks, screenings and events. 

The GAP arts project is another website you can check out for kids events. The GAP project is a youth arts organisation and cultural space, They ‘use creativity and culture as tools for making sense of the world and imagining possible futures’. They are primarily free events (a few paid ones are scattered in here and there, but are very reasonably priced). They are mostly based in Balsall Heath, but not all events are held there. They offer things like drama workshops over the summer period as well as regular groups such as ‘Lockdown Babies’ and ‘Culture Club’. It's worth checking out if you are under 18 and you want to make some new friends and develop your creative skills.

If film is more your creative speed then it's worth checking out the events on Film Birmingham’s website a lot of the workshops and events are free. They also show when film festivals are on as well as screenings of classic films. Film Birmingham is Birmingham City Council’s Film and Television office but the events they promote are really a film lover's dream come true. The workshops give you a chance to tap into your creative side in a supportive environment and try something that not many other arts organisations offer.

Film Birmingham makes many smaller film organisations more accessible. They show their abundance of upcoming events on a calendar, if you fancy an event they make it especially easy to add it straight to your own calendar. 

Number 11 arts is another great website. It provides links to a number of forums that discuss the creative opportunities closest to you. There's a forum for Selly Oak, Erdington, Hodge Hill and many more. This website is great to help you connect you to smaller arts organisations.

Hopefully if you were already hoping to get involved in creative activities this blog saves you some time scrolling through countless websites. But if creative opportunities in Birmingham haven't been something you really considered, I hope this blog post gets you a little excited about trying something new or reviving an old hobby. 

Maybe you and your friend can try something a little different the next time you meet for your weekly catch up? Or maybe you want to spend some quality time with your family a little differently? Or perhaps you just want to take some time for yourself this weekend to nurture your creative side. Whatever you are thinking, Birmingham will have something creative that you can try.