about The Create & Bloom app
Create & Bloom, allows users to select a different artform (e.g. drawing, creative writing, dance and movement) and follow a 30-day course of around 5-30mins activity time per day.
The app is publicly available but can also be used by Social Prescribers, clinicians and health services and features a signposting element that alerts users to creative activities that are happening in their community for when they feel confident to access a group.

Our aim is to promote the benefits of creative activities for wellbeing for everyone and promote access to local opportunities in the community.

Brief

Our partners, South West Yorkshire Partnership, would like to commission taster session content consisting of one or more separate activities on the same theme or variations on a theme that enable the user to experience a taste of any given creative subject or art form. This may be a single or series of introductory activities aimed at building creative skills and confidence for the user. Activities should be both physically and psychologically accessible and safe for the user to complete, ideally with an outcome or ‘finished piece’ which enables the user to mark their participation.

Content can be in the form of video tutorials, audio ‘podcast style’ or text and image (photo/illustration) based. Please consider the format to best support the user to carry out activities alone with ease and consider making the content as widely accessible as possible.

We have a fee of £750 available for each commission and hope to make three separate commissions. Based on feedback from other artists commissioned, we anticipate the project taking between 1-3 days to complete.

All content needs to be completed and delivered by 1 December 2025.

Background to the commission

Everybody Arts conducted creative consultations in acute mental health male inpatient wards to understand the barriers men face to accessing creative activities, both on the wards and in communities upon discharge. This is in response to data that shows there is less engagement in creative activities on our male wards vs on our female or older peoples wards and a report from the Baring Foundation called ‘Creatively Minded Men’ exploring men’s participation in arts and mental health activities.

We would like to create a more diverse content offer which will encourage men and in particular, men from a global majority background, to start accessing and engaging with creative health activities to support their health and wellbeing.

Men told us that group activity can be a barrier for them so we feel this content could be the way to build their skills in a creative activity to a point they feel confident to join a group.

Deadline and application info

To make an application send us a document containing:

● Examples of your work: up to 5 images or a link to your portfolio or website

● A CV

● An outline of the content you would like to create for the taster session(s) touching on artform and session idea

● Confirmation you can supply the content before the deadline of 1st December 2025.

We are committed to addressing the data that identifies that men from a global majority background are underrepresented in creative health activities, both as participants and artists. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, particularly men from global majority backgrounds.

If you would like to arrange a discussion prior to submission, please contact creativityandhealth@swyt.nhs.uk otherwise, please send your documents prior to Friday October.