‘I have been given lots of different opportunities which I really valued’.
‘Getting the mentoring support was more than I envisaged’.
‘I have been immensely supported throughout the programme and still feel so blessed to be given this opportunity’.
‘Creative Pathways is my favourite thing I have ever done. It’s made me feel so happy and fulfilled in a way I haven’t felt for a while. This is mainly from the kindness of the mentor giving tuition completely voluntarily’.
‘If anything it exceeded my expectations. They gave me a lot more info than I expected. It helped me get a job with 2 Faced Dance’.
‘It’s been a great experience. It’s really helped me in that journey.’
‘Creative Pathways has been about upskilling and collaborating.’
‘The people here really care and they make sure you’re having a good time as well as the poets and that you’re being looked after.’
‘We went back to the Hereford Arts College and showed films that the young people had been involved in which was really enriching for them and for us’
'I was excited to be selected as a Mentee for training on how to deepen and develop my own creative practice as a local poet and performer. Ellie Scanlan was my Mentor and I found her a tremendously empathetic and perceptive trainer who sensitively elicited what help and support I needed, and enabled me to form and develop practical goals to further my journey into poetry and performance.
We started with voiceover work, including the opportunity to read and record the winning entries to Ledbury Poetry Festival’s 2024 Children’s Poetry Competition on Rivers. Ellie made this a fun and encouraging process and I learned a great deal about the practicalities of voice recording and production.
Ellie introduced me to sound studio work, helped me create an effective pop up studio, guided me through various sound software and microphones available which has enabled me to set up my own home studio. Under her guidance and with sensitive encouragement I recorded the winning entries to the Children’s Poetry Competition which are now available as QR codes on display at the Poetry House.
Ellie introduced me to a range of software which I would never have discovered on my own and nurtured me through the process of making a series of short videos which has resulted in me setting up a You Tube channel with selections of my work illustrated and recorded by me (due to go live later this year).
The whole process gave a tremendous impetus to taking my own work more seriously, and Ellie also helped me investigate publishing and self publishing opportunities. This has resulted in me pulling together four collections of my work which are now nearing completion and which I aim to publish and promote later this year and early in 2025.'
‘It has made us to think more about the different ways in which volunteering opportunities can be framed’ (Meadow Arts).
‘It’s triggered conversations about the role of volunteers within the organisation and at a senior level’ (Rural Media).
‘It made us think differently about volunteers. We feel we have a better understanding now of volunteers. The world of work has changed a lot. People are more picky about types of jobs and it’s made us think differently about what we are offering’ (2Faced Dance).
‘Our funders want us to diversify audiences and [our experience with Creative Pathways] will help with that.’ (Borderlines Film Festival),
‘The legacy is that we want to carry this on and support the [young reviewers] programme to carry on’. (Borderlines Film Festival).
‘The learning from the Creative Pathways project really helped to clarify our thinking about how we worked with volunteers’ (Open Sky).
‘Creative Pathways has helped us market our volunteer offer’ (Hereford Cathedral). ‘We have got better at talking about the different roles in the National Trust for volunteering’ (National Trust).
‘It has made us focus on how we work with volunteers and to get the best from them and to enable us and the volunteer to both really benefit from the experience. We wouldn’t have had the time to do this without the programme’ (Ledbury Poetry Festival)
'Ellie is a great mentor. She made me look at the bigger picture. We discussed the ultimate goal for my career, and how that would fit into the lifestyle I envisaged for myself. Her personal experience and experience with other creatives at different stages of their careers helped me see all possible routes to success, and that a creative career isn't always linear. Although I would've liked to continue our sessions, she has left me with some achievable next steps, and sage wisdom to take with me.'
‘Neurodiversity and fundraising training was really good. We made new contacts’ (Rural Media).
‘I attended the online neuro-diverse programme – it was really useful’ (Cup Ceramics).
‘One of the team attended the Mental Health in workplace and it was great’ (Meadow Arts).
‘The networking event was really useful and discussions with Emma on safeguarding’ (Hay Castle).
‘The networking within the scheme has been great. They have connected me to other organisations. We did a training event which related to best practice in volunteering’ (National Trust)
'The poetry reviewing part was very clear thanks to the resources Ellie sent over. I felt welcomed and encouraged by the staff at the Poetry House. The feedback on my reviews was very clear, helpful and encouraging. I learnt a lot! I also greatly appreciated how patient Ellie was with me when I struggled with deadlines. Going out to a café was a really great start to the mentorship phase, very friendly and informal. I found everything we talked about there really useful and will continue to refer back to that session going forward! As I’ve mentioned before, it helped me gain a positive outlook towards my future, should I choose to pursue a career in writing/publishing. The creative writing tasks were really interesting, and the feedback on the task I did complete was, as usual, encouraging and constructive at the same time.'
'Ellie and the team delivered an engaging talk about Creative Pathways for young people in Herefordshire. Our students felt valued and inspired to apply for the various opportunities on offer which will support their preferred practice in future’ (Hereford College of Arts)
‘We saw this as a great way to link what we do with the arts and heritage sector and this project enables us to work with a partner to enable us to do this. There has been a gap which this is fulfilling’ (HVOSS)
‘The scheme has raised awareness of the arts offer and what young people can do, with more profiling of the arts sector and how young people can access it.’
'Creative Pathways has been a gamechanger for me. The advice I have been given across many fields including book publishing, promotion and networking has been invaluable and completely illuminating. Ellie Scanlan has been particularly helpful connecting me with different members of the literary community and providing resources I otherwise would have been totally unaware of. In an environment seemingly heading further away from authentic creative arts, it has been uplifting to find an organisation that supports, nurtures and values these pursuits instead.
Moving forward I would love to be made aware of any future live events, meet-ups and community forums.
Many thanks to Ellie and the team for an amazing job, long may it continue!'
Did you learn any new skills?
‘Learnt about working in a space with varied audiences’.
‘Learning how to change writing in different styles/genres. I had to write in a more factual way - in a more concise way’.
‘I learnt more about running events and technical skills and adaptability too of spaces’
‘How to not make a terrible cup of tea!; Organisational skills; Be patient with people; Adapt to working with different people; admin skills.’
‘I learnt about public facing events which has helped my own confidence. Working on time scales. The exhibition part was very helpful and I learnt all aspects of running an exhibition.’
‘Editing skills. Writing more concisely.’
‘Confidence; Public speaking in a different kind of way – such as one to one; Professional way of behaving’
‘Gave me loads of skills and moved my life forward.’
‘It’s been a great experience. I’m interested in being a publisher and this has been really helpful in learning how to fulfil that.'
'The entire experience has been both useful and pleasurable; I wish this had crossed my path earlier in life. All of the instruction I received was very comprehensive and delivered in such a way that I felt my comments were evaluated and taken onboard. The Creative Pathways idea is definitely something that should be continued, if based only on the outcome of the ‘Play in a Week’ and the pleasure it brought not only to us but to the children who took part and the attending audience. For me, your talent, experience and enthusiasm turned what could have been a massive failure into something amazing!'
‘I wanted to meet people as retirement was hard for me. Hearing about the scheme, I thought it would lift my spirits. It has moved me on with my mental health.’
‘Developing my personal skills and having experiences to write about in my personal statement, it has helped me get a successful application to Oxford University. I talked about my volunteering on my personal statement and I am convinced this really helped me get me an offer.’
‘I had a lack of knowledge about what was available to me. Joining creative pathways really broke that barrier.’
‘I felt supported at all times.’
‘I had a bit of a lack of confidence and I was intrigued by the Heritage Sector and wanted to know more. It’s lifted my spirits and given me confidence.’
‘I would have struggled to get arts jobs. I needed support to make it happen.’
‘Definitely confidence has improved. They have made things a bit easier by giving me introductions to potential new employers.’
‘I have increased confidence in talking to people in the industry.’
'We only engaged with Creative Pathways towards the end of the project, but we were very impressed with Ellie's practical suggestions for taking our writing projects forward and with her friendly and supportive approach.'
'My experience of Creative Pathways has been great and I've been very much encouraged.'
'My zoom session with P Burton-Morgan was a really informative experience that I’ve never had before. In many ways so many of my life’s aspirations have opened up through Ellie Scanlan’s caring guidance through Creative Pathways, and getting a meeting with an experienced and passionate industry professional like P was no exception. P listened to my goals and had so many suggestions to offer some of which I didn’t even consider or know about before. In many ways it’s encouraging for me to not lose hope. I have immediately taken action and started reaching out to more people under P’s advice.'
'My experience with Creative Pathways has been an incredibly positive one. Ellie's mentorship has come at a pivotal point in my education and career, opening my eyes to a range of prospects and options that will help me gauge the direction of my career. Ellie has set me writing tasks with feedback which have been helpful at expanding my writing abilities and range. Ellie has also provided me with a number of resources that have benefitted my understanding of journalism as a career path. In terms of feedback for improvement I don't really have any! Only that I'd like the experience to have lasted longer.'
