A team of North-east creative writers will spend time reflecting on inspiration and creativity during a series of workplace residencies in Aberdeen this month.
From Monday January 16, three local writers are set to spend a fortnight creating new work in Aberdeen businesses as part of the city-wide Inspiration Point project.
Writers Elaine Reid, John Bolland and Avril Erskine will be resident in Charles Michie’s Pharmacy, Fifth Ring Marketing and PR, and Bon Accord Care respectively, with support from Aberdeen City Council’s Creative Learning team.
The residencies will be an opportunity for the writers to engage with staff and customers and reflect on creativity in the workplace. This is in line with the ethos of the wider Inspiration Point project which aims to raise visibility of the pathways and opportunities for Aberdeen residents to get creative.
With experience of using creative writing as a therapeutic tool, poet Elaine Reid has been matched with Charles Michie’s Pharmacy, where she hopes to create poetry from the inspiration she finds in the new working environment.
She also intends to run writing activities in the café area at the end of each week and will explore the idea of “prescribing” poems to customers throughout her residency.
Elaine said: "I’m thrilled to be chosen for one of the Inspiration Point residencies and look forward to sharing the health and wellbeing aspects of writing and creativity with staff and visitors of Charles Michie's Pharmacy.
“There will be plenty of opportunities to learn more about the work of a pharmacy and also to speak to the customers as they pop in throughout the day.”
After a long career as a facilitator in the oil and gas industry, published fiction writer John Bolland hopes to use his business experience to create a dialogue with staff at Fifth Ring marketing agency around what is considered ‘creative’ and ‘non-creative’ roles within the workplace, as well as working on his own creative project focused on the North-east.
Avril Erskine has experience in the third sector, currently volunteering with Advocacy Services Aberdeen and SHMU, and is looking forward to working with Bon Accord Care, who specialise in the provision of adult social care across the city. During her residency, Avril will continue develop a series of interlinked short stories.
She said: “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to be writer in residence at this unique and innovative centre of care. I look forward to sharing in the creative talent of service users, their families, carers and communities and to all those who work so hard to realise Bon Accord Care’s vision.”
Work from each residency will be shared at a literary event on Saturday February 18 as part of the Inspiration Point celebration weekend in the Lemon Tree, with tickets available on Eventbrite soon. This event will also feature a reading by the chosen writer of the Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship, a prestigious award which Creative Learning have been selected by Creative Scotland to host for 2017; applications for the fellowship close on Monday January 16.
Creative Learning’s Creative Project Practitioner, Shane Strachan said: “The Inspiration Point project is an exciting opportunity to celebrate and give greater visibility to the fantastic writing being produced in Aberdeen.
“Elaine, John and Avril are looking forward to starting the residencies and creating new work based on their conversations and experiences over the two weeks. They will also have the opportunity to share this with residents at our celebration event in February.
“To be selected to host the Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship was welcome recognition on a national level for the work we are doing to support writers in the area, which we hope will lead to much more literary activity in the North-east.”
The three writer residencies follow a visual arts residency based on Northern Arts Club with local artist Elaine Grant and a drama residency at the Health Village led by Creative Learning practitioner, Alison Muir.
Inspiration Point is a celebration of the wealth of creative opportunities available to Aberdeen residents who can keep up to date with the project on Instagram and Twitter by following @inspirationABDN.