About

In 2023, four childhood friends - Hayley, Marie, Grace and Gemma - found themselves living in West Hampstead, caught up in work and the isolating heave of London. All four were creatively inclined, but somehow creativity was being slowly squeezed out of everyday life. They were hoping for a way to make real connections with their local community; and, in doing so, spark something wholesome for themselves and others to share.

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And then a natural opportunity arose to help: a small local charity supporting learning-disabled adults to develop gardening skills had just had all their gardening equipment stolen.

In response, the four friends decided to hold a Clothes Swap Fundraiser and call on Londoners far and wide to donate, swap clothes and support. To bring people together, Artyfolk was born.

 

Under the name of Artyfolk, the four friends kept going. Over the next two years, they ran more clothes swaps and a seasonal craft workshop, all raising funds for several local charities.

 

Which brings us to 2025, when two of the friends, Hayley and Marie, experienced difficult times of personal loss, and their own need for art-making, creative expression and a warm, welcoming community grew and grew and grew. Artyfolk had been the answer before, and it could be the answer again.

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The Artyfolk studio was started in a small space in West Hampstead, where Hayley and Marie began running a weekly programme of creative workshops. The idea was hopeful: to forge a creative community where they could seek refuge and evolve as artists themselves, while inviting all those people who had supported Artyfolk before to come along, make some art, and perhaps feel good about themselves and more connected to others in doing so.

 

It was a good idea. More and more people kept coming to the workshops, and Artyfolk became the creative community the two friends had hoped for. 

 

Artyfolk is now a busy hub that meets people where they are, offering whatever they need in the moment: a creative outlet, a way to unwind after a busy workday, a chance to build artistic skill, meet new people, spend time with loved ones, or simply try something new. Our workshops offer a myriad of opportunities to explore a multitude of creative techniques and styles - endlessly inspired by artists, music, mediums, food, dating, and more.

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While London can often feel isolating, our participants consistently describe feeling calmer, more confident in themselves, and more connected to others after attending. Our workshops have built a warm, welcoming creative community for both novice and experienced artists to come back to.

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Artyfolk has continued to evolve, with the four friends now bringing together different strands of the creative community they’ve built over time. Hayley and Marie run the regular programme of creative workshops from the Artyfolk studio, while Grace and Gemma continue to develop creative events and community fundraisers. In addition to the regular programme, the Artyfolk studio has weekly opening hours, providing a space for people to work on their own creative projects alongside us. We also offer a range of creative workshops that can be flexibly tailored to any space or occasion.

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Artyfolk is the wholesome creative community we dreamed of all those years ago, and we're grateful to every single person who joins us and supports us along the way.

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With Love,

Hayley, Marie,

Grace and Gemma

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