The Gate to creativity and friendship
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People's Stories
James talks about the impact of being supported to explore his creative talents and perform alongside fellow artists from Certitude’s creative studio - The Gate.
I only recently started exploring my creativity after my support workers at Certitude told me about The Gate.
I visited at first, and now I come every week. It’s such a friendly atmosphere. As soon as you arrive, Seb and the team welcome you and when you go to the art room everybody says hello.
I was inspired to create my Brighton Aquarium artwork (below) and music because I enjoy visiting aquariums. I especially like fish because they all have different shapes and designs. I love the tunnel where you can see all the fish swimming around you. It feels almost like a 3D experience.
This is just one of the creative things I’ve been doing. Thanks to Charlie and Lena’s guidance at The Gate, I’m exploring more of my creative talents. When Charlie suggested I try something different, I started doing music. Now I am playing drums and electronic instruments too. You can see some of this work on our YouTube Channel.
The team also encourage me to go to events. I love going out with the other artists, so if there are activities like museum visits, I will go. I also played at Café OTO last year, and now we are planning for another gig there in May.
Right now, we’re preparing for our next Love Permanent gig at the Spanners Club on 12 February with The Gate artists and a celebrated Japanese musician called Kenichi Iwasa, who also plays electronics.
As well as going to the gym, which helps my mental health, I’ve found that coming to The Gate helps give meaning to my life. I can be myself here without worrying about feeling judged by anybody. These are my friends.
To support James and his fellow Artists at their upcoming gig click here.
Our work at The Gate is only possible thanks to donations and community partnerships - to find out more about how you can support our work or get involved click here.
