How to co-create a craft programme

Three tools to make a difference in your community through the power of craft

Make:Shift, Crafts Council 2016. Photo: Simon Webb.

Craft in the community can be hugely powerful. This toolkit provides some useful resources to help set up successful projects that can make a difference.

The approach used is that of co-creation, listening to everyone and working collaboratively together to develop new ideas and activities.

Why you’re co-creating, what you’re co-creating and how you’re co-creating, even if you co-create at all, are questions that need to be answered, together preferably. There’s lots of tools out there that can help, and we’re sharing some here to start you off with this short Planning Community Projects toolkit.

Have a look, try them out and let us know how you get on. They’re published under Creative Commons so you can even hack them and create your own version to share along.

Why co-create?

Anyone who has been involved in a co-creation exercise at whatever scale or level in a project will tell you - it’s not easy! So why do it?

This tool helps you and your team to explore your motivation and improve your clarity and focus as you embark on a co-creation process. You’ll need the confidence this clarity brings to keep on track.

This tool is used to agree and prioritise your goals at the outset of a project. It should be completed as a team.

Tool #1:

Why co-create?

Controlometer

Co-creation always involves sharing control; this simple exercise helps to you explore your, and your organisations’ willingness to give up control across all or part of a co-creation process. Learning to share is hard and being self aware in this regard will help you be a better co-creation partner.

This tool is used to generate understanding about your, and your organisations’ attitudes to sharing control. It should be completed as a group.

Tool #2:

Controlometer

Design your co-creation project

If you’re a cooperative or community organisation, co-creation might be embedded in your project approaches and ways of working.

For the rest of us, we need to think carefully about how to structure our co-creation projects to ensure they’re fit for purpose. Sharing doesn’t always come easily or run smoothly, and being explicit about your understanding up front will save tensions later.

This simple checklist will help you think through the stages of your project and who has responsibility or is involved at each point.

Tool #3:

Design your co-creation project

Worksheets developed by From Now On in collaboration with the Crafts Council following the Co-creation in Makerspaces event series, 2018-20.

From Now On are creative strategists and cultural programmers. From creative hubs to clusters, museums to high streets, we work collaboratively to imagine new formats, build new programmes and connect people.

Part R&D Lab and part consultancy, we’re small, connected and serious about finding better responses to our changing world.

fromnowon.co.uk