About A Fine Line
A Fine Line facilitates relaxing, creative workshops for adults that stimulate conversations.
Participants listen actively as much as sharing their thoughts and ideas.
No artistic prowess is necessary, just an enthusiasm and openness to meet, talk and listen to new people.
The workshops highlight the importance of:
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Valuing others: however we live, however we are feeling, validating each other's identity is simply worthwhile.
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Valuing diversity: we can work with diversity as an opportunity rather than a threat, valuing our differences in order to learn from them.
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Positive change: happiness comes from seeing the positive difference we can make to other people’s lives – and in so doing, enhance our own.
About Jill Stanier
After a ten-year career at the BBC, I met my husband and we had three children, who are all now adults. Following a period of further study, I switched my career to teaching, which I still do part-time. I have over 30 years of experience working with children and adults in educational and training settings.
That sounds like life has been plain sailing! Of course, there have been bumps in the road along the way, but I've found that art has provided a quiet brace at these times. It has been a true constant in my life, having always keenly leant into creative activities. I have experience in ceramics, stained glass making and printmaking - in addition to a perpetual need to draw and paint!
I am passionate about breaking down barriers of misunderstanding, miscommunication and unfounded prejudices (within local and wider communities) plus working to eliminate feelings of isolation and loneliness. Here lies the mission of A Fine Line!
Why The Name?
Called A Fine Line because there is a fine line between being a stranger and becoming a friend, between creating and being creative, or between a contented or an isolated state of mind.
It is also a play on the phrase as you often need to use a fine line in art: a small - yet important - touch to highlight certain areas of a piece of work and bring them to the viewers’ attention!
About the Conception
Between 1993 and 2002, a community project was developed by a group of professionals and volunteers in South West London. The intention was to use arts’ media to develop ‘community’ between people across boundaries. The team carried out a wide range of classes using arts’ activities and simple listening skills with clients, care staff, school and business volunteers in residential homes, day centres, educational settings and in businesses.
Although the original project has long-since folded, the team were keen for future similar projects to flourish, making their original intentions, format and case studies freely available. A Fine Line has taken inspiration from this, using it as a foundation to build and support communities through its well-being workshops today.
Sadly, most of the original group of professionals and volunteers have passed away. None-the-less, I would like to thank them for the work they undertook in 'building community' through their original classes, and for giving me the opportunity to reawaken their original vision.