Steve Gooch

I've spent much of my life exploring two things that continue to fascinate me: the extraordinary possibilities of human creativity and the strange ways we manage to convince ourselves we're not particularly creative.Along the way, I've had some rather interesting adventures.My artistic journey has included work involving internationally renowned artists such as Joe Tilson and Richard Deacon, as well as Nick Pope, and an illustrated limited edition of poetry by the French Surrealist Paul Éluard. I've also spent decades teaching art, encouraging people to experiment, challenge conventions and discover abilities they never realised they possessed.Art and teaching have taken me around the world. I've lived and worked in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Sudan, and taught workshops in Jordan, Cyprus and Lithuania. I've found myself in Egypt during the Arab Spring uprising and experienced periods of political and military unrest in Khartoum, Sudan.And then there are the stranger coincidences. For a time, I lived just three doors away from Osama bin Laden's former house in Khartoum, Sudan. Later, while teaching art in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, one of my art students turned out to be his niece. These are the sorts of experiences that make you wonder whether you should be writing an autobiography rather than another teaching manual.I've actually written three books so far, although none is quite that autobiography.I hold an MA in Education and have taught art to students of all ages and abilities, but the qualifications and international adventures are only part of the story.What I really love about teaching is that wonderful moment when somebody produces something, looks at it in astonishment and says, 'I didn't know I could do that!' I've witnessed that moment countless times, and it never gets old.I've also spent around 30 years teaching mindfulness and meditation, which has given me a rather unusual perspective on creativity. I'm fascinated by how we perceive the world, how our minds influence what we create and what happens when we begin questioning the rules we've unconsciously imposed on ourselves.My workshops are about curiosity, experimentation, discovery and occasionally making a glorious mess of things. You don't need expensive materials or some mysterious artistic gift. Just bring a willingness to explore, have fun and perhaps surprise yourself.These days, I'm still creating, teaching, developing new workshops and contemplating another return to Egypt, a country that seems determined to keep pulling me back.After all these years, I'm still convinced that the most interesting discoveries happen when we step outside the familiar. Preferably with a pencil and notebook in hand and absolutely no idea where the next line is going to take us.