The Creative Comfort Company - Molly Shepherd
Today we are speaking with Molly Shepherd, a current student on the Drama and Applied Theatre in Education, BA course about the business she has created with fellow student Elizabeth Wooley - The Creative Comfort Company.
Tell us how The Creative Comfort Company got started?
The Creative Comfort Company team was formed in 2022 to raise awareness around the importance of arts in health. We got into this line of work through our studies and work that we have been doing over the past few years with Central and the Innovating Knowledge Exchange Team.
Our company is digital applied theatre based, with an emphasis on educational content and creating bespoke digital projects, which our participants are able to explore and edit themselves.
What made you want to create The Creative Comfort Company?
Through the pandemic and work that we had both previously done at Central, we saw the importance of creating safe and engaging spaces for people in clinical settings. We began to understand the importance of positive cognitive stimulation to promote wellbeing to people who may be suffering form isolation, boredom or be in long term care settings. We also understood the gravitas of what we were doing. By setting up our own company we were able to start to bring together all the knowledge we had learnt to create a space of learning, sharing experiences and beginning our own work as individual practitioners and facilitators.
What have you been working on?
This term we have been focusing on creating digital adventures for patients in clinical settings. We have used a software called Twine to create picture based journey’s for patients to play on at their own speed and in their own time. In order to make them inclusive we have added options for sounds or no-sounds and have included images and fun-facts throughout to keep engagement high.
Our aim is to continue to create these adventures and to allow patients and carers to personalise them to create an activity and experience that is dedicated to them.
How is this project related to your coursework?
This is a digital form of Arts in Health, which is something that myself and Elizabeth have been exploring through our entire time at Central.
What has surprised you most about your experience?
The general interest that we have already gained. We have been able to set up our own website, The Creative Comfort Company, and now host bi-weekly podcasts featuring practitioners within the field and related fields, both who are associated with Central and those who are not.
Check out Episode 1: Our Experience of Digital Practice
How did you find out about Central and decide to study with us?
I found out about Central through the specific course. I knew I was interested in how Drama and Theatre can be used in different ways and thought this course would be perfect.
What are you planning to do after graduation?
After graduation we are hoping to begin to apply for funding so that we can continue to explore and research how our practice can be used, where it needs to be used and how we can develop it to make a standing difference in people’s lives. Through funding we will be able to widen our horizon’s of our company and we hope to be able to turn this into a well known organisation within the Arts in health field.
Learn more about The Creative Comfort Company, follow them on Twitter @Cre4tiveComfort and access the podcast.
