New space for creative teens

A new teen space will allow youngsters with a passion for creative and art to explore their 'creative minds'.

GETTING CRAFTY: Director of Redhotblue Jody Euler and Olivia Laval get creative. Picture: Tony Martin

A NEW teen space in the Mackay CBD is allowing youngsters with a passion for creativity and art to explore their "creative minds”.

Director of Redhotblue Jody Euler first came up with the idea after noticing a lack of options for creative students when she was in university many years ago.

"The thinking behind Creative Minds and why we decided to establish it; there was just a need in the marketplace for young people to explore these kind of creative avenues,” she said.

"There isn't anything there, when I decided to study years ago I had to fly to Brisbane to take a workshop like this on my holidays.

"All these years later there's still nothing and we just wanted to make sure all the young people interested in creative industries have a platform to explore their ideas.”

Ms Eueler said the Creative Minds workshops would teach teens different aspects of creative design, advertising and art and how to think outside the box and come up with unique ideas - all without the help of any computers, apps or technology.

"Our first one we did two years ago, this is the second we've been rolling out,” she said.

"Back when it started I knew in my heart that creative kids would love what we were offering, but never to the capacity that we got.

"We had some students who said they felt more confident in themselves after taking it and one teen in particular who wasn't keen at the start on not having anything digital; his parting comment was it was the best thing about the whole workshop. They loved it.”

Fifteen-year -old Olivia Laval was one of the crafty students to enrol in the Creative Minds workshop, and said it was like nothing else she had experienced.

"I saw the ad and immediately I was so excited,” she said.

"I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do during school, I just knew I wanted to do something creative.

"Here we got to explore that interest and work on our different styles; it was awesome, so much fun and I'd definitely come again.”

The Creative Minds workshops take place within the Redhotblue creative agency on Macalister St.

The next workshop will be Monday, June 26 to Friday, June 30, from 9am to 3pm. To enrol visit the Redhotblue website or Facebook page.

Originally published as New space for creative teens