THE WORD Creating an end to ‘equal misery’
Nicky Goulder, founding CEO of Create, the charity devoted to making opportunities in the arts accessible, on a special week for community wellbeing
This Creativity and Wellbeing Week, Create is joining other organisations in promoting the vital importance of access to the creative arts.
Across society, awareness about the substantial health benefits of arts engagement is on the rise. The intersection of creativity and wellbeing is increasingly discussed in policy circles and by leaders in other fields. Social prescribing on the NHS has expanded in recent years, often recommending arts and culture experiences for people with mental or physical health issues.
Recently Professor Daisy Fancourt’s bestselling book Art Cure: The science of how the arts transform our health has moved the conversation about the benefits of access to creativity even higher up the agenda. Fancourt makes a strong case for the arts as the forgotten fifth pillar of health, alongside diet, sleep, exercise and nature.
Fancourt’s book popularises what has been known in academic circles for a long time: that access to the creative arts leads to clear, measurable improvements in wellbeing for people of all ages. Countless studies show that taking part in arts and cultural activities is linked to lower levels of depression and anxiety, reduced loneliness, and higher life satisfaction across the life course.
Despite this growing awareness of the immense benefits of creativity and its potential to transform lives, access to the arts remains starkly unequal. This is particularly worrying since it is often those who face the greatest challenges who benefit the most. Evidence indicates that creative engagement has particularly strong wellbeing impacts for people living in areas of deprivation, yet these same groups are least likely to have access.
This unequal access is shaped by many factors, including income, education, ethnicity, disability, and location. People in the most affluent areas are far more likely to engage than those in deprived communities. More concerning is that – according to research – this inequality is increasing. Financial pressure, poor mental health, lack of transport, limited time, and feeling that “the arts aren’t for people like me” are all obstacles to participation. Cultural venues are often concentrated in wealthier places, meaning that activities can be physically out of reach for many people.
This is why taking creativity to where people already are is so powerful. High quality creative arts programmes need to be delivered in community settings that reach people who do not normally engage with traditional cultural venues. Co-creating creative activities with communities is another effective way of increasing participation. When programmes are designed with participants and reflects their lived experience and interests, engagement and impact are stronger.
I founded Create in 2003 to make creative opportunities accessible to the most disadvantaged and isolated people in our society. Accessibility is at the heart of everything we do. To remove barriers to participation, our artist-led creative workshops are completely free of charge for our participants, and we work with community partners to deliver them in locations where participants feel warm, comfortable and safe. Over two decades of Create evaluation data clearly demonstrate the tangible benefits of enabling people to be creative. In 2025/26, for example, 96% of our participants reported enhanced wellbeing, 96% reported a sense of connection and 95% said they felt more confident.
This Creativity and Wellbeing Week and beyond, I would urge everyone working the field of arts and health to continue to say loud and clear that creativity is not a luxury, but essential to health and human flourishing. We need to continue to challenge inequalities in access to arts and culture both by speaking up and by designing and delivering creative arts programmes that are truly inclusive.
By expanding creative opportunities for marginalised groups and individuals, the creative arts can become a catalyst for positive change and increased wellbeing for all.