Neighbourhood as Incubator: “trusting the process”
Neighbourhood as Incubator participants at Altar Pottery
As we move into the next month of our grassroots enterprise development programme, Neighbourhood as Incubator, the cohort has been busy learning, connecting, and supporting one another in developing their ideas and practices. And it’s a joy to witness!
Earlier this month, Helen trialled a craft workshop on sublimation - a printing technique used on polyester substrates. While her fellow cohort members got crafty, Helen conducted market research and gathered customer feedback to inform her future plans.
The group was delighted to attend a study visit to Altar Pottery at John Archer Hall. Here, they learned about founder and business owner Attila’s journey, from developing his creative practice as an idea, managing a workload to fund and grow it, to ultimately taking that leap of faith and starting the business. He spoke openly about both the opportunities and challenges he encountered along the way, highlighting the importance of friends, networks, and a reliable support system.
“Lean into the people that you know and they will help you” - Attila.
Following Attila’s inspiring presentation, participants got the chance to swing some mud in the studio and get creative! Ava was a natural, while others took a more non-linear approach to learning - resulting in some unique clay plant pots (or, in some cases, candle holders!). We’ll soon see how the pots hold up in the fire kiln - and whether Attila has any interns in the making!
“It was an excellent experience” - Ava.
Medium and wellbeing practitioner Hilary invited the group to Maitri - a holistic space with therapy rooms, an acupuncture clinic, and a welcoming community drop-in café. Here, she trialled one aspect of her enterprise idea: facilitating a group meditation session that incorporated red light therapy and scalar healing.
The session combined various wellbeing practices, including breathing exercises and visualisation, complemented by red light therapy and scalar wave energy. Trailing her idea with members of the group gave Hilary the opportunity to test, gather valuable feedback, and promote the healing sessions through the groups networks and word-of-mouth recommendations.
“I've felt so much better since, less tense and relaxed” - Helen.
Next month, the group will visit Squash Nutrition for a guided tour of the building and to learn how they integrate wellbeing practices to support the community. They’ll also explore The Florrie, a vibrant community arts and heritage venue, to discover more about its busy programme of activities.
In addition, we’ll be attending the Ignite Liverpool event, where we’ll hear from passionate speakers on a range of inspiring topics. We’ll be documenting the group’s progress along the way and following how their enterprise incubator stories unfold!