We need the arts now more than ever
- Written byJoe Richardson
- Published date 11 July 2025
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In times of change, isolation, and uncertainty, the arts can comfort us, connect us, and keep us well. As children spend more time at home, parents and carers are often looking for engaging activities to foster creativity.
At UAL Short Courses, our under 18s and Future Creatives classes are designed to support the next generation of creative kids and teens. We help them explore creativity outside the classroom and develop skills for GCSEs, A-levels, and beyond. We firmly believe the importance of art in a child’s development is key. Arts and creativity cultivate wellbeing and help young learners create connections between subjects.
We recently caught up with Seán Myers, a Short Courses tutor and printmaker, to see what he's been doing since we last spoke in 2018. Since then, Seán has taught on a range of our courses, including Portfolio Preparation Short Course and Experimental Printmaking for 16 to 18 Year Olds, as well as delivering Future Creatives courses. We wanted to learn how Seán has responded to creative challenges and how it has shaped his practice. Seán offers advice to aspiring young artists and shares five compelling reasons to take a short course.
Seán Myers: creativity, resilience and inspiration
For Seán, the arts offer "originality and freedom of expression." These qualities resonate throughout his personal practice and his teaching with UAL Short Courses and Future Creatives. His artistic journey began at Chelsea College of Arts in the late 80s as a B/Tec National Diploma in Art and Design student. It was there he discovered the printmaking workshop, unlocking a lifelong fascination.
Seán's early mixed media experimentations formed the foundation for his approach to both his art and his teaching. He loves "combining printmaking techniques with one another" depending on what he would like to achieve conceptually.
Through years of practice and teaching, Seán has proven himself a resilient character, consistently adapting his methodologies and processes to new situations. When he's creatively stuck, Seán shared that he responds by "taking himself out of his current mood" to do something he "wouldn’t normally dream of doing" to find new sources of inspiration.
Art in a time of change: the Clissold Park series
Through years of practice and teaching, Seán has proven himself a resilient character, consistently adapting his methodologies and processes to new situations. When he's creatively stuck, Seán shared that he responds by "taking himself out of his current mood" to do something he "wouldn’t normally dream of doing" to find new sources of inspiration.
A compelling example of Seán's adaptive spirit comes from a period in 2020 when he found his daily routine significantly altered. Seán seized this opportunity to respond creatively to his new schedule, which included regular walks in London’s Clissold Park. He began taking photos during his walks, particularly focusing on the stunning Grade II-listed Clissold House.
For Seán, the building stood as a “symbol of solidity and sturdiness” against the "fast-moving and transient" public moving through the park. Seán collaged images from his regular visits to the park, piecing together a dynamic print depicting Clissold House. This artwork holds deep personal meaning for him, "signifying a time in his life in having to adapt to working from home but also getting the required and necessary exercise” for his mind, body, and creative practice. The result is a vibrant and detailed study of one of the constants of his experience during that period, whose presence offered Seán energetic inspiration in otherwise static circumstances.
"We need the arts more than ever before," Seán emphasises. He recognises the significant role that young creative people will play in shaping the future:
"Humanity seems to be at a crossroads about its future and needs new ideas, new methods of problem solving and creative people to come up with solutions for some of the serious challenges facing us all." - Seán Myers
He understands the need for young people to engage in “active learning through doing” to help build their confidence, progress, and grow in their creative endeavors. Through encouraging students to be “totally authentic to themselves” by “translating their unique experiences of understanding the world,” paired with continued experimentation, Seán helps students build the confidence to fulfill their creative ambitions.
Seán’s 5 reasons to take a UAL Short Course/Future Creatives course:
1. Learn new skills
2. Meet people from different parts of the UK, Europe and around the world
3. Gain the confidence to pursue art and design as a future career
4. Enjoy the freedom to experiment with ideas and techniques
5. The opportunity to have a lot of fun and enjoyment!
If you’re looking for a route into a career in the arts, a UAL Short Course or a Future Creatives class is a fantastic place to start. Build your portfolio with our classes that offer the opportunity to try out an array of new techniques from fashion drawing, graphic design and illustration to film making, animation and acting.
Options include:
- Future Creatives Art and Design Workshop for 7 to 11 Year Olds
- Future Creatives Art and Design Workshop for 11 to 17 Year Olds
- Future Creatives Fashion Workshop for 11 to 17 Year Olds
- Introduction to Makeup for 11 to 15 Year Olds Short Course
- Fashion Design and Styling for 11 to 15 Year Olds Short Course
- Pre-Foundation Portfolio Preparation for 16 to 18 Year Olds Short Course
- Interior Design for 16 to 18 Year Olds Short Course
Check out our upcoming courses taught by a fantastic range of tutors with bags of experience in the creative industries.
