Artful Ways has been woven around the themes of creativity, connectivity and place, and asks everyone who takes part to take time to ponder these.

You might find one question is more relevant to you than another, or you might be drawn to think about all three. When you walk, carry them with you; and when you meet others, why not share your thoughts?

• Creativity – What does creativity/culture mean to you?
• Connectivity – Covid-19 has forced us all to reimagine ways to connect. What have you missed – and what new possibilities have opened up?
• Place – How can we, collectively, and artfully, better care for our environment?

You’ll see from the Map that people have been sending their walking tracks and adding their answers to some, or all of the questions. If you’re curious, click on an icon on the map to read a few of these. Creativity might be valued as food for the soul, or something that comforts or provokes, or is a tool for connecting; Covid may have driven a yearn for reconnecting with other people, or a new and connection with the natural world, or perhaps deepened a sense of disconnection; and ideas for caring better for the environment are continually evolving.

Let us know what you think! And if you’re not able to walk for any reason but would like to add a special place to the map, send an email to let us know about this place, and include some thoughts provoked by these questions. One of the outcomes of this project will be an online event, with the Artful Ways commissioned artists on the panel to discuss the range of answers to these questions, and their own reflections. Are these three strands of creativity, connecting to one another, and caring for the places in which we live, fundamental to life, as Wordsworth thought?