03 Mar Artist Date Ideas in Brighton & Hove
Unlock Your Creativity: A List of Artist Date Ideas in Brighton & HOVE
An Artist Date is a solo, playful, and exploratory outing designed to refill your creative well.
Coined by Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way, it’s a weekly commitment to spending intentional time alone, engaging in something that sparks joy, curiosity, or inspiration.
Think of it as a date with your inner artist—an adventure where you get to explore, play, and follow your whims, free from productivity pressures or social obligations.
You might like to read this blog post: 5 Good Reasons to Prioritise An Artist Date This Week, for more background and motivation.
This list is long, but don’t feel overwhelmed! It’s here to inspire you, not to be a to-do list. Pick what excites you, adapt ideas to fit your interests, or let it nudge you toward your own unique adventures.
While some Artist Dates may involve spending money—like visiting a quirky museum or treating yourself to a creative workshop—many are free or low-cost. You could spend an afternoon volunteering at Stanmer Organics, rummaging through the stalls at the Marina car boot sale with a £5 budget, treating yourself to a sauna by the sea, going to pub pottery or a free portrait drawing evening.
The key is to make it fun and just for you.
MUSIC
Friday Lunchtime Concerts at Brighton Unitarian Church – £5 suggested donation
https://www.brightonunitarian.org.uk/friday-lunchtime-concerts
Tuesday Lunchtime Concerts at the Chapel Royal Brighton
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076245363130
West African Drumming
https://www.facebook.com/people/Batafon-Arts/100006750495707/
ART AND CRAFT CLASSES
Brighton Draw
At Draw we run affordable online and in-person drawing, painting and printmaking classes, open to everybody.
https://www.draw-brighton.co.uk/
Portrait Club @ The Open House pub Tuesday evenings 6.30pm to 8.30pm – FREE
https://www.draw-brighton.co.uk/about/location/open-house
Brighton Arts Social Club
A group of creative friends running affordable workshops in Brighton, including life drawing on Tuesday nights at Bees Mouth Pub on Western Road and Lino Print Making at West Beach Hotel on Mondays
https://www.instagram.com/brighton.arts.social.club/ and https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/brighton-arts-social-club-48183005483
Cornerstone Community Centre
Running a range of classes including: beginners watercolour, and yoga classes.
https://cornerstonecommunitycentre.com/classes/
Phoenix Art Space
Painting, drawing, printmaking, pottery, textiles, life drawing, jewellery making etc
https://phoenixartspace.org/learn/
Lawrence Print Making Club in Hove
https://www.facebook.com/lawrenceprintmakingclub/
ClassBento
Range of different classes including Alcohol Ink Painting, Smartphone Photography, Abstract Art Journaling Painting, Paint and Sip Classes
https://classbento.co.uk/art-classes-brighton?
u3a Art club
https://brightonandhoveu3a.org/group/art-club/
Life Drawing
Cornerstone Community Centre (Mondays) and Farm Tavern (1st Tuesday of every month)
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/manus-mcgrogan-54894902163
Salvage Sister
Range of power tool workshops including wood working, making pallet furniture and lamp making
https://www.salvagesister.co.uk/
Native Hands
Wild basket making in Sussex
Pottery and Pints
Pub pottery classes
https://www.potteryandpints.co.uk/pub-pottery-classes
Evolution Arts
Wide range of changing classes including needle felting, vision boards, beginners photography, painting in oils, learning to draw, painting with acrylics
https://www.evolutionarts.org.uk/artanddesign
Sew Fabulous
Providing creative, affordable and accessible classes and events for children, adults and communities. Including Zero waste sewing, darning and mending, and private sewing classes.
DANCE CLASSES
Scottish Country Dancing
https://brightonandhoveu3a.org/group/scottish-country-dancing/
Brighton Ceilidh Collective
Offering sell out monthly Ceilidh’s in central Brighton
https://brightonceilidh.co.uk/
Learn Charleston
COOKING CLASSES
CHOIRS & SINGING
Good Vibe Choir
Friendly, non-auditioning pop choir Based in Brighton & Lewes, backed by live guitar and open to all.
https://www.thegoodvibechoir.com/
WHAM JAM THANK YOU MA’AM Choir – Daytime
Began in 2007 as a sister choir to Jam Tarts, for people who wanted to sing during the day and is now a well-established community choir of around 40 lively and friendly individuals.
https://www.jamtartschoir.co.uk/wham-jam
Jam Tarts Choir – Evening
Formed in 2004 60-strong choral collective who perform unique and shimmering arrangements of songs by indie, punk and new wave artists such as The Smiths, Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Bat for Lashes, John Grant, Tom Waits and Joy Division.
https://www.jamtartschoir.co.uk/jam-tarts
Soulful Singing
African, sacred, uplifting and fun! Songs, chants and mantras
from around the world in glorious part-harmony. A joyful, tribal and meditative
experience, guaranteed to put a smile on your face and uplift your heart & soul.
MUSEUMS
Brighton Toy Museum
https://www.visitbrighton.com/things-to-do/brighton-toy-and-model-museum-p56353
Brighton & Hove Museums
https://brightonmuseums.org.uk/
COMEDY
The Forge Comedy Club
ACTING, IMPROV AND PUBLIC SPEAKING
Improv classes
Improv is theatre (or comedy) without a script, including free taster sessions
https://andalsoimprov.com/our-courses/
Toast Masters – Brighton and Hove Speakers club
https://brightonandhovespeakersclub.com/
ACT Brighton
Training including 2 weeks acting course suitable for beginners as well as those with previous experience– 7pm to 10pm for weeks
https://www.actbrighton.org/the-workshop
WRITING WORKSHOPS
Kemptown Bookshop Monthly 5am Writing Club
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/monthly-5am-writing-club-tickets-1098884435929?
Day-Long Writing Retreat in Central Brighton: Kick start your writing
https://writershq.co.uk/brighton-writers-retreat/
The Creative Writing Programme
https://creativewritingprogramme.org.uk/
Evolution Arts
Flash fiction courses during year including The Artist Way for Writers
TREAT YOURSELF
Book a massage – Knead to Let Go
https://www.kneadtoletgo.com/
Float at the Float Spa
https://www.thefloatspa.co.uk/
Sauna at BeachBox or Stanmer Sauna Garden, or one of the many other sauna’s popping up along the seaside
https://www.instagram.com/stanmersaunagarden/?hl=en
https://beachboxspa.co.uk/
GET PHYSICAL
Sea lanes swimming in Kemptown
Pells Outdoor Pool in Lewes
https://www.pellspool.org.uk/
SHOPPING & BROWSING
Car Boot Sale
Visit the car boot sale at the Marina – Sunday’s 7am to 12pm
Check Facebook page to check on due to weather
https://www.brightonmarinagiantcarboot.co.uk/
Charity Shops
Browse charity shops on Western Road, London Road or Hove George Street.
Snoopers Paradise indoor fleamarket
https://snoopersparadise.co.uk/
Visit an art shop
Cass Art Brighton: https://www.cassart.co.uk/stores/brighton/
Lawrence Art Supplies in Hove: https://www.tnlawrence.com/our-shop?
Scrap Store in Shoreham
Close the the train station in Shoreham the scrap space is a great place to get second hand arts and crafts materials including wool, fabric, paints, drawing materials, paper etc.
https://www.weareoverthemoon.org/thescrapspace
GARDENING AND PERMACULTURE
Permaculture events
https://brightonpermaculture.org.uk/category/courses-and-events/featured-courses-and-events/
One Garden Brighton
Workshops and events including watercolours, planting design, introduction to floristry and plant medicine
https://www.onegardenbrighton.com/explore/one-events/
Plumpton College
Short 1 or 2 day courses include bee keeping. Artisan baking, butchery, blacksmithing, floristry, garden design, growing veg, dog grooming, intro to canine behaviour, welding and wine making.
VOLUNTEERING
Brighton Volunteering Opportunities
Brighton based volunteering including conservation including tree planting, leading walks, and helping with livestock
Stanmer Organics Volunteering
Including woodcraft volunteering. Physic Garden volunteering.
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