About BrushPast
BrushPast works alongside people whose creativity and stories are too often overlooked. Through workshops, mentoring and opportunities to share their work, we help people turn ideas into art, products and new possibilities. People decide what to share and what to keep for themselves.
Not spoken about. But speaking.
Where it began
“We came from different sides of the street, but met on the same roundabout.”
Two paths. One belief.
A chance conversation between two people with very different backgrounds became a shared belief: creativity can rebuild identity, confidence and connection - and that belief became BrushPast.
How BrushPast began
Jeremy and David met in rooms of recovery. Volunteering with Groundswell brought them into conversation with people whose stories changed the way they saw the world. Those conversations led to BrushPast: a place where people can create, develop skills and be heard on their own terms.
Structure
Brush Past Community Arts CIC is the trading organisation behind the shop and its products. Brush Past Foundation is the registered charity that receives donations to support workshops and mentoring. Together, they help more people create, connect and develop what comes next.
What we believe
Everyone deserves to be seen as a whole person - not defined by their hardest chapter.
Art, writing and design unlock voices that stigma and circumstance have silenced.
Paid work, exhibitions and skills build confidence and pathways beyond crisis.
Real spaces, mentors and peers - recovery and creativity happen together.
On the ground
We run creative workshops with partner organisations and support people who want to develop their ideas further. Some work is shared through exhibitions or products with the creator’s agreement.
Workshop moments
Lived experience
Our mentors and facilitators bring real understanding - recovery, creativity, prison, homelessness and second chances. That trust is what makes the work honest and safe enough for people to show up fully.
BrushPast combines storytelling with a social enterprise model: specialty coffee gift boxes, exhibitions, creative workshops, and mentorship, while providing a digital platform to showcase members' work.
Transparency
We've just launched - help us out!