About CJS Creators Cabin
The Art of Reconnection
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Why does creating feel so good?
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Why do we lose track of time when we're making and become fully present?
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Why do we feel proud of something we've created with our own hands?
I believe it's because creativity has always been part of being human. Perhaps those moments feel so deeply satisfying because we're reconnecting with something we've always done as a species, imagining, exploring, making, learning, discovering and bonding through creating.
Long before we called it art, humans naturally imagined, explored, experimented and created. We didn't create because we were artists; we created because it helped us survive.
Our ability to think creatively, imagine what didn't yet exist and bring new ideas into the world enabled us to adapt, overcome challenges and shape the future.
Whether making tools, building shelter, creating clothing, telling stories or making art, creativity wasn't separate from everyday life, it was part of how humans learnt, evolved, shaped the world around us and thrived as a species.
For most of history, creative skills were practised and passed from one generation to the next. People didn't question whether they were creative; they simply participated.
Today, many people believe they "aren't creative", not because they've lost the ability, but because they have stopped practising it in everyday life.
Like any other ability, creativity develops through continuous participation and practice.
Also, as technology and artificial intelligence become increasingly capable of generating ideas, creating content and solving problems alongside us, I believe it's more important than ever that we continue to actively participate in the creative process ourselves.
While these advances bring incredible opportunities, they also make me ask an important question:
"If humans became who we are because we imagined, discovered, experimented, made, failed, adapted, improved and created, what happens if we gradually stop participating in those processes ourselves?"
That belief is the reason I created CJS Creators Cabin.
I believe participating in creativity is about far more than producing artwork.
Through the creative process we imagine, explore, experiment, adapt, make mistakes, discover new possibilities and create something that didn't exist before.
In doing so, we naturally develop confidence, curiosity, patience, adaptability, resilience and the willingness to keep exploring when things don't go to plan.
We slow down, become fully present and reconnect with ourselves, with others and with something I believe is inherently human.
I believe creativity deserves a place in everyday life not because everyone should become an artist, but because participating in it is part of what has always helped humans learn, adapt and shape the world around them.
Which is why at CJS Creators Cabin, every experience is designed to encourage active participation.
It isn't simply about producing artwork; it's about imagining possibilities, exploring ideas, adapting through experience and creating something that's uniquely your own.
Whether you're joining as an individual, with family or friends, or through your workplace, my hope is that you'll leave with more than something you've made.
You'll leave having experienced the value of participating in creativity for yourself.
Meet The Artist
Artist, Educator and Founder of CJS Creators Cabin
Carla Sanders
Hi, I'm Carla Sanders, a multidisciplinary artist, educator and the founder of CJS Creators Cabin. I've always been driven by curiosity and a love of exploration. I enjoy working across a wide range of materials, processes and disciplines, including painting, printmaking, drawing, textiles, illustration, ceramics and glass. Rather than limiting myself to one style or medium, I enjoy allowing each idea to find the materials and processes that suit it best. Some pieces evolve through spontaneous, layered abstraction and intuitive mark-making, while others are inspired by observation or the transformation of everyday shapes and forms into repeated patterns. My background in Printed Textiles and Surface Pattern Design continues to influence my work, but above all, I simply love exploring, experimenting and discovering what different materials and processes can do. My own creative process rarely begins with a fixed outcome in mind. It almost always starts with curiosity. I'm endlessly fascinated by the way ideas evolve and can happily spend hours exploring a new material, experimenting with marks, textures or colour combinations simply to see where they lead. Rather than trying to control every step, I trust the creative process, allowing ideas to develop naturally through exploration, experimentation and unexpected discoveries. Some of my strongest work has come from things not going to plan. An accidental mark, an unexpected reaction between materials or a completely different direction than I originally intended has often become the beginning of something far more interesting. In fact, deadlines are usually the only reason I stop experimenting. More often than not, I end up with a collection of explorations and choose the direction that feels strongest rather than following one fixed idea from the start. That approach continues to shape both my own artistic practice and the way I teach. I believe some of the most rewarding moments in creativity come when we're willing to stay curious, embrace uncertainty and allow ourselves to discover something we couldn't have imagined when we first began. Born and raised in Portsmouth, I studied Fashion and Textiles at De Montfort University, specialising in Printed Textiles and Surface Pattern Design, before completing a PGCE and beginning a 17-year career in Further Education. During that time, I taught thousands of students across all levels, specialising in fashion, textiles and print while also teaching mixed media, collage, 3D and other creative disciplines. I later became Course Lead for the Fashion and Textiles programme, where I designed and led the course, encouraging strong technical foundations alongside curiosity, creative freedom, personal expression and conceptual thinking. Alongside teaching, I continued developing my own artistic practice and later became a member of the Fire Monkeys Art Collective. Teaching for so many years gave me the privilege of watching thousands of people learn. It also gave me something else: time to observe how people approached creativity, learning and problem-solving. Over the years, I noticed many students becoming less willing to experiment, less comfortable making mistakes and increasingly looking for immediate answers rather than exploring ideas for themselves. Those observations stayed with me long after they left the classroom. They eventually led me to ask a question that I couldn't ignore: If creativity has always played such an important role in helping humans learn, adapt and shape the world around them, what happens if we gradually stop participating in it ourselves? That question became the starting point for CJS Creators Cabin. Today, I continue to work from my home studio in Drayton, Portsmouth, developing my own artistic practice while designing creative experiences for children, adults, friends, families and workplace teams. Every workshop I create is rooted in the same curiosity that has guided me throughout my own creative journey. I'm still learning. I'm still experimenting. I'm still discovering new materials, new ideas and new ways of seeing the world. Because I don't believe creativity is something we ever finish learning.
Artists Portfolio
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