As a teenager, I spent a summer volunteering with Room 13; a pupil run art studio operating out of an empty classroom in a Highland Primary School. When an opportunity came up to continue there after leaving school, I took the decision to embark on what I anticipated would be an interesting gap year. The story of my unlikely progression from volunteer studio assistant to CEO of Room 13 International, is covered in this blog post.  

Over the years, my interest extended outwards from arts and creativity to encompass a broader social and economic purpose. I came to realise that the broad spectrum of my work encompasses the creative, social, economic and practical and has become as much about making things happen as making things. While I will always be Room 13’s greatest friend and advocate, with so much still to explore, I resigned my post as CEO in 2019.

I have set up this blog to reflect on the experiences and interactions of my previous work and travels, and to document my progress through a new era of work, study and collaboration.

Claire Newman, 2020