Finding the Flock
It began with a simple question: what if distance didn’t have to mean disconnection?
One idea, shared between friends during a quiet walk beside the canal near Carnforth, grew wings. Within months, textile artists thousands of miles apart were meeting on screen, stitching, sketching, and laughing together. From that seed, the Artybird Snowbirds were born ~ a creative flock connected across continents.
The idea was never to build a new course, but to build a new way of learning together. What started as a handful of makers curious about design principles soon became a regular rhythm of shared discovery. Once a month, they logged in from different time zones, bringing work, questions, and cups of tea. Bit by bit, a virtual classroom became a living studio.
A Shared Language of Design
The group began with the five Artybird Design courses ~ Colour, Shape, Line, Texture, and Form ~ using them as a shared framework for exploration. The focus wasn’t on perfection or deadlines; it was on process and play. Members explored how each principle appeared in felt, fibre, or fabric: the way a line could lead the eye, or how colour could carry emotion through a piece.
As each artist brought their own perspective, something unexpected happened ~ a shared language formed. Across oceans, they started describing ideas the same way, seeing patterns emerge in one another’s work, noticing details they might have missed alone.
Learning Without Borders
Working online was, at first, a practical decision. It soon became a creative advantage. With members scattered across provinces, territories, and climates, each session added new textures and stories. Snowy mornings in Alberta met sunny afternoons in Cumbria; wool dyed in northern light met silk painted under desert skies.
Together they discovered that learning virtually didn’t limit creativity ~ it expanded it. The group found continuity through the seasons: pausing for summer, returning in autumn, always picking up the thread. It wasn’t just a class; it became a rhythm of creative companionship.
Building a Creative Community
Today, the Snowbirds have evolved into a small (growing) but vibrant international community. Their gatherings continue to focus on design, but the real magic lies in the friendships that form through shared making. Members exchange ideas, support one another’s exhibitions, and even plan in-person retreats when they can.
For Artybird Carnforth, this has become a model for what’s possible. Aa way to connect learning and belonging wherever people are.
Taking Flight
Every artist begins somewhere, often alone at a table, trying to make sense of an idea. The Snowbirds remind us that creativity flourishes when we find others who understand our language.
If you’ve been searching for your own creative community - one that learns, experiments, and supports from afar - perhaps it’s time to “Find Your Birds”.
👉 Join the waiting list for the next DesignPlus discovery call to see how you could learn, create, and connect with others like you.