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Changes to Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) frequency | Islington estate to benefit from social housing decarbonisation grant | Keeping it local – ISHA launches 54 affordable homes in Waltham Forest | Scam call alert | Making a complaint made easier | Read our Residents’ Annual Report for 2022/23 | Allowing access for gas safety checks  | Amazon Key | We’ve updated our parking policy | 105 new affordable homes for North and Northeast London | Meet Jean and Sidney | Disposing of waste and bulk items properly | ISHA announces sponsorship for Islington District Girls Football | ISHA retains G1 and V2 ratings | ISHA's 90th anniversary magazine | MBE for long-time ISHA development sub-committee member | Be cautious about instructing a legal firm | January's resident involvement update | Questions about lift maintenance, service charges and procedures | Need to get bulky waste collected? | Finding the right locksmith | Meet Jay: Resident Scrutiny Panel member | Share your thoughts with the resident scrutiny panel | Combining home and work: Meet Muriel, a long-term ISHA resident and former staff member. | Her game too – ISHA's commitment to girls' football | Always ask for ISHA IDs | You may be eligible to pay less council tax | Our updated complaints policy | Updated privacy statements | Jerome Geoghegan appointed as ISHA's new Director of Development | Our new fire services contractor | We need a long-term plan for housing | Come along to the Hackney Neighbourhood night! | We're a Disability Confident Committed employer | Putting you in touch with the right person, first time | Meet Sophie - Resident & Community Involvement Lead | Fire safety in flats: Guidance to keep you safe | Safe and permitted use of your balcony or terrace | Spring 2024 ISHA residents' magazine | A vote for housing | Your feedback from our Hackney Neighbourhood Night | Get involved with ISHA: Help shape your neighbourhood | How ISHA is celebrating Pride | Resident stories: Meet Joy | Help and support in your local area | Help co-develop our new website | The next government must commit to building more homes | Our new repairs contractor – MNM | Help create our new website | Free summer activities and back to school discounts | Have you signed up for our monthly newsletter? | Barrett’s Grove: A new chapter for affordable living | Congratulations to our ISHA in Bloom competition winners | Tenant Satisfaction Survey - Have your say | You might qualify for a household support fund | Standing against racism | Royal & Sun Alliance contents insurance | Free viewing at The British Museum | Support starts at home | Free October viewing at The British Museum | Come along to the Waltham Forest neighbourhood night | Check your boiler and radiators | View the results of our 2023 Tenant Satisfaction Survey | Join a free history tour in Islington | More than just an AGM | 2023-24 Financial statements | ISHA retains V2 rating and governance rating downgraded to G2 | Your September residents' newsletter | Quick and easy home maintenance how-tos | Islington history walk: Royal openings, clown funerals and more | All our Neighbourhood Night dates | Islington free DIY energy efficiency workshops | ISHA’s Neighbourhood Knock | It’s National Involvement Week! | Get creative in our free art sessions | Seema Gill: Why make art? | October residents' newsletter | Slashing the costs of vampire devices | Anti-social behaviour awareness week: Making communities safer | When we're closed over the festive period | Remember to pay your rent in January | 2023-24 residents' annual report | Telephone payments | Get support with your energy bills | Renew your parking permit | Had a package go missing? | Food for thought | Help us keep lifts working  | We're supporting Lunar New Year celebrations! | Changes to Housing Benefit payments | Thanks for your feedback! | Updated: Fire safety certifications | ISHA's Vietnamese community join Tết celebrations | E-scooter and e-bike charging | Neighbourhood Nights at a venue near you | Do you know about air fryer safety? | We're in Waltham Forest! | Niemann Court Residents' Association | Car parking consultation feedback | Improving your communication experience | Claim a free ticket to a private exhibition | Easter school holidays on a budget | Our recent Waltham Forest Neighbourhood Night | Pippa Fleetwood-Read appointed new ISHA CEO | Hello from the new CEO | ISHA’s role in rebuilding London

Seema Gill: Why make art?

Seema Gill is an artist, poet and novelist whose work hangs in the Saachi gallery. Along with a resident, Seema will be delivering an art and a poetry workshop for residents to participate in. Here she tells us why art is important to her. Seema delivering a community art session "I met a student who had arrived in the UK a few months ago. She was looking for a job and better accommodation and has been very stressed about getting both. To cope with the situation, she started to draw circles, lines and dots. The more she drew, the more she concentrated to get the right shapes. This gave her a purpose. She wanted to improve. She poured her energy onto the pieces of paper. When she made shapes, triangles and even sketches of people, she started to concentrate. This made her happy, relaxed. When she drew, she felt connected to her soul and mind, easing the stress. “I’m not an artist, but I love drawing now. I find it very soothing.” We don’t have to go to an art college to learn art. Some of the well known artists draw like five year old children and their art is greatly admired and sold dearly. So why art? What is art? If we care to look, art is everywhere. Patterns on a butterfly's wings, a design made by nature in the middle of a sunflower. Light flickering through the net curtains on your window creating dramatic shapes. Drawing and painting is one form of art. The more we practice, the more we learn and become skilled. But even becoming skilled is not important. Just let go of your constraints and draw without any rules, forms or structure. Pour paint on a canvas or a wall and see how fascinating shapes will develop from it. Brewing coffee or tea to taste good for yourself and others is also an art. Knitting, cooking, dressing up, dancing, cycling. Stars and planets in the universe. The way we hold our friendship, the way we communicate with other humans and with children. We can communicate through art." Would you like to join an art or poetry session run by Seema? Find out more about joining one of our events. Read more news stories
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