ABOUT SHORT & FEW
a teacher and doer of the creative arts
This is me - Zoe Platt - founder of Short & Few, and I run my workshops in the beautiful Victorian spa town of Ilkley, West Yorkshire. My background is in graphic design and typography, and over time my practice has become more process-driven, with a hands-on and analogue approach to image-making. I am a big believer in learning by doing and making mistakes as a form of enquiry, an ethos which underpins my teaching. I love the buzz of seeing what people make when they least expect it, and inspiring people to develop a curiosity for what the arts can be about. I set up Short & Few as a way of doing more of this and creating opportunities for others.
Zoe posing
Zoe book making
Zoe drawing in the woods
Zoe posing
My day job is teaching at a specialist arts university in Leeds as the graphic communication subject specialist, but I also teach across fine art, fashion, textiles and 3D design. This experience and growing knowledge feeds my curiosity for art and design, and has led to me to be more multi-disciplinary and broad in my skillset and interests. I have taught art and design in various capacities to all age levels, from young children to 70 year olds. I have worked with the Brownies, people with neuro-divergency and learning disabilities, members of the public with no arts backgrounds, and seasoned artists who have taught me a thing or two. I also have experience of teaching English as a foreign language, working in China for a short while and summer schools in the UK.
THE CABIN
a garden studio tucked away in the Victorian spa town of Ilkley
Workshops and Collage Club take place in my cabin, my designer-maker studio at the bottom of my garden that has been specially set up with everything we need for cutting, sticking, printing, exposing, folding and stitching. There is electricity for brewing cuppas and providing light and heat, an outside sink for washing out equipment without worrying about mess, and access to a loo. The garden has been designed as a 'spill out space' and provides plenty of working space for the sunnier and dryer days. The address is provided for all bookings that take place here so you can plan your journey. There is plenty of free on-street parking, and you can easily build a workshop in to a day out in Ilkley or a walk up to the Cow and Calf and across the Moors.