Creative consultation (art-based)

Creative consultation is Equality Group’s art-based approach to inclusion work. It’s designed to help organisations get better quality insight, stronger engagement, and more honest participation than standard surveys, slide decks, or predictable workshop answers usually produce.

This is not “art for art’s sake”. It’s a structured facilitation method led by James Hare that uses creative prompts to help people slow down, think differently, and contribute in ways that feel safer and more human. It shifts the room out of performance mode and into real reflection, shared language, and practical next steps.

Creative consultation is especially useful when:

  • trust is fragile or the topic feels politically loaded

  • people are anxious about getting it wrong

  • engagement has become repetitive or surface-level

  • you need input that can be translated into action, not just opinions

  • you want to involve more voices, not just the most confident ones

What this work gives you

  • a level playing field for participation, with multiple ways to contribute

  • clearer insight into patterns in culture, behaviour and systems

  • stronger connection and empathy across teams

  • output you can translate into priorities, decisions and a practical roadmap

  • a shared experience people actually remember

How it works

We tailor the session design to your context, but the flow is simple:

  • set the focus: what you need insight on and what success looks like

  • create: guided creative prompts that help people express what’s real

  • make meaning: facilitated reflection that turns what’s created into themes and patterns

  • translate: practical next steps, actions or inputs into strategy

Sessions can be delivered as a single experience, a series, or as part of a wider DEI strategy or maturity review.

Creative consultation add-ons and partner sessions

Canvas for Connection

A guided creative session that helps teams explore what inclusion and belonging look like in practice. People create, reflect, and share in a way that builds shared understanding without putting anyone on the spot.

Works well for: teams, leadership groups, offsites and culture work
Delivery: in-person or virtual
Outcome: shared language, clearer patterns, practical next steps

Weaving and storytelling

A facilitated session using weaving as a metaphor for interconnection, culture, and belonging. This work supports teams to move beyond surface-level conversation and build stronger understanding of how people experience the workplace.

Works well for: teams strengthening connection, collaboration and belonging
Delivery: in-person or virtual
Outcome: insight into team dynamics and practical actions to strengthen belonging

Pronouns right


A practical and engaging session that supports teams to understand pronouns, why they matter, and how to use them respectfully at work. Designed to reduce anxiety, increase confidence, and keep it human.

Works well for: whole teams and people leaders
Delivery: in-person or virtual
Outcome: clear guidance, confident everyday language, fewer awkward moments

Humour and inclusion

A fresh way to explore inclusion using humour, storytelling and real workplace moments. This creates connection quickly, lowers defensiveness, and helps people take in ideas that might otherwise feel loaded.

Works well for: all-staff events, leadership forums, DEI weeks and conferences
Delivery: in-person or virtual
Outcome: higher engagement, shared language, practical reflection people remember

Creative leadership workshops

A facilitated session for leaders who want to build inclusive habits without relying on scripts. We use creative methods to explore judgement, power, decision-making, and how leaders shape culture through everyday moments.

Works well for: executives and people leaders
Delivery: in-person or virtual
Outcome: clearer leadership behaviours, stronger conversations, practical actions leaders can own

If you’re curious about what creative consultation could look like in your organisation, let’s talk.

Close-up of various colorful paint containers with paint residue inside.
Silhouette of a woman with leaves and flowing lines in a layered, artistic style, with a shadow of a person in the background.
Rainbow-colored text reading 'SHE / HER', 'THEY / THEM', 'HE / HIM' in retro style.
Close-up of hand-woven basket being crafted from multicolored natural fibers.
Woman in white outfit painting on canvas with acrylics on a wooden floor, surrounded by paint tubes, near a large window and indoor plant.

Send us a message

jhare@equalitygroup.org

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Thank you for your interest in Equality Group.

We look forward to speaking with you.