Launching the FlowState Ultra Messy Paint Booth and Helping Unleash Creativity
Some people avoid making art because they think they cannot draw. Others avoid it because they do not want paint on the carpet, judgement in a class, or that awful feeling of “getting it wrong” in front of someone else.
The FlowState Ultra-Messy Paint Booth, or UMPB, has been dreamed up by Michytee, for exactly those people.
This new booth will be a safe, contained, joyfully messy space where anyone can fling, splat, smear, drip, throw, splash, and experiment with paint without worrying about the walls, the floor, the furniture, or anyone else’s opinion.
It is being launched as part of FlowState - Find Yours!, a creative discovery programme for people of all ages who believe they are not creative. The UMPB is designed to help people get past the two fears that stop many would-be makers before they even begin: fear of mess and fear of making a mistake.
The crowdfunding campaign is now open, with the aim of raising approximately £800 before the end of October. That funding will cover the timber and other materials needed to build the booth. Volunteers are already lined up to help with construction, and members of the local community will be invited to help decorate the outside.
Anyone who contributes to the funding, making, or decorating of the UMPB will be given early access to have a go before it opens to the public.
Here's the link to the Crowdfunder.
Why the Ultra-Messy Paint Booth matters
A lot of people carry around their story about having 'never been creative' or having lost the drive to create.
It might have started at school, when a drawing was laughed at or a teacher held up someone else’s work as “the good one”. It might come from the belief that art has to look realistic, polished, tidy, or impressive. It might come from trying something once, feeling embarrassed, and deciding never to try again.
It might just be that life (work, family, responsibilities) has got in the way and stifled the natural desire to be playful and experimental.
For others, the barrier is far more practical. Paint is messy. Art materials spread. Children get paint on sleeves. Adults get paint on carpets. Someone has to clean it all up. So the paints stay in the cupboard, the canvas stays blank, and the impulse to create quietly fades.
The UMPB changes everything.
Inside the booth, the mess is not a problem to be managed. It is part of the point. There is no need to keep the brushstroke neat. No need to make a picture that looks like anything in particular. No need to apologise for drips, splashes, or wild colour choices.
That matters because creative confidence grows through action, not theory. A person can be told a hundred times that there is no wrong way to make art. But stepping into a booth where mess is allowed, expected, and contained turns the idea into reality. Joyfully.
The FlowState Ultra Messy Paint Booth and Help Unleash Creativity campaign is about building that space, so more people can experience what happens when the pressure comes off.
A place for people who think they are not creative
FlowState - Find Yours! is built around a simple idea: creativity is not reserved for “arty” people.
Many people say, “I’m not creative”, when what they often mean is:
I do not know where to start.
I am worried I will ruin it.
I do not want anyone to see me struggle.
I have not made anything since school.
I cannot draw, so I assume I cannot make art.
I do not have a space at home where mess is allowed.
The UMPB offers a different kind of starting point. It asks for movement, colour, curiosity, and willingness, not skill.
A session might involve flinging paint at a wall. It might mean throwing colour at a canvas. It might mean using hands, brushes, sponges, or anything else that makes a mark. The result does not have to be beautiful. It does not even have to be kept.
The value is in having a go.
For someone who has spent years avoiding creative spaces, that can be a big step. A messy paint session can loosen the grip of perfectionism. It can help people realise that mistakes are often where the interesting things happen. It can make art feel physical, playful, and human again.
That is the heart of the project. The booth is not there to produce perfect paintings. It is there to help people find a freer relationship with making, just for the joy of it.
A safe outlet for emotion, frustration, and creative blocks
The UMPB will also be available for people who feel the urge to vent a bit of anger, frustration, or emotion in a safe, contained and creative way.
That does not mean pretending paint solves everything. Some feelings need skilled support, rest, conversation, or proper care. But there is something powerful about being able to move, throw, splat, and release energy without causing harm and without having to explain every feeling in words.
For some people, that might mean a lively, cathartic session after a hard week. For others, it might be a private moment of release. For others, it may simply be fun.
There is also a strong link between movement and creative flow. When a person is stuck, overthinking can make the block worse. Sitting in front of a blank page or canvas can feel heavy. The UMPB offers another route in.
Rather than asking, “What shall I make?”, it invites a more direct question: “What colour do I want to throw first?”
That simple shift can help people bypass the inner critic. Once paint is moving, the creative process starts. One mark leads to another. A mistake becomes texture. A drip suggests a direction. The body gets involved before the brain has time to shut everything down.
This is why the booth is such a strong fit for creative discovery. It gives people permission to begin badly, loudly, boldly, and messily. Often, that is exactly what is needed.
What the crowdfunding campaign will pay for
The goal is practical and achievable: raise around £800 before the end of October. You can contribute or find the link to share on your socials here.
That money will go towards the timber and other materials needed to construct the booth, as well as moving a few power sockets and a heater which currently stand in the way. The aim is not to create something glossy or overbuilt. The aim is to create a sturdy, safe, usable space that can handle serious paint flinging and repeated community use.
The funding will help cover materials such as:
Timber for the frame and structure
Panels or boarding for the paintable surfaces
Protective materials for containment
Fixings, coverings, and basic construction supplies
Practical finishing touches that make the booth safe and usable
We've got volunteers lined up to help with construction, which means the funding can focus on materials rather than labour. Getting the community involved makes the UMPB even more special - a community art project in itself.
The booth will not arrive as a finished object dropped into place. It will be made in the FlowState studio by people who care about what it can offer. It will carry the marks of local hands, not just in the building, but in the decorating too.
The community will help shape the outside too
The inside of the UMPB is where the wild paint action will happen. The outside is another opportunity for creativity.
Members of the local community will be invited to help decorate the exterior of the booth. That means the UMPB can become a shared artwork before it even opens for sessions.
This part matters. A creative space feels different when people recognise their own contribution in it. A mark on the outside might come from a child, a retired neighbour, an anxious first-time painter, a local volunteer, or someone who just wanted to add one bright shape.
Together, those contributions can turn the booth into a visible sign of what FlowState - Find Yours! stands for: everyone can take part.
It also gives people a gentle way in. Not everyone will feel ready to step inside and fling paint on day one. Some people may prefer to help decorate a panel, lend a hand, pass on the campaign, or watch the build take shape. Every small contribution matters. We are all part of the same creative ecosystem.
We'll offer anyone who contributes to the funding, making, or decorating early access to try the UMPB before it opens to the public. That early access is a thank you, but it is also a celebration of shared ownership.
The people who help bring the booth to life should be among the first to experience it.
What a session in the UMPB could unlock
Every person will bring something different into the booth.
One person might arrive nervous, convinced they are not artistic. Another might arrive tense and ready to throw paint as hard as they can. Someone else might come because they are curious, bored, blocked, or simply in need of a memorable experience.
The booth gives space for all of that.
A session could help someone:
Try art without worrying about being neat
Make marks without planning the outcome
Let go of perfectionism for a while
Release pent-up emotion through movement
Experiment with colour in a low-pressure space
Break through a creative block
Laugh, play, and feel less self-conscious
Discover that making art can be about process, not performance
That last point is key. Many people think creativity means producing something worthy of display. The UMPB starts somewhere else. It treats creativity as something people do, feel, test, and discover.
A canvas from a session might look chaotic. It might look unexpectedly beautiful. It might become the start of a new idea. Or it might simply be evidence that someone took a risk and made a mark.
All of those outcomes are valid.
How to support the launch
The campaign needs to raise approximately £800 before the end of October. Every contribution helps move the booth closer to being built.
Support can take more than one form:
Contribute to the crowdfunding campaign if you can.
Share the campaign with friends, family, neighbours, and local groups.
Offer practical help with construction if you have suitable skills.
Join in when the community is invited to decorate the outside.
Encourage someone who thinks they are not creative to give it a try.
Spreading the word is genuinely useful. A campaign like this grows through conversations. One share can reach someone who wants to support a creative community project. One mention can reach a person who has been waiting for a space where they can make art without fear.
The sooner the UMPB is funded, the sooner it can be built. The sooner it is built, the sooner people can step inside, pick up paint, and feel what it is like to create without holding back.
Let’s build the booth and make some glorious mess
The FlowState Ultra-Messy Paint Booth is a small build with a big purpose.
It will give people permission to be messy. It will help nervous beginners take their first creative step. It will offer a physical outlet for emotion. It will support people facing creative blocks. It will create a shared space where the community can play, experiment, and rediscover the simple joy of making marks.
The target is clear: around £800 before the end of October for the timber and materials needed to build it.
If you can contribute, help build, join the decorating, or simply spread the word, you can play a part in bringing the UMPB to life.
A booth full of flying paint might sound like chaos. For many people, it could be the first place they finally feel free to create. Let's work together to make this wonderful thing happen ASAP!
Comments