Writerz & Scribz x The National Trust

Been working on a few things behind the scenes and exploring my creative practice without as much input and documentation on social media. This has been made up of both in person and online practices, including attending workshops, making connections and taking on new challenges, one of which is a recent commission for Writerz and Scribz. Writerz and Scribz is a not for profit creative arts company built on the foundation that art changes and heightens life. This particular brief was in partnership with the National Trust, to respond to the most stunning site, 575 Wandsworth Road, and it was right up my street.

The Ujamma Project spanned over a few months, and ended last night with a terrific online event to showcase all the work. I feel so fortunate to have been welcomed into the space, involved in the project, given so much freedom, and to have witnessed such an incredible selection of artists all responding to the space in their own amazingly unique ways. 

I chose to focus my visual response on the initial entrance of the building, it’s overwhelming effect, the imperfect symmetry, the changing lighting and its impact on the space. This small piece took me days. To think the artist Khadambi Asalache single handedly carved each marking into the woodwork of this London Terrace house astounds me; I believe most of us couldn’t even fathom this level of patience. 

Massive thank you to the whole team at Writerz & Scribz for putting this together and making it all accessible online during this isolating and uninspiring time! and a huge well done to all the artists, every response evoked so many emotions, I felt honoured to work alongside each of you 🤍 

I highly recommend checking them all out and booking a viewing at 575 to see the magic for yourself ✨

Finally a Graduation!!!

Last week I finally got to celebrate, one of my greatest achievements, finishing university with a First in BA Illustration during a global pandemic.

Despite it understandably not quite being the same celebrating this a year after finishing, I’m still so grateful that I got to attend a postponed graduation ceremony alongside my amazing illustration course from Arts University Bournemouth.

The whole experience made me feel rather reflective. The last year has been really tough, for everyone. As if your first year out of university was challenging enough, myself and the other graduates of 2020 endured the this period of time which such a different experience, a crashing economy and a year of lockdown and resultantly cancelled opportunities. Despite all of this, I came out the other side still with an impressive chunk of experience to show for myself, despite moments with serious lack of inspiration.

As part of our final unit at university, we were encouraged to write a plan for our next steps out of education, to direct our illustration career. I quite often look over this last year with disappointment, I felt like I missed out on so much, experienced serious lows in my mental health and questioned my ability not only as an illustrator but even sometimes simply as a functioning human being. However when I look back at my written plan I did a year prior, I achieved every single thing on my list. I secured multiple freelance commissions in a variety of commercial contexts, honourable mention in some amazing competitions and art shows, and a years experience as an in-house illustrator. So recently, I’ve been a little easier on myself, taken time off and enjoyed the sunshine that has blessed us in the last few weeks, particularly on our trip to Bournemouth for our graduation!

To top it all off, as someone with a poor relationship with both parents, I got to experience a much greater love from my invited guests, my best friend Elsie and my partner Angus who made the day so special 🤍

Skate deck road sign

For a while now I’ve wanted to challenge myself and expand my creative practice away from the comfortable space behind my laptop screen, and I’m so glad I did.

I recently completed a little personal project doing exactly this. It took me longer than I’d like to admit, but the entire process from start to finish was so therapeutic. From idea generation, sourcing all the parts I’d need to make it work, planning the content and actually making it, I can finally reveal my small labour of love, in dedication to one year living in Bedminster Bristol.

I was inspired by a local sign-writer, Tozer Signs and Bristols amazing skate culture which I’m fortunate enough to dip my toes into through rollerskating. I got the board second hand so it was super rough and needed a lot of sanding before it was paintable. The end result is far from perfect, much like Bedminster, but it’s mine and I love it. I also learnt so much which I hope to bring to more projects with a traditional focus very soon.

Visit my instagram to see a snippet of the process in a time-lapse video!