Driven by passion

Artists are teachers. We capture truth and share it with the world.

My first realisation of this super power was at age 4. My preschool teacher, Mrs Moore, asked me to draw a Christmas tree. Later I overheard her saying to my mother that she was impressed that what I produced looked like an “actual tree”. I remember feeling elated that I’d been able to put the image of what I saw in my head on paper and others knew what it was!

I was encouraged to pursue art and, at school, I learned that I had a similar skill in writing. I always felt clumsy when I tried to explain things to people. So, discovering that I could share my thoughts and feelings in writing as well as drawing was intoxicating.

It wasn’t until I read “Nicobobinus” by Terry Jones with art by Michael Foreman that I realised that, outside of cartoons, you could bring fantastical worlds to life through words and illustration. It was then I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to bring worlds to life and inspire others to do the same!

By high school, I became drawn to the emotive power of poetry - the precision of words, the evocative imagery, the playfulness and freedom of it’s many forms. I even started a poetry club in high school.

As an undergraduate at Yale University I studied graphic design and drawing, but I also kept one foot firmly in writing. After taking my first typography class, typesetting and book design became a passion - the marriage of words, form, colour and space to create moving works of art. I then won a place at Edinburgh University and received my master’s in poetry. Following this I began tutoring undergraduates and trying to figure out how to use what I was passionate about to pay the bills.

Over the years I developed a professional career in communications and engagement with a strong focus on equality, diversity, and inclusion. I wrote and illustrated several YA fantasy novels. But, it wasn’t until I did my first poetry reading in February 2020 that my professional art career began to click. Since then I’ve been able to perform my work at events and festivals across the UK. My work has been published in several journals, and I published my first poetry pamphlet, MEN, in 2023.

I’ve also had the privilege to teach - delivering university lectures and several creative development workshops. Some of the best work I’ve created has been alongside others as I share my process, experience, and ongoing journey of self-discovery to help them develop their own focus and passion.