In 2025, I was awarded a small creative bursary from First Light CIC successfully awarded from an open call-out. I thought it would be straightforward and obvious what I’d do with the fund – to simply try to ‘get back’ to where I was with my career before my Acquired Brain Injury disabled me and halted my life as I knew it. Being given a little budget and space for reflection, piloting and making attempts was hugely helpful and came at just the right time. I ended up utilising the last bit of my bursary to working with multi-media artist Helen Wells, again chosen through an open call, to support me in creating new moving image artwork, learning the basics of stop motion and reflecting on recent health experiences through images. My ambition was to create art that was alive and informed by the realities of my surgery, injury and rehabilitation experience but which could be appreciated with audiences beyond the neurological health world.
I’m really looking forward to eventually sharing the final work – plans tbc and I’m hoping to create more chances to build upon this new foundation of development. I couldn’t have envisioned this change coming from this bursary support, but it was as much entwined with my neuro rehabilitation as it is with my career or identity as an artist – which I’m delighted to say is still very much alive!
Ahead of publicly sharing the moving image outcomes of my time and creative collaboration with Helen, I’m sharing some of the stills captured from the video artwork to give a flavour of the piece!
Read on the Slow Ways website: Walking artist ‘living with a bowl of lava in my brain’ learns to walk again at 34
As we move through midsummer at the Summer Solstice, I’ve had some very welcome and humbling news. I’ve been nominated and shortlisted for two local awards!
The first is the Norfolk Arts Award, an annual celebration of arts and culture from around the county. I’ve been nominated for the Lifetime Achievement Award, in association with the Eastern Daily Press. This award is to celebrate a body of work of an individual who has dedicated their career to the arts in Norfolk. I’m sure I’m far too young to be recognised in this way, but I really value the appreciation from my peers
Earlier this week, on BBC Radio Norfolk, it was announced that I’ve been shortlisted for the BBC Radio Norfolk’s Making A Difference Awards. In the Green category, my nominator said that I’m “an inspiring woman who has created countless gatherings bringing people together to connect with the coast, raise awareness of environmental issues and empower people in their own wellbeing, whilst making a positive impact to their community”. I’m really proud that my work at Under Open Sky is starting to generate positive ripple effects locally
I’m very flattered by the recognition for my community engagement work and looking forward to both ceremonies later this year!
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