project development support

Dreaming & building your project: rooting your plans in a realistic budget, creating a spacious and energising time plan, uncovering the right words to explain your vision and pulling an application together.

These are all things we can work on together if you are aiming to craft a creative practice development project and would like support getting started. Whether it’s a funded project like the Arts Council’s DYCP or a self-directed activity, I have experience supporting people through the whole process from concept to execution.

Every year for the past 4 years I have had at least one client who has received DYCP funding to work with me. This intensive exploration of a practice is incredibly rewarding and I love this kind of work. If you are considering building regular mentoring with me into your DYCP project I would recommend that we work together on developing the project and writing the application. This ends up being the most satisfying for both of us and allows us to build a good working relationship well before the funding comes through*.

[*please note I cannot agree to offer mentoring as part of any funding applications unless I have worked with you in some capacity on the application.]

Autumn 2025

I am now taking bookings for anyone who would like to work with me on their DYCP application for Round 24 (opening 23rd October). I am available from 15th Sept.

Easeful DYCP

ways towards spacious project design & gentle application submission

Join me for an informal group session where I share with you the insights I’ve gathered from years of supporting people as they apply for DYCP funding.

We’ll talk about the essential parts of designing a project, the steps that I’d follow with clients. I’ll point you in the direction of my favourite resources and other humans who support this work.

It will also be a chance for you to get to know me a bit better, in case you are considering working with me 1:1 on your next DYCP application or if you would like to include mentoring with me as part of your DYCP project.

FREE online zoom session

Thursday 11th September 11:00am – 12:30pm

*if you have problems registering using the link above, please re-load the registration page. This seems to fix it. I don’t know why this is happening, sorry.

On this page you’ll find practical information about working with me, but to begin I’d love you to hear from one of my clients about what it feels like to work with me and what impact it’s had on their practice.

what’s it like to work with me: client case study

Michaela and I worked together before and during her DYCP project – to hone her project proposal, work on the text for her application and then with ongoing mentoring support through the year of the project itself.

Here Michaela shares her experience of working with me and the effect this had on her sense of self as an artist, her project and her practice:

Why did you choose to work with me?

I wanted to work with a mentor on a regular basis and who would accompany my creative processes and evolution, enabled by the funding. I was also looking for a mentor who would understand neurodiversity and relate to me – I am autistic, so this was really important to me. A creative colleague of mine who is also autistic recommended working with you based on their own experience.

Following my initial deeper research into your practice and work ethos, I was positive I would like to work with you. I appreciated that you also took time to see first if working together would work for both of us and if we would be ‘a match’. This may sound surface level, but as a trained Coach myself I know that this is really important, especially if deciding to work with a mentor on a long-term basis.

What was the process like for you?

You helped me with my DYCP application which was a crucial element of my overall preparation for the funding submission. Your feedback on the final stages of my application was critical. As a mentor who knows me, my art practice, my drive, creative desires etc. you shared some really specific notes about parts of my application and important insights about what others may be looking for and how I could apply myself to that.

Out of all the other practitioners/artists I have been working with and learning from during this funding grant you have seen me through all of it from the beginning to the end.

Our work together has been an incredibly formative experience. You have been a solid pillar of insights and support for me and my journey, but also a gentle and compassionate companion with incredible sensitivity to my inner processes and emotional landscape.

I have been through quite a major personal journey as part of this funding and working with you made me realise how important it is for me, my wellbeing and my growth, to work with someone who can share the level of sensitivity you have been able to share with me.

Our mentoring sessions have been a holding container for some profound inner processes which are a very important and inseparable (at least for me) part of processes that occur during funding grant like DYCP, but it’s hard to describe them or to put into words why a mentor like you is so crucial for them.

What stands out to you when you reflect on the work we’ve done together?

As already mentioned, the level of your sensitivity and how you have been able to meet me every time when coming to our mentoring sessions, whatever my disposition was. I think our sessions have enabled me to unravel in some way.

I also felt able to rant to you and you held a compassionate space for it, but then I was also able to recover and find ways forward with inspiration and ideas. I feel that I have been able to air some of my frustrations and pains that came along the journey, but also find resolutions for my personal circumstances which made sense to me. I also feel that this did not happen in a ‘therapeutic way’, but within the creative mentoring context which I think was very conducive. I always left our sessions with pages of inspiring thoughts and ideas.

What did/does it feel like to work with me, in the space that we created?

Incredibly nourishing. I felt seen and listened to, and as a result understood, and held in a compassionate space while I was ‘working out’ my things. I have also found it inspirational and a space which has had so much potential. I think I will attribute it to being an autistic creative and being able to find/see myself in/through our sessions.

I don’t think I have experienced it before, even though I needed it so much, so it’s been a profound experience. It’s been an emotional experience – embodied emotional. I loved so much that there was space in our mentoring for concepts like embodiment, inner family systems, giftedness, seasonality, rest, grief… all these important components of a lived experience.

What surprised you about working with me?

I think through our work together I have been able to realise how much of my ‘creative practice’ or my creative vision was also/still in my head space and how I needed to come down/ground and reconnect, so my art practice became embodied too, therefore connected and authentic.

What have you valued most about the experience of working with me?

That you gave me the space and time to feel/talk out what I needed to and that there wasn’t pressure, or a sense of it, on ‘progress’ and success, and results… I really appreciated that our mentoring was exactly what I needed it to be. I think that has enabled me to transition myself into my next creative stage where I have more clarity and focus, and inspiration to create in ways that work for me and make me happy.

Have there been any changes or impacts on your practice, or how you feel/relate to yourself, through working with me?

I would say I have done work on my emotional landscape in relation to my art practice and I feel more grounded, connected and calmer in some way. I think I used to worry about a lot of different things and almost obsessed about where I belong, where I should fit myself with my art practice etc. I now feel more comfortable being myself and evolving my art practice around that.

You can see more of Michaela’s work on her website:

living-well.space

and Instagram:

@___livingwell

what do you need to know about working with me?

my approach

In my work I am committed to prioritising the experience and the needs of the humans at the centre of creative practices.

I take a trauma-informed, holistic, person-centred approach to my mentoring practice. This is underpinned by a commitment to social and climate justice, informed by ongoing engagement with, and exploration of, intersectional feminism*, decolonial shadow work, radical imagination and post-capitalist futures.

This work is conducted with an awareness of how everything we do with our creative practices is situated within the wider context of our lives and the world. I’m committed to working with professional artists, designers & contemporary craft makers who want to build ethical and sustainable creative practices.

* “I feel embarrassed when I say feminism and people do not think revolution in service of every living thing” – Lola Olufemi

For more about what informs this work take a look at my About page and my Values page

what this work is/isn't

What I offer is something between coaching and mentoring.

Typically coaches will work with people on specific issues or goals and they’ll support you getting there. Mentors often offer advice based on their expertise. Personally I like to respond to the needs you currently have in your practice; I don’t assume there are issues or problems and I don’t like to offer advice.

Instead we work together to reflect on what is going on for you right now and what you feel you’d like to explore. If during this process you would like to set some goals or receive more specific advice then I can potentially help you with that or recommend other people who are better placed to help.

The 1:1 work I do focuses on the intangible side of a creative practice. I offer an undefined space for you to reflect, explore and understand your unique creative process. [Please be aware that I have no expertise in business or marketing – if you are looking for support primarily with these aspects of your practice I’m not the person for you.]

who i work with

I support people whose professional work is an essential expression of who they are, or who they want to be, in the world. People who feel drawn to working intentionally and with purpose. Often this might look like practices that are rooted in elements like social engagement, community work, teaching/research and projects.

I also feel a strong affinity for people whose practice might occupy a space between craft and art, regardless of material discipline.

I tend to work with people who are looking to make significant shifts within their practice – this could be within contexts of mid-career development, navigating chronic health or diagnoses, adapting to caring responsibilities, returning to practice after a significant break.

I love working with people who are curious to explore their creative practice in greater depth – in many ways we are archaeologists of creativity, uncovering and building up the narrative of the work and their role within that.

what the sessions are like

I work 1:1 via zoom in 1 hour sessions.

During the session I’ll ask you what you’d like to talk about, or what feels important right now, and we take it from there.

I mostly listen and ask questions which might prompt you to reflect on what you’ve said, or which might help highlight things you may have not noticed, new ways of considering things. In this conversation I’m invested in offering you a space to explore things in a way that you might not be able to with other people. It’s a non-judgemental, supportive space where you and your work are the most important things.

My passion for this work comes from wanting to see your creative practice thrive. Because of this I take a holistic view, situating your creative practice within your life, and focusing on sustainability – for you, for others and for the planet.

I am for slow, considered, intentional work. I help people develop creative practices with care at the foundation, that are in service to you and the life you want to lead, responsive to your needs, adaptable to your existing priorities and which acknowledge your responsibilities to other people and the planet.

availability

As each client and their needs are unique I can honestly say there isn’t a set formula or pattern that I follow. I also don’t make any assumptions about how long we will work together.

After the first session you’ll have a better feeling about how much support you would like, and how often. I have some clients who work with me weekly, once a month, once a season, or on an ad hoc basis depending on what’s going on. For clients with funding to work with me, or mentoring as part of a project, the sessions may happen within a defined time period. It is entirely up to you, and that’s something we can negotiate as we go along.

I currently work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 11am-4pm.

(no) cancellation policy

I don’t have any rules about cancellations. As someone who lives with their own mental health and physical health challenges (long covid & migraines) I appreciate that life is unpredictable and sometimes overwhelming. Please know I will always understand if you need to cancel last minute and I won’t charge you for any sessions we don’t have.

accessibility

It is my intention to create a welcoming and inclusive space for creative practitioners to explore their experience of creative work in more depth. I have undergone training to become trauma-informed in my practice and approach all client work through this lens.

I have many clients who are neurodiverse (autistic individuals, people with ADHD/ADD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia) as well as people living with chronic illness or other health issues. So if you have any particular access needs that you would like me to be aware of and mindful of as we work together, please do share them with me.

I am a queer person and my practice is LGBTQIA+ inclusive.

price

I have 2 rates depending on who is paying:

If you are paying for the sessions yourself my hourly rate is £25.
If you have received funding to work with me my hourly rate is £50

I want to keep my work accessible to as many people as possible, which is why my regular hourly rate is significantly lower than you might expect. Please be aware that this is only possible because my financial needs are met through other sources of income and I am able to make this choice freely.

Other coaches/mentors will price their work according to their needs/situation and my pricing should not be taken as a judgement of the value of anyone else’s offering. This is why when I work with clients who receive funding I insist on an hourly rate that is more in line with what other people in the sector are charging – it’s important to me that the sector values this work and pays people properly.

Billing

I invoice at the end of the month for any sessions during that period.

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All the text, long form writing, art work and photography were created by me (unless credited).

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