I feel very privileged to have been able to develop my creative career. Its not something that was on offer in East Lancashire when I graduated and being the first to go to university in my family I was determined to make it work and not end up in an unrelated alternative. Although I studied as an artist I also discovered the role of art with community & educational settings and very quickly found a place to make things happen. A first project in a challenging youth club in Hyndburn threw me in a the deep end and gave me an insight into where the arts can make a difference but also the realities of complex communities I was living nearby by but not necessary have experience of. I realised early on that I didn’t feel I was an ‘artist’ and began to develop in more of a youth and community facilitator role and started to seek out other artists to collaborate with and have had the pleasure of working with many artists from all over the the world, but importantly all as collaborations in Lancashire, two of whom I started In-Situ. 

I am very passionate about the place I live and in the last 13 years in developing In-Situ I have come to realise the importance of trying to establish and achieve things in the place you live and are connected to. The importance of relationships, continuity and meaningful engagement are at the heart of my work and as I have now reconciled this crosses over into my life as a whole. 

I have had some incredible highlights in my work so far, including the chance to work on a Channel 4 programme (Big Art Burnley), receive the Arts Council outstanding achieve award in 2008 and be part of establishing In-Situ organisation. This from never really having a career plan at all, living out a process led career as well as work. This I feel has influenced in a way the opportunity to be part of an organisation settings its own rules for how its should run, employ and work with people and also in how opportunities for young people to find early employment in their creative journeys have been important to me. You will now often find me in the middle of Talkaoke somewhere in Pendle.

All this and my family still don’t really understand what I do.

Outside of the work hours, I have play guitar in a band, recently enjoying djing vinyl with a collective, love camping in my VW van, generally enjoy old vehicles and being practical, making things, active DIYer.