When did you first become interested in art?
I’ve always loved drawing. I became more interested in art during GSCE and A Level but I really found my passion within illustration and collage art in Uni. It’s a dream to make a career out of it!
How would you describe your design style?
Definitely surreal. Surrealism has become my passion, its the whole idea of life remixed.
What inspires you?
Most of the time quotes inspire me and I play on that, in particular things to with psychology, memory formation and perceptions of the mind. Ever since I went to a seminar where Graham Rawle was speaking about vintage magazines such as ‘good housekeeping’ I became fascinated with these; the style, the typography, the makeup, there was just something so captivating. Since that I’ve been scavenging through family members photo albums dating back to the 50’s and I’ve gotten a lot of material and ideas from these.
What is your favourite piece in your collection?
At the minute my favourite piece is ‘Falling in love.’
Is there any artistic talent in your family?
My mum is very creative, she is great at textiles.
What is the journey you take to produce your work?
I have found the most important thing for me is to research and collect materials, whether it be magazines, newspapers, photos or found objects. At the minute I’m working on emotions and I like to begin by researching and writing down words, phrases, ideas. I then scan images and objects into my computer and create imagery using a mixture of photoshop and illustrator in order to create my final image. I find I’m at my most productive at night for some reason.
What made you want to be a part of Art Rookie?
It’s a great platform because it enables us designers to simply focus on designing and not worry about printing, manufacturing, postage etc which is a huge weight off especially when you are just starting out and everything seems so daunting!
When you’re not creating masterpieces what do you enjoy doing?
Probably being far too honest here, but binge watching Netflix and cooking!
Have you faced any struggles getting your work noticed?
I don’t feel like I have put myself out there enough. Honestly I think it has been a combination of doubt and not having a sense of direction or clear purpose which led to me feeling rather demotivated. One thing I have learned in this past year is that there will always be excuses as to why you ‘can’t’ get work done but you need to find a way to rise above all that to stop blocking your creativity with negative thinking. I feel like now I am highly motivated and I hope to be a lot more successful in the coming year with getting noticed, challenging myself and working on collections.
Where would we find you hanging out in the UK?
I currently live in Northern Ireland, although I have friends from Uni dotted around the UK so we travel back and fourth to catch up.
What makes British talent different than elsewhere?
I feel like it’s a little more quirky and playful and I love that diversity that brings.
What are your plans for 2016?
I aim to produce lots more work, build an audience and challenge myself.
