Manefesto

1. I BUILD WORLDS FROM TRASH.

I don’t wait for permission, funding, or a spotless studio. I work with what’s to hand — cardboard, wire, found bits and bobs — and turn it into characters, places, and moments that matter.

 

2. I’M A STORYTELLER AT HEART.

I write them, build them, voice them, and animate them. Whether it’s a grumpy puppet pensioner or a surreal, silent scene, everything I make has its own truth to tell.

 

3. I FIND MAGIC IN THE MUNDANE.

An old teabag box becomes a rocket ship. A pipe cleaner becomes a personality. I see possibility where others see rubbish. That’s part instinct, part mischief, and a lot of creative defiance.

 

4. HUMOUR IS MY TOOLKIT.

I use laughter to disarm and to heal. Funny doesn’t mean shallow — it means human. It lets you say things that are hard to say, and harder still to ignore.

 

5. MY WORK IS ROOTED IN PLACE AND EXPERIENCE.

There’s Northern soil under my fingernails and resilience in my bones. My art draws from lived experience — the good, the bad, and the absurd. My practice is a form of survival.

 

6. I MAKE TO HEAL.

Living with CPTSD shapes my creative practice — not as a limit, but as a starting point. Making is how I process, reflect, and recover. It’s how I stay connected to myself and to the world.

 

7. I’M PROUD TO BE HANDMADE.

Perfect isn’t interesting. I embrace the wobble in a puppet’s walk, the tear in a sheet of paper, the fingerprint in the paint. They remind me — and the viewer — that this is real, human work.

 

8. I DON’T FOLLOW TRENDS. I FOLLOW TRUTH.

I’m not chasing algorithms or gallery approval. I make things that feel honest, that make people think or feel or smile. If it resonates — that’s what matters.

 

9. I CREATE IN COMMUNITY.

Art isn’t a solo pursuit. It’s for classrooms, village halls, workshops, and the everyday. I believe in sharing skills, stories, and silliness — in making creativity accessible, not exclusive.

 

10. THIS IS WHY I KEEP MAKING.

Because stories matter. Because people need connection. Because it brings me back to myself. Because there’s still so much left to say — and so many new worlds to build.