I was invited to lecture and run a placard making workshop for students at London Metropolitan University, in response to the current political climate, using my previous experience of activating community projects & campaigns through art based mediums as a way to inspire the students. Now, I don’t do politics (If 1+1=5 to you, good luck, do you *that Keanu Reeves meme here*) but there’s a lot going on in the world & all you can do is start where you’re at – making awesome placards expressing how you feel helps!

Big thankyou to Patricia (Senior Lecturer in Media and Communications | Course Leader for BA Media & Marketing) for organising the session & being super accommodating, as well as Clelia (Senior Lecturer in Postcolonial Media and Culture I Course Leader BA Film and Television Studies) for her on-going support with my work, and of course to the students who took part – was FUN

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I was recently invited to host a table at the Great Ealing Apprenticeship Fair at Greenford Hall, to introduce young people to my work sector & share any opportunities that may support them. Having worked with Ealing Council in the past delivering various workshops across various sites, this was a nice way to gain some valuable insight into the current landscape of the needs of young adults and how I can serve them with my gained knowledge & experience so far doing what I do in the creative sector, with mentoring & paid work opportunities available. 

If you’ve never been to Greenford Hall before (like me) it’s like something from a period movie. It has this Scandinavian architectural style on the front facade and the foyer feels like a 1960s theatre box office. The inside / main hall is wood panelled to the brim, proper vintage feels which I loved – was pretty random jauxtapostioning of all the corporate-ish roll-up banners bang in the middle of the period hall, whatever the space, it worked. 

I could provide plenty pictures here of the event but have decided to limit my sharing to just one image that speaks enough from what it was. Near enough all my interactions with those that arrived at my table, started off with me breaking down my story of how I first entered the creative game painting & selling baseball caps. It is a story I’ve shared numerous times with young folk, to give some context as to how to spot an opportunity and jump on it, fuelled by this unexplainable passion to create & to connect with others.

The most enjoyable and rewarding aspect for me was simply having a conversation, seeing where individuals were at with work / life etc and exploring ways to connect the dots with them leading at their own pace. It felt wholesome. I started at 1pm and spoke to the last person at 4.30pm – it was non-stop convos with so many people I actually lost count – to the point I didn’t even eat my croissant still wrapped up in my bag from earlier. There is something about healthy conversation, it feeds you and then some. 

This experience has definitely provided more food for thought into channelling my efforts more on the mentoring side through my practice to help enable young adults more.

Key takeaways:

Creating space for people to share how they feel before any heavy questions or demands of them, can help shape a more productive pathway. 

Social anxiety can hinder work search or personal development & must be mindfully addressed.

People often have the idea, but no funds, access or support to try / test something out which can often kill their confidence. 

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Last Summer, I co-created a mural with the local youth during the Happy Streets Festival in Wandsworth, situated in the Oasis Green Space, off Thessaly Road. The young artist I took under my wing was Bryony, to lead on concept & design, with artwork contributions from the wider community during the festival workshop, to which I supported where necessary throughout process leading to application onto wall. This was Bryony’s first time producing public artwork in her local estate, so felt it was a rewarding experience for her, and me as mentor, to witness someone coming out of their comfort zone and trying something new. Through knowing her and her mum who attend the local community centre where I work each Monday, it was clear to see the growth and leadership skills she’s acquired & developed being in the space from when I first started almost 2 years ago. So giving time, holding space & nurturing creative potential in the young folk and families who attend there has been a constant each Monday, and testament to the consistency of having great staff / facilitators who each provide their own skills & talents freely – essential ingredients for community enrichment which happens over time, slowly but surely, but it happens, and you realise the power of simply showing up & being there, planting seeds & seeing the youth bloom in their own way…

Ps. Even if a sense of Unity isn’t felt on a deeper level with people you work or connect with, and feels like some surface gunk most of the time, unity simple starts with ‘U’, middle ‘I’ and ends with ‘Y’…why not indeed.

I know budgets are stretched at the moment for youth services across the board, so happy to give some time to any youth clubs / centres that may need some support running some art-based activities / who might need materials / or advice of any creative sort / or really need ping pong practice (you aint ready *Happy Defeats Festival, ha) – feel free to message me direct

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Forgot to post this back in 2024, but came across some work I did with the Westminster Culture Network for one of their ‘Social Prescribing’ events they held at the Open Air Theatre, Regents Park. My task was to capture the vibes of the event, including many individuals & organisations in the Westminster network, most of whom were meeting each other for the first time – a connecting space for people to share questions or thoughts about anything & everything local-ish. A big thank you to Attia Shiraz (Cultural Libraries Services Manager) for inviting me & for putting the whole event together, and for the delish spread of food & desi music which opened up proceedings at the start – total vibes

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Back in March 2025, I was invited / commissioned by Two Temple Place to capture the vibes (visual mapping) during two community engagement sessions they ran alongside the ‘Lives Less Ordinary: Working-Class Britain Re-seen’ exhibition. The sessions involved participants responding to the exhibition through mark-making, collage & open discussion about the themes embedded throughout the space & society in general. Sessions were led by Rafaela Ricardo (Community & Education Coordinator) and Rebecca Hone (Head of Culture & Community). I enjoyed these sessions, more so as a fly on the wall, perched at a dining table, then the corner of a room, then on a sofa, then wherever, with sketchbook / biro in hand capturing moments as people spoke, nibbled some food or created something. 

Shout out to artists Jasleen Kaur, Hetain Patel & Kelly O’Brien featured in the exhibition alongside others, and Samantha Manton, curator of the whole shabang – good vibes!

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