Like a lot of illustrators, I spend a lot of my time alone in my studio, working on ideas and artwork, sometimes for hours, days or weeks at a time. The work I do requires a lot of deep thinking – I notice details, I consider all sorts of options for colour, texture, and composition, and I am spurred on by a desire to do better with each new drawing. I believe that the images I make are worth my attention, for as long as it takes to make them, and that they are worth the attention of my readers, clients and audience, for as long as they are willing to look at them.

And herein lies the problem.

Last year I joined the wonderful Hive Artists Studios in Chelmsford, a small studio space just outside the city centre and conveniently close to my home. As we prepare for our annual exhibition in the city centre, I thought it would be a great time to revisit this post that I shared on Instagram a few months ago.

I love drawing and I’m pretty good at it (this is not a brag, it’s just my job!). But I do often find it hard to do, especially if I’m feeling tired or overwhelmed. Drawing uses lots of brain power and requires a particular kind of concentration that, as an autistic-and-possibly-also-ADHD-person, I can’t always seem to activate.

I’m excited to announce that I have been longlisted for the Paper Bird Illustration Exhibition and Thames & Hudson Illustration Award!

Making Time for Creativity – a simple trick I use to be creative around deadlines and other responsibilities.

Cultivating regular creative habits.

I am really happy to announce that two of my books have received certificates for the Hiii Illustration Awards 2022!

The Illustrators’ Fair returns to London King’s Cross!

Concrete Canvas 2023.