What’s your background?

Growing up mum was a mobile hairdresser, and dad was a primary school teacher. Seemingly a non-artistic, non-performing background, but parents and family are all natural performers, comedians, creators and crafts people. Their perspectives are comic driven, political, analytical, highly creative and resourceful, so all of my principle artistic training comes from them. This combined with their encouragement, and the freedom they always gave me to play.

What influences you artistically?

Artists who take risks, who don’t care if you like it, who pull on the autobiographical to bring an audience something truly authentic and unique. Also theatricality, and the use of human performance to bring us closer to realising a human truth. Outside of art, I am deeply influenced by comedy, also music, and maybe poetry I guess.

How do you start a new work?

By being excited by an idea that won’t leave me, that stays by my side until a relationship grows. I guess I begin to break it down into practicalities, how I can resource and produce elements of what I can see in my mind. Then there’s the research into the subject source material, how I will mimic or impersonate or abstract, I start collecting found media content, or taking photographs for example. Then maybe visiting locations, audio recording, reading, writing. And lots of talking to collaborators or friends! Whatever encourages development and then abstraction.

What are you working on right now?

My version of a first proper short film. The first time I’m going to work with a crew and a cinematographer, a composer, and am currently working with a script writer. It’s very early days but I’m very excited!