I am essentially a “people person” and passionate about art so being sat at a desk looking at spreadsheets day in day out was never the right fit for me. This is the career I “fell” into rather than chose and after 16 years working in the Finance Department for a Housing Association I felt unfulfilled. I knew things had to change. The organisation went through a merger and a restructure so redundancy finally provided the opportunity I had been looking for.

I had been following Creative Minds on social media for a while and loved the work and the ethos of the organisation so I jumped at the chance to become a Creative Minds artist. Finally, here was a role which meant I could work with people and provide them with the same opportunity to create that I craved for myself. Self employment was also a big draw for me but I don’t feel alone.

The support and training I have received from Creative Minds has been fantastic and the community of artists is friendly and welcoming. I now feel very privileged to be working alongside other like-minded people who share the same passions and values that I do and I can honestly say I’ve never felt happier!