How did you experience your first year at Yorkshire Artspace? What was difficult? What was fantastic? Meeting and working with my fellow workshop colleagues was and is fantastic, as is all the help and advice so generously offered from all the other studio holders. There really is a lovely community atmosphere here at Yorkshire Artspace.

Making the transition from academic life to a more commercially minded one was difficult. I especially missed and all the equipment, sketchbook tutorials and expert fabrication advice that Sheffield Hallam university afforded me. However, we are very lucky here too as when ever I’ve had a technical conundrum to resolve, master silversmith Cameron Maxfield has been an invaluable help.

How do you think you have benefited from the support you have been given by Yorkshire Artspace? As I think I’ve already mention the advice and technical support available at Yorkshire Artspace has been invaluable. As was being awarded a place on the Craft Councils Hothouse career development scheme for emerging makers. I cannot recommend enough the Hothouse programme to other emerging makers. I was fortunate to be able to commercially test the water, as it were, by being part of the Hothouse collective at both Great Northern Contemporary Craft fair and Made London at a reduced sellers rate, which in the early stages of a any business is an excellent retail experience and economically sensible.

What are your aims for your final year? To continue to build upon the things that worked for me in respect of my practice. My latest body of work, which was inspired by Sheffield’s Q Park car park known locally as the cheese grater building is soon to be displayed in retail area of the Millennium Gallery Sheffield.  I ma very excited about that.