Back To Wearing The Curator Hat.

There are seasons where life feels like movement, and others where it feels like suspension. The first three months of this year have lived somewhere in between.

I found myself, quite literally and metaphorically, hovering, working a part-time role by the lake, holding steady, while everything else continued to evolve quietly in the background. It wasn’t stagnant, but it wasn’t yet in full motion either. It was a period of watching, of maintaining, of trusting that what was being built behind the scenes would, in time, begin to surface.

Now, a quarter of the way into the year, the curator hat is on. I can see more clearly what has been taking shape. There has been a deepening of purpose within Imaginative Reaction, not just in what we do, but in how we support. I’ve begun working closely with a number of new artists, thinking more seriously about how to contribute to their long-term futures rather than just their immediate visibility. That shift feels important. It feels like responsibility, but also like alignment.

At the beginning of the year, our Chinese New Year young creatives workshop at Burston offered a moment to bring creativity and community together with a shared purpose. Through the generosity and participation of those who attended, we were able to raise funds in support of Jenny Blowers as she prepares to run the London Marathon for The Royal Marsden.

It was important that the workshop carried something beyond the day itself, and we are grateful to have contributed, in a small but meaningful way, towards such an important cause. Moments like these serve as a reminder of what can happen when creativity is brought together with intention.

We are now preparing to share the third creative workshop of the year. Each one, previously all sold out. It has carried its own energy, but the consistency is beginning to speak for itself. There is a need for this work, and more importantly, there is a genuine enjoyment from the next generation getting involved.

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After three years of consistently applying for funding, we are grateful to have received our first small community grant from St Albans District Council. This support will directly contribute to our young creatives workshops, allowing us to offer free spaces and provide essential materials for those who may not otherwise have access. It marks an important step forward, not just in practical terms, but as a moment of recognition for the work that has been building steadily over time.

The structure is growing too. With Adrian Wildsmith’s ongoing monthly residency continuing to evolve, we are now also stepping into something new, our first adult evening sip and paint experience, launching this May!

On Trust, Time, and Staying the Course

This year has taught me a great deal already, though not always in ways that felt obvious at the time.

Patience has become less of an idea and more of a practice. Trust, something I thought I understood, has revealed itself in layers, and time… how it’s used, how it’s held, how easily it can be doubted, has become something I’m far more conscious of.

There have been moments of waiting. Waiting on opportunities, on conversations, on the next step that allows me to return fully to working within the arts. But within that waiting, there has also been movement, subtle, but significant. More recently, something shifted.

Conversations That Open Doors

Some of the most meaningful opportunities this year have arrived through people. Quiet recommendations, reconnections, and conversations that have come full circle.

An introduction from Simeon Belle, an old friend whose own journey has evolved from music into art, led me into Opera Gallery on New Bond St, where I was welcomed by the director, Vereda. What followed was not rushed, nor transactional. It was generous. A private tour through the gallery, a moment to sit, and then the opportunity to speak properly about Nick Fraser and the story behind the work. To be listened to attentively and without interruption is something that carries its own kind of weight. It reminded me how rare that can be.

We spoke about next steps, about positioning, about what it might take to bring that work to a wider audience. I left with more than just advice. I left with clarity, and a renewed sense that the path, though winding, is very much alive.

After years of navigating conversations largely with men in the art world, it felt both refreshing and meaningful to sit with a Vereda in such a position of influence. There was an ease to it, a mutual understanding. Having been raised by my mum, and been surrounded by strong, supportive women throughout my life, in family and in friendship, there is a natural sense of trust I carry into spaces like this. It isn’t something I often articulate, but it shapes how I listen, how I collaborate, and how I recognise alignment when it’s there.

A second introduction, this time from Jamie Vear, someone who has grown from student to friend, opened the door to Shoreditch Arts Club introduing a conversation with the delightful manager, Tatiana unfolded in a completely different, yet equally aligned way.

It was one of those rare meetings where ideas don’t need forcing. They simply arrive. Collaboration possibilities emerged naturally, some already in motion, others still forming.

There was a shared sense of direction, which is often the hardest thing to find, and in a way that feels entirely fitting. After discussions around what we could work on in the future, I suddnely found myself offering to step behind the decks to DJ for one of their up coming Friday nights 'The Room' this May. An invitation to step inside a private members’ club and experience the atmosphere, the people, and the programme that usually sits behind closed doors.

The Artists at the Centre of It All

At the heart of all of this are the artists. Always.

Ellis King continues to develop a body of work that feels both intuitive and assured. There is a quiet confidence in her practice, an understanding of her own visual language that doesn’t feel forced or hurried. Her work holds a sensitivity that reveals itself over time, inviting the viewer to slow down rather than demanding immediate attention.

With an upcoming event this May, there is a growing sense of momentum around her practice, one that feels both well-timed and well-earned. It is also exciting to see Ellis included in “Like” — connected online. exhibited irl, a group exhibition at KIT FORM, Jamaica Street, Bristol, running from 19–25 May 2026. The exhibition brings together eight female artists who first connected online and are now exhibiting together physically for the first time, exploring connection, community, identity, womanhood, memory and everyday experience. Visitors are also invited to attend the private view on 21 May, 6–8pm. Full details can be found here:

With Adrian Wildsmith, there is a consistency and discipline that underpins everything he does. His residency has become more than just a presence. It is a point of engagement, a way for people to witness process as much as outcome. Alongside his ongoing work and live painting, his involvement with Imaginative Reaction continues to expand in meaningful ways.

Finally BoThai, whose recent educational workshops offered something genuinely impactful, combining sound healing with education for young creatives. It was an experience that invited awareness, stillness, and expression.

To represent and support these artists is not something I take lightly. It is a privilege, one that continues to shape the direction of everything I’m building.

Seeds, Not Conclusions

There is a temptation to look for a defining moment, the point where everything clicks and the path becomes singular again. But that isn’t what this year is offering. Not yet.

Instead, it feels like a landscape of seeds being planted across different ground. Some will take root quickly. Others will take time. But all of them carry much potential.

The original intention may have been to tell one story, to bring Nick Fraser’s work into the world in a particular way, and that remains. But along the way, something else has emerged, a broader set of pathways, each one connected, each one leading back, eventually, to the same place.

A return to the arts. Fully. Sustainably. Honestly.. and an ongoing support for the talented artists, that I'm honoured to work with.