Over the past decade, my artistic journey has been deeply shaped—and at times paused—by profound personal experiences. I have navigated immense loss: the passing of a parent, grandparents, other close family members, and most recently, my young nephew. In the last three years, I have been a primary carer for my remaining parent, culminating in a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. These experiences have deeply affected my mental health, placing my creative life on hold. But throughout, I have always felt the pull back to painting, to storytelling through visual art. It has never left me.
This award would be nothing short of transformational. It will enable me to return to my practice with freedom, focus, and the resources to explore my creative voice fully again. For me, painting is not just expression; it’s healing, it’s processing, and connecting. This bursary will allow me to develop a new collection of paintings that reflect the path I have walked: loss, care, resilience, self-discovery. The work will be deeply personal, yet rooted in universal themes of grief, identity, and renewal.
This funding would provide essential support: studio space, materials, and time. It would allow me to work with intention and energy, rather than in the stolen hours around care duties or emotional exhaustion. It would fund a public exhibition of the work in Darlington firstly, London and Manchester encouraging others to find healing and purpose through creative expression.
The collection would represent a new beginning for me, not only in my personal recovery, but also in establishing myself as an artist in the North. I see this not just as a return, but as a reimagining: of who I am, what I create, and who it’s for. This award would enable me to move from survival to creative growth, and from private pain to public storytelling. It will give me the wings to fly again, not away from what’s happened, but through it, and above it.
My proposed project would contribute to the creative landscape of Darlington by offering an authentic, emotionally resonant body of work that connects individual experience with shared community reflection. At its heart, the collection is about what it means to be human; how we navigate grief, resilience, identity; and how art can help us make sense of that journey.
Darlington is home to rich history and a growing creative spirit, championed by initiatives like Creative Darlington. I believe this project aligns closely with their aims: to make art accessible, to support diverse voices, and to bring people together through creativity. As someone not originally from the area, I offer a perspective that reflects both difference and belonging.
By showcasing this work through exhibitions allowing for community engagement, and storytelling, I hope to inspire others, particularly those who may feel unheard or isolated, to see their experiences as valid and worthy of expression. I would like this to be more than a static exhibition. I envision spaces for dialogue: opportunities for others in Darlington to reflect on their own stories, whether through creative workshops, artist talks, or collaborative pieces. This would not only raise the visibility of the arts, but also deepen community connection and participation.
In a region often overlooked in national cultural narratives, this work asserts that art lives and breathes here as well as other places and that powerful, relevant, contemporary work can emerge from lived experience anywhere. The project would add to the town’s growing cultural narrative and could be a catalyst for further artistic storytelling rooted in the everyday resilience of its people.
My artistic practice is rooted in storytelling, emotional truth, and transformation. I work across painting, digital art, singing, writing and photography, exploring themes of memory, identity, loss, and resilience. I’ve not always had a way in and I’ve not always felt like I belong or deserve to be all that I can be within my creativity but I have been fortunate to explore my creativity in the different forms it comes in, including through a residency, though exhibitions, singing at small and large venues and privately being celebrated and celebrating with those around me especially with photography. I am multifaceted but due to the different challenges I have come across I have slowly walked away from the great pursuit of self. I hope this bursary will allow me to fully soak and emerge from within myself creatively.
Yes, I was previously awarded a Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) grant from Arts Council England. This was a pivotal moment in my artistic development, allowing me to explore digital art and photography, from capturing to editing, and broaden my creative scope beyond traditional painting. The grant enabled me to exhibit some of my paintings in prominent locations, collaborate with organisations and network with fellow artists.
However, just as this progress was taking shape, my parent’s health began to deteriorate significantly. Balancing a demanding caring role alongside these creative developments was both emotionally and physically challenging. While the DYCP experience was enriching, it was also deeply shaped by this personal reality. My ability to fully immerse myself in opportunities was limited by my responsibilities at home, which continued to grow as my parent’s condition worsened.
Despite these challenges, the grant gave me the tools, connections, and renewed belief in my artistic practice that have sustained me through this difficult period. It helped solidify my identity as an artist, one who creates not in spite of life’s struggles, but through them.
I am currently working on a painting for Detention Action.
I participated in the Reframe Residency, a prestigious opportunity delivered in collaboration with Apple, The Southbank Centre, STEAMhouse Birmingham, and Factory International. This residency was a transformative experience that allowed me to develop new, innovative work at the intersection of visual art, digital storytelling, and technology.
Over several months, I had the chance to collaborate with a diverse group of creatives, including photographers, musicians, and filmmakers. These collaborations opened up new perspectives and methods of working, expanding my understanding of how disciplines can merge to create powerful, layered narratives. The residency also included mentorship from leading industry professionals, which helped refine my creative vision and technical skills, particularly in digital media and multimedia storytelling.
This process culminated in a group exhibition at the Southbank Centre in London, held between July and August. Showcasing my work in such a renowned space was both affirming and inspiring. It connected me with wider audiences and reaffirmed the importance of my voice as an artist navigating personal, emotional, and cultural themes through contemporary practice.
This experience has had a lasting impact, reinforcing my commitment to creating work that is emotionally honest, collaborative in spirit, and technically adventurous.
Email: hannahmichael018@gmail.com
Address: 85a Woodward Road, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 9TY, GB
Local Authority: Bury Council
