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This period came right after my artist residency, and honestly, it was one of the best transitions I could have asked for. Coming off the back of that residency, I’d met so many great and amazing people, and the warmth, validation, and genuine connections I experienced were something I hadn’t felt in a long time. It was heartwarming in every sense. These weren’t just nice people for the sake of being nice. They were genuine, open-hearted creatives who really cared about their craft and about connecting with others.

During this time, I started collaborating with a few incredible artists, and I’ll tag their Instagrams when this goes live.

With George, it’s actually quite a funny story. George and I met at work. I was already part of the Jelly Young Creatives at the time, and we were just talking about how we both made art outside of work. He mentioned that he was an associate artist at this place I might not know about, and then he said, “Jelly.” It was so funny, because I was already with the Young Creatives back then. From there, we built a friendship and a great rapport. After the residency, it was a full circle moment. He even helped me out with some things during that time, and later on, we decided to collaborate on a piece together.

For the collaboration, George got some canvas, spray-painted it, and then passed it to me saying, “Go crazy.” So I did, and that piece became our first collaboration. The plan is to keep this process going, a back and forth where we pass the canvas between us and each add our own touch. It’s pure exploration and play. What I love most about it is that it keeps both of us spontaneous. You never know what to expect, and that unpredictability pushes you to grow, adapt, and trust your instincts. That collaboration really opened up new parts of my practice.

Then there was Brenda, who I met through Jelly as well. From the moment we met, it just clicked. She has the same burst of energy, the same joy and creative enthusiasm that I have when it comes to making. Her work is so vibrant and full of life. She’s done amazing things, even designing for Charli XCX, which is so cool.

Brenda’s also deeply into stop-motion, so we decided to make a stop-motion short film together called Yout + Tings. It was born out of pure spontaneity. We cut out some of my characters, built this little world that felt both surreal and rooted in African essence, and just let it flow. Brenda’s from Tanzania, and together we created something that felt alive, joyful, and completely authentic to both of us.

Projects like this remind me why I love being an artist. You get to connect with others who speak the same creative language, learn from each other, and build something you never could have made on your own. There’s no competition, just mutual respect, fun, and discovery. You sharpen each other’s practice, lift each other up, and spread more joy and love into the world.

And honestly, that’s what collaboration should always feel like: freedom, learning, and genuine connection.