While on the course, Michelle developed the first images and ideas for her book “The Room of Stars”, drawing inspiration from her schooldays after course tutor, Zehra Hicks, advised students to “draw what you enjoy drawing.” “This gave me permission to go back to the kind of doodles I did on the back of my text book at school: gothic creatures and angels!” says Michelle. “I continued from there to reflect upon my time at school - that awkward but fertile stage of life where you are exploring your own identity and searching for belonging. The book explores themes of bullying, otherness and gender, with a huge dose of gothic fantasy and dark humour.”

For Michelle, the course became an important source of inspiration for her creative work; “during the course I was introduced to the wonderful world of graphic novels which I had never really explored before, opening up a horizon of possibilities and inspiration” she said. “I love that there are no set rules in relation to graphic novels - you can work using whatever styles, layouts, themes and approaches you feel most suitable. It is a field rife for innovation. We also looked at a diverse range of children's books. I came away with two original book ideas (one graphic novel and one children's picture book) and felt armed and ready to take the next step.”

The structure of the course also worked well for Michelle, who found the opportunity to pause and reflect between sessions helpful, “the sessions are hands-on, fast paced and intense, with a full week in between to absorb and reflect, which really suited me. The course is holistic in covering both industry knowledge and practical/creative techniques.”

Michelle is particularly inspired by course tutor, Zehra Hicks. “Zehra is a very inclusive, motivating and inspiring tutor - her energy is infectious. I learnt such a lot in a short space of time.”

Michelle continues to share her artwork on her Instagram account and recently worked in collaboration with Gemma McKenzie, a public health researcher, to secure funding to produce a zine about human rights in the maternity system. “Working in partnership with AIMS we will produce a zine about consent in maternity care”, says Michelle, “this form of graphic medicine can be really powerful in shifting attitudes and giving a voice to those who are so often silenced or ignored. I am thrilled to be part of this creative human rights project.”

We look forward to following Michelle’s creative journey online and wish her the best of luck with her future work.