“I first met Mark through one of the DYCP funding workshops back in late 2020. It was really helpful. I had found the questions from the Arts Council confusing and after the session felt much clearer of what was being asked of me and far more confident in my application. It worked! My application was successful and in 2021 I began my project to focus on studio research.
As I found the workshop so beneficial I included Mark in the professional development part of my DYCP activity. Over nine months I had several online mentoring sessions and two strategic planning sessions. I always enjoyed working with Mark – he is patient and thoughtful, and his feedback concise, insightful and always encouraging. I gained an awareness of my practice overall, – areas of strength and weakness – plus got a clearer picture of where I wanted to go with it. Ultimately I grew in confidence as an artist and in the contribution my own work has to make, which had been a struggle since returning to art-making after a break to make a career change to gardening and having two children. I went on to work with MDP again in late 2021 when I took part in StudioBook – a friendly, rewarding and well-structured course. I still refer back to parts of it now and occasionally have mentoring sessions with Mark when needed.
I would highly recommend Mark to any artist looking for support to evolve their practice. He genuinely wants you to find and develop your voice as an artist. To think big, be ambitious and find ways to get your work out into the world.”