Our Green Hustle festival-inspired May cover is the work of artist Heather Hodkinson who, as well as helping to shape the visual identity of Green Hustle, has lent her talents to promote lots of other green initiatives around Notts. She talks to us about her love of collage and why it’s important to get out and about.
Tell us a bit about yourself…
I’m an artist, nature lover, gardener, wannabe poet and climate activist, and I’ve been involved in community events across Nottingham since I moved here to study art thirteen years ago. I grew up in a little village in Spain and my family still live there, but Nottingham has felt like home from the moment I arrived. I found my people and so many creative opportunities in this city. I’m always inspired by what’s going on, and I love that I feel like I know everyone, while still meeting amazing new people every week.
What is the story behind the cover?
Green Hustle Festival is on 30 May! I have volunteered and worked with Green Hustle since it started five years ago. I love how it brings together so many different groups to celebrate community and climate action in the centre of the city. I wanted to evoke the feeling of the festival and give an insight into this year’s programme, which includes a community dining table and veg stalls at Old Market Square, Lego and poetry by the library, and the sports and gardening at Nottingham College. This year the theme is Sow Good, which inspired my little leafy characters – the Sprouts.
What inspires you as a photographer/artist?
I grew up with scrapbooks and collage, sticking and gluing school books and the inside of my wardrobe. I used to pack kitchen scissors on flights as a child because I had a deep desire to collage on the plane (sorry mum for all the scissors lost to airport security!). Even though I work mainly digitally now, that cut‑out, handmade style still shapes how I draw.
I’m really drawn to world‑building and storytelling in art. I love medieval art with flat and wonky characters, and old mappa mundis which map the world through folklore. I love art that has lots of hidden details and you could spend hours exploring it with your eyes, like pieces by Hieronymus Bosch or Grayson Perry. I love playful illustrations with clever nods to societal stuff, like Notts mural artist FFWIH, and colourful wacky characters, like Bean Pig Puppets from Bristol.
And honestly, just spending time around other creatives at Green Hustle, coworking at the Carousel, or hanging out in Sneinton Market is what sparks ideas and pushes me to try new things.
Tell us about some things you’ve worked on in the past…
This past year I’ve worked on a lovely variety of projects. I made a bunch of illustrations for a small ice bath company and a wellbeing organisation, creating little assets they can use across their websites and marketing. I made a Christmas Market Map for the venue Movers, and I started illustrating my journey learning horticulture at St Ann’s Allotments.
Last month I turned two of my illustrations into screen prints for the Green Hustle Festival. Look out for them on banners and volunteer t-shirts at the event!
Outside of illustration I have also led creative workshops with young people for events like Light Night, Festival of Science and Curiosity, and Clifton Arts Festival. I love getting creative with young people because their ideas are always so wild, it inspires me to be more playful.
Do you have any tricks for getting started and staying inspired as a creative?
My top tip is to get out and get involved. Nottingham has so much on, and a lot of it is free, or low‑cost. Open mic poetry nights, cosy gigs at The Grove, writing workshops, exhibition openings, even just wandering around looking at street art. Don’t feel you need to wait for someone to go with you, I go to loads of things on my own and they are very welcoming spaces.
Another big thing is letting yourself get bored. Go for a walk in the woods without music or podcasts and just let your thoughts drift. I get so many ideas when I’m moving, whether that’s cycling, running or walking. And take a sketchbook with you, but with no pressure to use it. Messy books with bad handwriting and half‑formed sketches are the best.
If you could sit down and chat with any artist in your field, who would it be and what would you talk about?
Tove Jansson. She was a strong, independent woman, the creator of the Moomins, a writer, a painter and even a political cartoonist. She’s very inspired by nature too! I’d love to sit with her and ask about her world‑building and how my art can speak confidently about the things I believe in.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell the LeftLion readers?
Support independents, keep the arts alive, and tell your friends that you love them!
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