Meet LUCIANNe, nurturing talent 2025/26
Nurturing Talent is Create’s 12-month. part-time professional development programme for emerging artists. Now in its 10th year, the scheme was developed in consultation with our artists. In 2025/26, it is upskilling six emerging artists from a range of disciplines, providing them with training and experience to develop their creative workshop facilitation in diverse and challenging settings. Ultimately, it aims to upskill them to deliver high quality creative workshops with those who need these most.
We spoke with Lucianne, Warrington/Manchester based multidisciplinary textile artist. She shared with us how the programme is influencing her facilitation and artistic skills.
JOINING NURTURING TALENT
After graduating, Lucianne dived straight into freelance facilitation. But Nurturing Talent offered something new: the chance to grow her practice alongside experienced artists in more complex community settings:
“Since I graduated, I went straight into freelance workshop facilitation, mainly around sustainable textiles – mending, weaving with scrap fabrics, darning and collaborative banners and patchworks.
[Nurturing Talent has] been absolutely lovely. Every artist that I’ve worked with so far has been really supportive, friendly and approachable. There’s never been a situation I’ve been in where I felt uncomfortable or that I didn’t know what was going on.”
LEARNING FROM NURTURING TALENT
Nurturing Talent provides emerging artists with a rare opportunity: to gain hands-on workshop facilitation experience with diverse groups of participants, while being mentored and supported. For Lucianne, this has meant expanding both her creative toolkit and her confidence:
“I’ve learned so much doing this already.”
Lucianne – nurturing talent
“For example, I had never thought about the concept of warm-up activities [in workshops]. Since being here and doing these training [days], I’ve realised how valuable [these] are and I’ve started incorporating that into my own practice.
“I also didn’t realise the extent to which you have to be adaptable and flexible, and how that varies between different groups. That’s a learning curve.
Lucianna also shared how the programme has deepened her belief in the value of creativity – not just for others, but also for herself.
“You really have to believe in your artform, and believe that it is something that is beneficial to other people. A big part of that is you experiencing the benefit of it, and I’ve had first-hand experience of [my practice] as an expressive outlet for wellbeing.
“That’s why I am very passionate about sharing that with other people. ”
“Patience is [important] as well, approaching things holistically and compassionately.”
Lucianne – nurturing talent
THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATIVITY
Lucianna shares our belief here at Create that creativity shouldn’t be a luxury:
“People need to create because it’s essential to being human. There are so many things you can do on your laptop, but that’s [not the same as] really creating something. When you go into a museum, you’re looking at things, whether it’s cave art or pots, that have been created, and that’s something that we can’t afford to lose.”
SUPPORTING THE NEXT GENERATION
Since its launch in 2015, Nurturing Talent has supported almost 60 emerging professional artists to build the skills, confidence and adaptability needed to lead workshops in diverse communities. Many graduates from the programme have gone on to join our artist pool and to develop their own socially engaged practices across the UK.
As Lucianne’s journey shows, the programme is about more than just professional development – it’s about building compassionate, confident artists who are ready to share their creativity with the people who need it most.
