Digital Art Mentor — Horizons, NSW Regional Arts Network
Horizons is a creative industry mentoring and development program for young people in regional New South Wales, managed by the NSW Regional Arts Network and funded by the Department of Regional NSW. The program connected 75 emerging creatives aged 13–25 with experienced regional mentors, pairing one-on-one and group mentoring with guest speaker sessions and in-person professional development.
I led the Digital Art mentorship group, working with six young artists from across regional NSW — supporting them to develop their practice, understand the industry they're heading into, and see a creative career as a real and reachable path from where they live.
Our program took the group inside the industry. We toured the Animal Logic digital animation studios at Disney Studios Sydney, moving through the studio floor to see the roles that make up a production team and following a film's journey from concept artwork and storyboarding through 3D modelling and animation to the final screen. We also spent time at the Art Gallery of NSW and the Museum of Contemporary Art, where our conversations turned to technique, artistic theory and why art matters — the thinking that sits underneath the software.
Alongside the studio visits, the mentorship focused on tailored industry advice, building professional networks, and the lasting relationships that help a young artist keep going after a program ends.
Mentoring young digital artists remains an ongoing part of my practice. I continue to support emerging creatives through portfolio feedback, career and pathway advice, and connections into the industry — because talent in the regions is never the missing piece; access and encouragement usually are.