The UK government has just announced a £1.5 billion investment in arts, culture and heritage, and I was asked by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to lend my voice to the announcement and help share what this moment could mean for artists and communities.

I left my meeting with Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy at the Barbican today feeling something I haven’t felt in a long time about arts policy: genuine hope, mixed with honesty.

It’s funny timing actually as over the Christmas break I had a real think about what I really want to achieve as an artist in the next year and what I want my legacy to be.

Being an artist is a beautiful thing but my god, is it a turbulent place to be. I’ve chosen to go down a quite unconventional route as an artist. I’m a full independent, which is a positive for so many reasons like freedom and complete creative control but one of the downsides is that sometimes institutional help would be welcome because it can honestly feel like the wild west at times. For the most part, my market, (which I absolutely love btw) hasn't actually been the pre-existing art world. I operate in a space where I am trying to expand what it means to be a collector, supporter and patron of the arts. Put simply, I like to take art virginities. My actual buyers are 25-55 year old women who typically would not consider themselves ‘art people’. It’s my mission to persuade and expand a new generation of art lovers.

Many believe that the arts are a luxury. I think this is wrong. The arts are for everyone and have the power to change lives. I’m actually reading a book right now called ‘Your Brain On Art’ by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross which speaks to the transformative power of art, not just being a feeling, but there is now scientific proof that the arts are essential to our very survival.

As part of my goal for the year I started a programme called Make More. In a nutshell - it aims to encourage and inspire people to just get cracking in a simple and accessible way, then just watch this practice enhance your life.

For ‘PERIOD ONE’ of the series, which I streamed live on Sunday, I hosted an art class on social media with one simple aim: to get more people making art. No pressure, no polish, just space to create together. For that session, I made a text piece that reads: “I’m a bit worried about the arts.”

I brought that piece with me to the meeting with the Culture Secretary.

I didn’t bring it to be provocative. I brought it because it’s true, and because so many people feel it. Every week I hear from people who want to create but don’t feel welcome, don’t feel talented enough, or don’t have access to the spaces that once made creativity possible. Venues closing, classes disappearing, funding drying up. That quiet anxiety sits beneath a lot of conversations about culture right now.

At the meeting, that text felt like an honest starting point.

The government’s newly announced £1.5 billion investment in arts, culture and heritage directly addresses that worry. Over the next five years, the funding will help save more than 1,000 local arts venues, museums, libraries and heritage buildings across England. These are the spaces where people first pick up a paintbrush, attend a workshop, or realise creativity might be for them too.

When I submitted my quote for the press release announcing the new funding on Wednesday 21 January, it came from this same place so I wanted to share it with you:

“The arts don’t survive by accident - they thrive when people are given real space and support to create. Being creative isn’t a luxury; it can genuinely change, and even save, lives. It's brilliant that the UK Government is recognising and supporting the role the arts play in people's lives.”

This funding feels like that recognition in action. It targets areas and organisations that have been historically underfunded, with over £100 million specifically for local museums struggling with maintenance backlogs, supporting up to 200 sites. Libraries will receive £27.5 million to modernise their buildings and technology, helping them remain welcoming, relevant spaces.

There is also real investment in the future. A £425 million Creative Foundations Fund will support around 300 capital projects in arts venues nationwide, while an £80 million capital injection has enabled a 5% uplift for every regularly funded Arts Council England organisation next year, the biggest in decades.

I brought “I’m a bit worried about the arts” because worry means you still care. Leaving the meeting, I felt that care reflected back at a policy level. The arts are being treated not as a luxury, but as essential. And that makes me believe that worry can turn into possibility.

I actually do have more practical thoughts on how that money can be better used to serve the living, working artists but for now it feels like my very large second toe is in the door. I’m excited to continue my work for the love of the arts.

Because while big capital investment in buildings is vital, artists also need direct, everyday support to make the work that fills those spaces.

One of the biggest game-changers for me was access to affordable studio space. I’m keen to understand whether there will be more funding that allows individual artists to apply directly for studio provision, not just through institutions or galleries. Having a safe, consistent place to work isn’t a luxury, it’s the foundation of a practice.

I’d also love to see clearer pathways for independent artists who aren’t represented by galleries. So many artists are self-taught, community-based, or working across digital platforms, social media and live spaces. Funding structures don’t always reflect how artists actually work now. Micro-grants, simpler application processes, and funding that recognises online and hybrid practices would make a real difference.

Another area is time. Many artists are juggling multiple jobs just to survive. Funding that supports time to create - not just outcomes, exhibitions or audiences - would help sustain practices long-term, especially for artists from working-class backgrounds.

And finally, access to support shouldn’t stop at money. Mentorship, legal advice, financial guidance, and mental health support are all things independent artists quietly struggle with. Investing in people, not just projects, feels essential if we want a healthy arts ecosystem.

This announcement feels like a positive step. My hope is that it opens the door wider, so more artists can step through - not just into buildings, but into sustainable, supported creative lives.