I felt honoured to be invited to speak at Happy Startup Summercamp 2025.
Over three days, the event brought together 150 purpose-driven founders, creatives, and leaders from around the world to learn from one another and reconnect.
It was a wholesome weekend shaped by connection, community, and time spent outdoors with kind, values-led creatives.
I shared the early thinking behind Wild Wings of Hope—a project growing at the intersection of papercraft, migratory birds, folklore, and storytelling. It was also an opportunity to share my personal story and speak openly about where the project began and how creativity can provide space for care and reflection in uncertain times.
With everything that is happening in the world right now, there’s never been a more crucial moment to make an artistic statement like this.
Alongside the talk, I also ran a hands-on workshop where we crafted barn swallows. Together, we cut and assembled paper birds as a way of slowing down, making with our hands, and thinking about migration through form and movement.
Sitting around tables, sharing stories while building a small flock felt like a gentle, human way into the ideas behind the work.
Wild Wings of Hope has been supported in its development by Creative Scotland, with sponsorship from Fedrigoni Papers. Their backing has helped the project grow from an early idea into a wider, collaborative practice.
Being able to share the work at this early, exploratory stage—outside of formal delivery—felt like a valuable part of that ongoing development.
Co-created butterflies and upcycled cabinets
Installing papercut butterflies inside historic museum drawers for an exhibition that brings together craft, community, and scientific collections.
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