A graduate of The Glasgow School of Art, in 2019 Almudena Rocca moved back to her original home of beautiful Northumberland in order to focus on her art practice and build her creative business. Almudena’s mother is a stained glass artist, and during the pandemic she was able to rent a part of her studio allowing her to further grow her creative business. During her time at university, Almudena worked in a Gallery alongside apprenticing in stained glass. Being in Glasgow gave her the space and time to develop her work and figure out what she would like to do. Through this, the artist started working with brands and businesses, collaborating with the likes of POSCA, Better Help, Self Care Is For Everyone, Inkbox, Youdoyou lab, and Olive and Frank.
While she was at university Almudena had the opportunity to work with Project Ability; an organisation which creates a space for people living with mental health issues and disabilities to explore and make art. Almudena tells us; “It was a deeply formative experience which showed me the importance of art and creativity in improving mental health and wellbeing. I made many wonderful friendships there, the teachers and technicians excel at creating positive dialogues and a safe space to talk openly about mental health and other issues.”
This made the artist passionate about raising awareness, leading her to delve into politics and feminism, as well as educating herself on the source of many social issues. She comments; “I’ve seen family and friends suffer through not receiving the right support, so for me, it’s very personal. If you’re out of balance mentally, then your body becomes unwell – it’s a destructive cycle. Art has helped me explore all these issues and I hope my work, in whatever small way, can help make a difference.”
Almudena recently completed a Level 3 course in counselling. “I have always had an interest in mental health and art and I wanted to develop my skills in mental health. I went through counselling myself in 2020 and it really installed in me that this is something I would like to explore,” says the artist. In the future she hopes to finish the degree, but right now is working on developing her art more and putting her energy into her practice. “It has been a life-changing experience and I would advise anyone to try it if you are looking to develop yourself or learn a little more about counselling.”
“I enjoy doing many different things and have a lot going on. It keeps my mind active and makes me feel energized,” states Almudena. She is currently working with Chilli Studios, who commissioned her to create 10 designs for them to use on different products to help raise money for the charity. Like the aforementioned Project Ability, Chilli Studios is a space that aims to help improve mental health through creativity.
Simultaneously she is also working on a new publication; a project that has been over 2 years in the making. Almudena describes; “I recently reached out to Watkins to ask for some advice on how to move forward and where to start when publishing a book. They were interested in the idea straight away and after a few months, we are now at the point where we are starting to work on the content and illustrations of the book.” We can’t wait to see the finished book soon!
www.almudena.co.uk
@almudena.rocca
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