I was honoured to be invited by an ex-student of mine to her final degree presentation. I have known Lydia since she was a young girl in primary school, where she joined my art club, so it's been wonderful to be part of her journey through to adulthood and see everything she has achieved. Her presentation was a poignant piece of narrative, dance and drama, telling her story of her place in the UK and her Ukrainian heritage, which is very important to her and plays a huge part in who she is. This was an emotional presentation for Lydia to portray and also had the audience in tears.

In the photo, Lydia displayed a moving moment when she blindfolded herself to explain how even blindfolded, she could still see images of her homeland and its devastation and how these images, good and bad, would be with her for the rest of her life.

Lydia sent the most heartwarming invitation, saying I had inspired her and, of course, she wanted me to come to her performance. What an honour.

This got me thinking about how other lives had been influenced by a certain person or situation.

During the past twelve months I have received some amazing artwork from young people from all corners of the world. I love hearing stories behind the art and the artist, so it goes beyond a name and an attached image.

I would like to introduce you to three artists who submitted work from a community in Cornwall. Be Creative Cornwall CIC offers opportunities to a range of young people. Their ethos is
Embrace Your Difference, fostering self-esteem, confidence, and resilience in high-functioning neurodiverse students through creative activities.

Daisy (17 yrs) had a traumatic early life, witnessing her mother's death at the hands of her father. She has been in foster care since the age of seven. Daisy has several conditions that affect her mental health; agoraphobia and autism are the most profound.

Selective mute for 5 yrs; mainstream school couldn't cope with her bouts of violent behaviour.

By Issi 15yrs

By Raine 15yrs

Daisy is very intelligent and has a keen interest in politics and would love to be prime minister one day.

If I didn't have Be Creative as an outlet for my art and emotions, I'm not sure where I'd be now…it's my lifeline`
Issi is just 15 years old. Leaving school at 13 years old, after being bullied due to her profound stammer, she lives with her grandmother, who suffers from COPD, as her carer.

Issi had a traumatic early life, being involved in domestic violence and abuse of all types. She had always wanted to follow her love of art but never had the opportunity until she discovered Be Creative.

At first I thought this was going to be like school, but it isn't; it's like so much better.

Issi has learnt different techniques and skills, which she hopes will enable her to sell her work in the future.

The great thing is they talk to me like a human; they never laugh at me or make fun of me.

Raine is 15 years old, which is hard to believe when you see her work, as she paints with such emotional maturity. Her work tends to be quite dark, exploring subjects of depression and self-image.

Raine has autism and is profoundly shy, but once she feels 'safe', she can be very verbose about her work.

The final image is from my private tuition student. At 5 years old, Musa is already an enthusiastic artist. This is credited to his mother, as she encourages all her children to widen their interests to become better all-round human beings.

I hope you agree these young people are a credit to the people who have made a little difference in their journey to adulthood as artists.

Please send artwork and view competition news (ages 4-18) at purplegrandma48@gmail.com or Children's and Young People's Art Opportunities on Curatorspace