Maddi Crease - fine Artist and poet

Maddi Crease

maddicreasepoet@outlook.com

I am a fine artist and poet with a strong interest in making meaningful, introspective work that reflects themes such as mental health, neurodivergence, gendered experiences and class. Through an auto-ethnographic approach, I explore how my lived experience conveys a broader expression of realities that differ from societal expectation. To quote my poetry, I aim to ‘make the unthinkable heard’. 

Working across disciplines, I have been producing, showing and publishing my work since 2018. I have achieved multiple publications, exhibitions, and recently, funding with National Lottery Project Grants through Arts Council England. I have also been commissioned by BBC Sounds.

I recently completed my degree, achieving a First Class Hons Fine Art degree from University Centre South Essex.

Autistic Joy - 2024 

A micro-short poetry film exploring the side of autism that often goes unspoken and underexplored: the joyful. From happy stimming to sensory delight, Autistic Joy delivers an insight into the positives within our autistic experience. 

Film festivals:

A&E Accessibility and Environment Film Festival - honourable mention

Lethbridge International Film Festival 

Big Syn International Film Festival - honourable mention

Vesuvio International Movie Awards - semi-finalist

Essex International Film Festival

Courage Film Festival

International Short Film Festival Detmold

F-O-R-M Festival Of Recorded Movement 

Oska Bright Film Festival

Also screened by:

Focal Point Gallery

Arnolfini Arts

Autistic Joy was produced with: Aaron Shrimpton of New Waverley Studios, Steve Pretty of Hackney Colliery Band, Hollie Dee, Liberty Bliss, Abigail Deehan and Rupert Vaughan.

Funded by Metal Culture and Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants.

With thanks to Metal Southend, Arts Council England, SAFE Essex, Essex Film Collective, East 15 Acting School, and the focus group of 10 autistic peers.

Arts Council England - National Lottery Project Grants -2024 

Arts Council England funding was achieved to produce a page, audio and film representation of 'Autistic Joy'.

Metal Southend - Artist in Residence - 2023

A month-long residency for research and development of 'Autistic Joy', a poetry project exploring joy and celebrating autistic people. Time was spent setting up a core focus group of 10 autistic peers; exploring written word; with the support and guidance of the Metal Southend team.

You can watch the film version of Autistic Joy here.

Metal Southend, English PEN and Southbank Centre (2021)

Essex Rebels

A week of paid workshops, culminating in a performance of 'The Unthinkables'. With Metal and English PEN, performed live at the Southbank Centre.

Screen South & BBC Arts, funded by Arts Council England (2021)

New creatives - CHAV

An audio poetry production that delves into stereotypes and realities of the working class, particularly council house residents, taking an auto-ethnographic, first-person narrative approach.

You can listen here!

Cultural Sector Network Conference (2021)

Emerge

Beatfreeks (2021)

The little things

A commission paying homage to Open Arts, a former mental health and arts charity that was pivotal to my development as an emerging artist.

Degree Show

Three Rooms Gallery (2025)

With UCSE Ba Fine Art

The culmination of three years of study, my work in this exhibition included a variety of visual and text-based artworks on themes of enduring mental health, disability, gender and stigma. Presented alongside my  peers' work.

Masking

Two Queens Leicester (2025)

Curated by Miffy Ryan

Alongside visual and performance art by a cohort of neurodivergent artists, I presented poetry to be read as part of wider experiential works.

Ba Fine Art Site Specific Show

Beecroft Art Gallery (2024)

With UCSE Ba Fine Art

Responding to the architecture of the Beecroft Art Gallery, and resulting in an interactive installation referencing brutalism and the meaning of a space.

Not Your Puzzle Piece 

Virtual (2020)

Poetry documenting autistic lived experience.

Policy Making 

With the Agency of Visible Women

Beecroft Art Gallery (2020)

Poetry video, working to the theme of policy as limitation or play.

Working with Open Arts

Rochford Art Trail (2019)

Open Arts open studio weekend and exhibition (2019)

Views of the Void (2019)

Open Arts Essex WMHD (2018)

& more...

The Listening Room:

Leigh Community Centre (2021-present)

A monthly creative open mic with featured performers. This event is an ongoing for-charity expression of the creativity within our local community! You can get involved by contacting me using the form at the bottom of my web page, or emailing maddicreasepoet@outlook.com directly.

Poetry, Raw :

The Miley, Rochford (2019)

The Old Waterworks, Southend (2019)

Virtual (2020) dire

Young Rhymes : Poetically Unapologetic :

Anna Freud (2019)

ROOTs (2023)

Collaborative zine with photographer Nicola Parry

Juiced Magazine (2021)

Intimacy

Bluebee Magazine (2020)

Issue 5 - Hyacinth

Backlash Press (2020)

Isolation Journal

Magical Women Magazine (2020)

BOREDOM-19 Zine (2020)

Young Writers (2016/2018/2018)

Spine Chillers / Grave Beginnings / Reflections

& more.

Fine Art Ba - First Class hons  - University Centre South Essex (2022-2025)

Art and Design - Access to HE - South Essex College (2021-2022)

Peer Support - With-You & SWLSTG (2021)

Anna Freud (2020-present day)

Youth Participation Programme Assistant

Working within my lived experience of mental health, various tasks include delivering training and educational content to delegates; reviewing and co-producing new research interventions; delivering and hosting spaces to discuss mental health and linked subjects.

South West London St George's Mental Health Trust (2021)

Based across two inpatient mental health wards (women's acute, child & adolescent mental health services), collecting and summarising feedback from service users about their experiences within hospital, delivered with a lived experience approach.

My work in mental health requires a DBS check and as such I hold a clear enhanced DBS on the update service.