Artist opportunity - Creative Recovery Inverclyde
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Your Voice Recovery is seeking a comic, illustration or zine artist to work with the Creative Recovery Inverclyde group to develop skills in comics, drawing, visual storytelling and zine making, working towards the creation of a new visual narrative for publication. The project will explore themes of recovery, broadly interpreted, creating space for personal stories, collective experiences, imaginative responses and speculative ideas. Supported by an initial two days planning and research time, the selected artist will work collaboratively with participants over a 20-week period, delivering one creative workshop each week. The sessions will provide opportunities for participants to experiment with drawing, comics, visual storytelling and zine-making, including approaches that may be new to them. The project will be participant-led and exploratory, with the artist supporting the group to develop a shared visual narrative while maintaining a strong artistic vision. The final outcome will be a professionally produced publication reflecting the voices, experiences and creative responses of the Creative Recovery Inverclyde group. Four days are allowed at the conclusion of workshop activity to prepare for publication.
ESSENTIAL PERSON SPECIFICATIONS
Experience of Working with Recovery Communities
This project is rooted in working with a recovery community, and it is essential that the successful artist understands what this means in practice. We are looking for an artist with experience of working with vulnerable groups and communities, ideally including people with lived experience of recovery or other experiences where trust, consistency and relationships are central to engagement. The successful artist will need to be sensitive to the needs of participants and understand the importance of creating a safe, welcoming and non-judgemental creative environment.
Consistency and commitment are particularly important to this role.
The project will take place every week for 20 weeks, and this regularity is an important part of the programme. Within a recovery community, having a familiar routine, knowing that a session is happening each week and building a relationship with the artist over time can be an important part of engagement. We are therefore looking for someone who is fully committed to the 20 week project and able to provide a consistent and reliable presence throughout. This is not intended to be a series of standalone workshops; we want the artist to build relationships with participants and become a trusted part of the project. While we understand that occasional unavoidable circumstances may arise, we can be flexible if the artist is unable to attend a session once or twice during the 20-week programme, provided this is communicated to us in advance and, where possible, an alternative arrangement is agreed.
We Are Looking For
We are interested in hearing from artists with experience in:
• Comics
• Illustration
• Drawing
• Zine-making
• Self-publishing
• Visual storytelling
• Socially engaged or participatory arts practice
You should have experience of working collaboratively with groups and be able to support participants with different levels of confidence and creative experience. We are particularly interested in artists who can bring an open, experimental and accessible approach to visual storytelling, while also having the ability to develop individual contributions into a cohesive publication.
Experience of working with recovery communities and/or vulnerable groups is highly valued and should be clearly demonstrated in your application.
Most importantly, we are looking for someone who understands the value of consistency, routine and relationship-building, and who is committed to being part of the group for the full duration of the project.
The successful artist will need to demonstrate:
• Experience of working with vulnerable groups and/or community groups.
• An understanding of what it means to work alongside a recovery community.
• Sensitivity to the different experiences and needs of participants.
• The ability to build trust and positive relationships over time.
• A strong commitment to the full 20-week project.
• Reliability and consistency in attending and delivering the weekly sessions.
• An understanding of the importance of routine, continuity and structure within recovery communities.
• An ability to work at the pace of the group while providing appropriate creative structure and direction.
• A commitment to collaborative and participant-led practice.
Artist Responsibilities
The artist will be expected to:
• Undertake planning and research informed by discussion with participants facilitated by Your Voice
• Deliver one creative workshop each week for 20 weeks.
• Prepare for and strike workshops as required. Support participants to develop skills in drawing, comics, visual storytelling and zine making.
• Create an inclusive and collaborative environment that welcomes different levels of creative experience.
• Encourage participants to experiment and develop their own visual language. Work collaboratively with the group towards a cohesive visual narrative.
• Develop and bring together material for a draft publication.
• Work with participants to select, edit and develop material towards the final publication.
• Support the preparation of material for professional printing and publication.
• Work closely with Your Voice Recovery and the Creative Recovery Inverclyde team throughout the project.
ENGAGEMENT TIMELINE
20 weeks from November 2026 – March/April 2027 The Organisation Your Voice operates all year, with no winter break. However, the project allows for flexibility over the festive period.
FEE
Planning and Research (Research will be informed by active discussion with participants) 2 days @ £359.20 = £718.40
Creative Workshops 1 workshop per week × 20 weeks 3 hours per workshop, calculated at the half-day rate of £179.20 = £3,584.00
Work Towards Pulling Together Draft Publication 4 days @ £359.20 = £1,436.80
Total Artist Fee £5,739.20
A separate budget of £2,000 is available to support workshop materials and printing copies of the publication.
ACCESS
Inverclyde Council, CVS Inverclyde and our lead partners actively encourage people from a variety of backgrounds, ethnicities, gender orientations and stories to join us and influence and develop our working practice. If you require specific access needs to facilitate your application, please get in touch with rachel-anne.clarke@cvsinverclyde.org.uk with any queries. The project has a designated Access Budget, please get in touch as soon as possible if you require this application in other formats or if we can make this opportunity more accessible to you. We are open to video/recorded sound applications that address the brief and would encourage those who may have additional access requirements or support needs, both in application or anticipated through delivery of the project, to please let us know what we can do to make this opportunity as accessible as possible.
HOW TO APPLY
Applications can be made via written, video or audio submission:
• Written applications should be submitted through our online
APPLICATION FORM
• Video or audio applications should be emailed to: rachel-anne.clarke@cvsinverclyde.org.uk cover the points above and be no longer than 7 mins long. Please include any relevant passwords
Deadline for Applications: 18th October
Applicants will be notified if they are being invited to interview by: 23rd October
Short-listed applicants will be invited to interview on: 28th October
We will always send an email acknowledging receipt of any applications. If you do not receive an email, please contact us again.