Mentoring


I am an experienced mentor, and have, for over a decade, facilitated one-to-one mentoring to artists, practice-led researchers and students working within the contexts of performance art, dance, theatre, fine art, and writing. Drawing on my lived experience of being late-diagnosed autistic, and combined with professional training, I am experienced in and particularly welcome mentoring neurodiverse artists. By identifying a clear project or set of aims, mentoring supports a range of activities, for example:

  • support to write access riders for freelance artists
  • developing artistic projects
  • devising and making
  • critical reflection
  • dramaturgy / rehearsal direction
  • funding applications
  • applications to higher education (MA / PhD progression)
  • dissertation supervision
  • editorial feedback on writing and research
  • relevant pastoral support
  • access support (e.g., for Arts Council England GfA)


Mentoring can been conducted at a distance using online platforms such as Skype, and/or in person. Dialogues can be short-term (over a period of weeks/months), or long-term (over a period of several months /years). I have expertise in and am open to mentoring within the following fields:

  • affect theory
  • process philosophy
  • somatics
  • nonconscious experience
  • autistic perception
  • kinaesthesia
  • synaesthesia
  • sensory writing
  • anomalous experience
  • deja vu
  • premonitory dreams / sensing
  • spirituality & performance
  • healing & performance
  • transgenerational haunting
  • sensory trauma
  • autonomic nervous system
  • embryological consciousness


I use a-n pay scales of £250 per day to cost mentoring, which is approx £40 per hour for a session.

If you are writing mentoring in to a funding application, please get in touch and we can arrange a free online call to establish if you'd like to work with me.



To contact me about mentoring please email me


Artists I have worked with include:

Didier Morelli; April Lin; Dre Spisto; Roberto Picciau; Roberta Jean; Beth Kingston-Lee; Roma Hardaker; Hollie Miller; Sam Williams; Maj Britt Jensen, Gillian Dyson; Alicia Radage; Selina Bonelli

TESTIMONIALS


My sessions with Victoria brought a lot of insight into how my neurodivergent experience affects and is affected by work as an artist and within arts administration. I left each session feeling inspired, motivated, and supported, and am keen to share these lessons in my resulting collaborations and projects. Victoria shared a lot of resources, advice, and experiences with me that have been incredibly helpful in reframing how working within the arts sector can centre a neurodivergent standpoint, both emotionally and practically. It is a really giving experience to speak with someone who you don't have to dilute yourself for, and who is well-placed to give you support and advice, as they themselves have gone through similar issues.


April Lin - Artist [2022]


I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to be mentored by Victoria! She provided me with an empathic and structured process of mentorship. I always felt comforted, seen and valued during our sessions. Victoria uses her own experiences and learnings to provide understanding, support and insight in developing my work and practice. She has a gentle and steady approach, which I have benefited and learned from. I hope to continue working with Victoria.


Dre Spisto - Artist [2022]


Victoria’s mentoring was brilliant in helping me to blossom in both my performance practice and personal development as an emerging autistic artist. She provided an open and supportive space for insightful conversations, nuanced and enriching development ideas, and encouragement in my journey of self-discovery through my art. Thanks to her mentorship scheme, I have deepened my understanding of relevant fields, grown in confidence. Best of all, her mentoring provided many valuable tools and avenues to express my Autistic Joy not just in my work but myself - it’s now become my philosophy for life! Thank you so much for such a unique and positive experience.


Beth Kingston-Lee - Artist (UK) [2022]


Working with Victoria was incredibly rewarding and enriching for my practice. Her mentorship provided me with a deep contextual knowledge to help me support the work I’ve been making and our conversations provided me with a wealth of information and references. Our correspondence was easy, enriching and often theoretical but never overwhelming. Victoria’s communication was kind, clear and incredibly generous allowing me to easily work with her. My practice has moved forward immensely since being mentored by Victoria, with her help I’ve been able find the confidence to make brave decisions in my work and pivot my practice in interesting ways.


Roma Hardaker - Artist (UK) [2021]


Victoria gave me lots of encouragement and resources to explore my autistic identity, both within our sessions and outside them, with recommended reading and online material. I really appreciated her sensitivity and warm, approachable manner. She was very affirming of my experiences and helped me to understand and experience autistic joy.


Ruth - Artist (UK) [2022]


Victoria has been an interlocutor to me over the past few years, informally advising and supporting my development. I highly recommend her as a mentor to any artist with a body based practice for her deep awareness of the subtleties and complexities regarding quiet interior somatic work that is often difficult to verbalize, quantify and decipher.


Hollie Miller - Artist (UK) [2021]


In 2013, I was beginning my path as both a performance artist and academic, trying to navigate the complexities of both of these fields. As a mentor, Victoria is someone who understands the theoretical intricacies of movement studies, while engaging with practice on her own terms. She has continuously supported and guided my professional work and personal growth with generosity, clarity, and sincerity. Her involvement in my development has had undeniable impacts on my approach to both performance and writing.


Didier Morelli – Independent artist & PhD candidate (Northwestern University, Chicago, USA) [2018]


Working with Victoria has enriched my practice. Professionally, working with Victoria is a clear, organised and considerate process, one that I hope continues into new projects.


Sam Williams – Independent artist (London, UK) [2019]


I'd like to take this time to say a massive thank you for your support, advice and influence over the last year. Without your guidance I would have struggled, and your insight has helped me to nurture my performance practice and my line of research.


Carla May Morrill – MA Performance student (Leeds Beckett University, UK) [2018]


Victoria has given me the most sensitive and meticulous external response to my work that I have ever received. Through carefully engaging with my work, she was able to offer multidisciplinary recommendations and mentoring advice that I revisit to this day. No other mentor has taken the time to nurture my practice in this way, balancing thoughts and feelings with intellectual exchange. Victoria has also assisted in my successful PhD application, giving a thorough reference, and precise and encouraging feedback.


Maj Britt Jensen – Independent artist & PhD candidate (The University of British Columbia, Canada) [2016]


Victoria delivered an Interlude workshop at Northumbria University running a group session with students and professionals from BA and MA Fine Art, Drama and Animation. Victoria's approach made the group feel comfortable and relaxed to talk and take part in the discussions and activities. Each participant in the group was able to take some part of the workshops and relate it to their own practice. Overall the workshop was exciting and eye opening to the theories and techniques of intrinsic body movements and how we can use this as individuals or collaboratively within a space.


Georgia Bates – MA Fine Art student (Northumbria University, UK)


It was a very enriching and joint experience of exchange between peers, thank you so much for the quality of your presence, presentation and trust. We discovered new ways of sharing knowledge and the ongoing discussion allowed the group to find forms that matched our sensibility, bringing empowering or simply stimulating encounters.


Laura Von Niederhausen – PhD candidate (Zurich University of the Arts)