I’m Jo — a community arts practitioner, self-taught visual artist, facilitator and mentor based in London.
My work is rooted in the belief that making things together changes how we relate to ourselves, each other, and the world around us. I create accessible spaces for art-making — in community venues, outdoor settings, and everywhere in between — where people can slow down, experiment, and surprise themselves.
Art has carried me through some of my hardest times, and that’s never far from why I do this work. I love helping others find the same possibilities — the way making something with your hands can shift your thinking, ease something heavy, or simply remind you that you’re capable of more than you thought.
I work with found and reclaimed materials, and my practice is full of creatures. I’m fascinated by what we can learn about ourselves by paying close attention to the natural world — and by the idea that humans are embedded in ecosystems, not separate from them. I’m a qualified Forest School Leader and am currently completing a permaculture design course, both of which feed into how I think about making and facilitating.
I facilitate workshops, mentor and coach, create commissions, and bring live illustration to events. There’s something I find endlessly interesting about being in a room full of people — live illustration lets me be part of that, noticing the moments that might otherwise slip past unrecorded. I’m an Artist Mentor with Entelechy Arts, and have delivered community arts projects including work funded by Culture within Newham.
My background includes a BSc in Psychology, an MA in Gender Studies, a coaching qualification from the Tavistock Institute, and six years working as a consultant helping organisations collaborate better – as well as helping build our own community of practice. I’ve also trained with Body Informed Leadership, developing my understanding of nervous systems and embodiment in leadership. All of that informs how I work — with curiosity, care, and attention to what’s happening beneath the surface.
Want to have a chat about something? Get in touch, here.
or, to find out about the type of work we could do together, click here. Or if you want to know about projects I’ve been working on recently, head here.
email: jo@misswoodforthetrees.com
instagram: @jdwoof