About
Artist Statement:
My name is Caz (they/she) and I'm a non-binary, ADHD artist based in Manchester - CazDoesArtz is the place for "dumb fun art": stream-of-consciousness art that makes you laugh, celebrates silliness and queerness, and doesn't take itself too seriously. With my art, you’ll come across intergalactic shrooms, dopamine goblins, romantic geese and even a tin of lez-beans or two. And butts... lots of butts. I sell prints, postcards, stickers, badges, zines, crochet bits, t-shirts and thrifted clothes (and whatever other craft I'm currently hyper-fixated on).
I'm also a part-time youth worker working with queer and trans young people in Manchester.
Want to know a bit more?...
Who?
My name is Caz (they/she). I'm a mental health practitioner for youth and social action, a creative facilitator and a freelance artist (catchy, I know...).
Bonus: I identify as non-binary and am neurodivergent.
What?
At markets and conventions you can expect prints, postcards, stickers, badges, zines, crochet bits, t-shirts, thrifted clothes... basically, loads to choose from. I also facilitate arts-based workshops focused around exploring creativity as an outlet for our mental health.
When?
I started CazDoesArtz officially back in March 2020 as a way to keep busy during what I thought would be a few weeks of lockdown. As circumstances changed and we ended up inside for a bit longer than anticipated, a therapist encouraged me to start using my drawings as a way to reflect on my own mental health during an exceptionally difficult time: I was going through a break-up, was back in my teenage bedroom, and was unknowingly managing some majorly untreated ADHD.
So, everyday I would sit and think about how I was feeling, and then draw something to represent that, or vice versa. No matter whether or not it was conventionally “good”, I’d post it. It became the outlet to process whatever was going on in my brain, and there's been no turning back ever since.
In 2022 I attended my first convention as a trader, and the rest is history...
Where?
You can find me trading at the odd convention here and there, usually in Manchester, or working as a facilitator on local creative projects - check out my Instagram for the most recent updates!
Why?
I have experienced first-hand the transformative part which creativity and the arts can play in understanding our mental health. From my own personal experiences, it was being given the space to be explore my creativity in all its chaos and messiness which allowed me to begin processing the things that were happening in my brain.
The art world can be an unwelcoming and intimidating space to be in, especially for us queer and/or neurodivergent folk - that is, if you're even able to access that space in the first place.
That's dumb.
The intention behind CazDoesArtz is to encourage unapologetically queer spaces which celebrate silliness and create "dumb fun art". It's about making things that make you laugh, making things that make you cry, making things that make you angry - just expressing your feelings in whatever way they express themselves, however messy, disjointed or chaotic that might be.
It’s about enjoying the process of creating art rather than the art which we create.