Carol Bowden and Laura Degnan join Blue Cabin as Associate Artists

Our Associate Artists are all experts at developing and delivering creative work with care- experienced children and young people. They’re a key part of Blue Cabin’s work to help children and young people build stronger bonds with the adults in their lives.

Carol is a musician, performer and educator and she’s part of the team delivering This is the Place, a programme of music-making devised especially for care-experienced babies and their foster carers.

Laura is a writer, director and community filmmaker and recently worked with The Studio of the Fostered Heroes – a group of care-experienced children and young people – helping them to make a short film sharing their experiences of being in care.

Here’s what Carol and Laura told us about how they’ve seen creativity positively impact people’s lives, and what they’re looking forward to in their new roles.

How do you think creativity can benefit care-experienced children and young people?

Carol: I have experienced the power that music can have on the social and emotional development of children and young people, and in strengthening relationships with their care-givers. Music is a different way to communicate and is a powerful tool for expressing yourself, creating rituals and finding community.

Laura: Creativity has the power to remove our internal barriers. It provides a safe arena where we can explore and make sense of the things that are happening in our world. And it can empower us to find our own solutions. 

Creativity brings young people out of themselves. It provides them with a space to think and breathe, positively impacting their mental health and overall happiness. It brings them together with other young people in an incredibly positive way and expands their minds. It opens up viable and exciting career paths. Given the opportunity to play and create, young people are lifted out of the everyday and into a space where they can very quickly discover and explore their own potential and begin to chart their own pathways towards achieving that potential.

And what are you looking forward to doing, as a Blue Cabin Associate Artist?

Carol: I am really looking forward to being a member of such a creative, talented and diverse team of artists. I look forward to sharing experiences, ideas and supporting one another.

Laura: The projects that I’ve worked on with Blue Cabin have been some of the best I’ve been involved with in my long career as an artist – thoughtful, brilliantly creative and collaborative from start to finish. These experiences have made me a better artist and I have no doubt that they have massively impacted the lives of the young people involved as a result of the Blue Cabin team’s caring and dedicated approach. I can’t wait to continue this journey. 

What attracts you to this kind of work?

Carol: I have worked with Jenny and other members of the Blue Cabin team in the past, on projects with care-experienced families, and have always treasured the opportunity of doing so again. I absolutely align with the mission and values of Blue Cabin, that nurturing and empowering through creativity can change lives and it is at the heart of what I do as a community musician.

Laura: The dedicated team at Blue Cabin has worked hard to ensure that I am supported and cared for. I am so grateful to be a part of this amazing project. The work that Blue Cabin does is essential and life changing. With every session, every conversation and every brilliant opportunity, I am reminded why I love being a community artist.

Meet all of Blue Cabin’s Associate Artists here.