My Story – Hayley Rose Potter MA RCA FHEA
– Artist, Educator & Creative Consultant
Hayley Potter MA (RCA) FHEA is an award-winning British artist, illustrator, writer, educator and creative consultant whose work explores creativity, nature, folklore and human connection. Originally from the UK, Hayley now works internationally between South West England and California. Her creative practice is inspired by the stories of our land and travel, intending to inspire people to fall in love with our natural world and the stories that unite us. Because we all protect what we love.
Hayley trained at the Royal College of Art, Falmouth School of Art, Norwich School of Art & Design, the Kent Institute of Art & Design, The Arvon Foundation and the Imperial College, London. She was taught by artists and writers including Quentin Blake. Her current studies include psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, alongside graduate study in Art Therapy Psychology at Dominican University of California.
Her work has been exhibited, commissioned, published and collected internationally, including by the Victoria & Albert Museum and The Feminist Library, alongside numerous private collections. Clients include English Heritage, The National Trust, The Poetry Society, Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council, Notre Dame Magazine (USA), Nurture & Bloom Magazine, The Learned Pig Journal, Idea Coutore (USA), Varoom Magazine and Intellect Books.
Alongside her wider creative practice, Hayley has developed The Wild Blue Collection. A timeless eco conscious collection of hand built semi-porcelain ceramics, original artworks, illustrations, greetings cards and prints inspired by the Folklore of Plants and Animals. The collection continues to grow, now including some specially commissioned pieces including those inspired by National Trust sites. This work has been featured in the World of Interiors, House & Garden and has been exhibited at Top Drawer London.
Hayley has also built an award-winning international career in higher education, programme leadership, mentoring and learning design. She was awarded Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy through peer review in recognition of her innovative, inclusive and creative approach to teaching and learning.
In her early thirties, Hayley began a recovery from disability, changing the course of her life and career. Through her creative practice and a deep connection with nature, she began to alchemise her experiences, discovering new ways to understand creativity, resilience and transformation.
This journey deepened her interest in psychology, wellbeing and the therapeutic relationship between people, the natural world, personal autobiography and self-realisation. Her drawings and writing have since been used by organisations including the NHS to support greater understanding of hidden disabilities and the lived experiences of survivors, and she has contributed to a range of projects exploring creativity, recovery and social change.
Living with hidden disability has deepened Hayley's appreciation of both the gifts and challenges that can emerge through difference, transition and transformation. These experiences continue to shape the way she creates, teaches, mentors and collaborates. She is known for her sensitive attunement, intuition and ability to create spaces where people feel seen, heard and supported as they reconnect with their own strengths, joy, creativity and sense of possibility.
Hayley welcomes opportunities to collaborate in illustration, writing, learning design, facilitation, mentoring, creative consultancy, wellbeing and collaborative arts projects.
When Hayley isn't in the studio, she enjoys adventures in nature, latin dancing, yoga, reading, cooking and planning new travels.
Thank you for taking the time to visit this site, all enquiries are welcome, please get in touch.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
My work is informed and inspired by the wild, folklore, the magic of the everyday and the stories that give us a unique sense of ownership over the land and spaces we visit. My most recent self initiated work explores how image making, writing and ceramics can cohabit to communicate narratives and ideas about women in nature, and the folklore of plants and animals as they relate to symbols of self-realisation and transformation.
KIND WORDS
“I found your ideas very inspiring”
Professor Dame Marina Warner
“We were delighted with Hayley’s elegant, lyrical image for the cover of Poetry Review. It’s been a pleasure working with her.”
M. Sims, Publishing Manager, The Poetry Society
“… there remain a few key threads that continue to characterise Hayley’s style: warmth is one of them – there’s a joy to all of her work – and also a kind of openness to the unusual: “the magic of the everyday,” in her words. What strikes me too is her affinity with creatures (animal, mythical) and sensitive attunement to the individual personalities of these creature-subjects. There is rarely anything generic; each animal is its own entity, with its own history and hopes.”
Tom Jeffreys, Writer, Editor & Curator
“Thank you so much for your time and hard work in creating this National Trust inspired range – you are a joy to work with!…Great to have such a positive collaboration!”
P. Maidment, Manager, National Trust
“Hayley has written some truly mesmerising pieces for our Nurture & Bloom magazine. They are always fascinating, insightful and heart-felt too. She manages to put herself into her writing in a way that is both engaging and soulful, whilst imparting nuggets of information on folklore, creativity and the more esoteric life questions. Our readers have always expressed how much her pieces have resonated with them, and her articles are remembered long after first reading. She has been a huge asset to our publication.”
K. Cullen, Editor, Nurture & Bloom Magazine
“…our team selected Hayley to feature because she creates the most beautiful ceramics. Her work is inspired by wild folklore and the stories that give us a unique sense of ownership over the land and spaces we visit. I really encourage you to check it out, its really gorgeous and you can really see the Celtic nature inspiration…Theres such a purity behind her work.”
Rebecca Campbell, Writer, Artist, Tutor, Feminine Leader
"Hayley's approach is fresh and playful with an intellectual depth that captures the spirit of the story."
K. Prugh, Editor, Notre Dame Magazine
“Thank you for sharing this work with us, we are all so taken by it!…Congratulations…I am sure your products are going to do really well.”
J. Revell, Manager, National Trust