Welcome to Local Gal!

Welcome to the first blog of Local Gal: A quick introduction to who I am

Welcome to Local Gal, follow the journey on Instagram @_local.gal_

Hello and welcome to the first blog of Local Gal. My name is Stella, and I am the author of Local Gal.  

I am currently a student in the Northwest, and whilst I don’t study any directly creative subjects, the Arts hold a very important place in my life. 

In 2021, I joined Creatives Now, a youth led arts collective. I was fresh out of covid, getting used to the new workloads and expectations. I hadn’t picked up a paintbrush or pen to indulge in my hobby for months. This seemed a great opportunity for me to get back into writing and drawing. 

Today, in 2025, as a result of that decision, I have taken part in so many projects like a theatre project, where we created a puppetry play based on Hansel and Gretel that we then performed in front of an audience at our local library, or a sculpture project, where we designed and sculpted a response to the knife angel. I have also taken part in events such as the Town of Children, where we took part in many workshops across two weeks, alongside filming a six part short film documentary that was presented at the Bolton Film Festival, I have also helped organise and plan events like the Great Get Together in memory of Jo Cox. I have also talked at various events, using my role as an advocate for youth empowerment, I represented Creatives Now at the 2024 BeeWell conference. Altogether, I’m sure you’ll agree, I’ve been quite busy.  

Many people have this perception that the Arts are just hobbies, or that any jobs in the creative industry are only for a certain type of people. And I can’t blame them! I used to think the exact same thing, I never thought that the Arts were for people like me.  

I also have no formal qualifications in the Arts, it doesn’t stop me, and it shouldn’t stop you! 

Over the last 3 years, I have been able to take part in various projects and events across many different disciplines in the Arts, I have been able to talk to people working in the creative industry from so many different backgrounds, from Oxford graduates to late starters. I decided to begin this blog to share what I’ve learnt, what I’m learning and to share my journey in the hopes of inspiring people to not drop their hobbies, to share the importance of the Arts, because trust me, if you think some fields or jobs have nothing to do with the Arts, if there’s one thing I’ve learnt it’s this: everything connects back to the Arts. 

And with that, welcome to Local Gal! Stick around, have a read. You can follow me on Instagram @_local.gal_