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Welcome to the May edition of alisonlittle.blog—a space for storytelling, art, creative practice, and exploration across the North West. This month brings powerful reflections on trauma and survival, new creative routines, striking sculptural work, and inspiring walks and runs across Lancashire and Merseyside.
🔥 The Branded Hotel: Abuse, Power & Institutional Failure
A haunting short story exploring the psychological aftermath of trauma, The Branded Hotel follows Sal through a disorienting night that forces buried memories to resurface. Themes of abuse, bipolar disorder, survival, and institutional failure are woven into a deeply human narrative about coping and resilience.
🎨 Building a Daily Creative Habit with Procreate
Struggling to stay consistent with your art? This guide to daily digital sketching in Procreate introduces the power of weekly themes—from crushed cans to cats and food packaging—to spark creativity and sharpen observation.
Perfect for artists looking to:
- Develop a sustainable creative routine
- Find inspiration in everyday objects
- Improve drawing skills through structure
🛠️ Invasion: Sculpture Confronting Sexual Violence
Invasion, the first work in the SV: Sex by Violence series, is an uncompromising sculptural response to sexual violence. Using industrial, abrasive materials, it evokes the physical and emotional impact of assault while addressing bodily autonomy, trauma, and resistance.
Originally exhibited at Zauhouse Gallery (2018), the piece remains a powerful commentary on violence and survival.
🥾 Family Walk: Pendle Hill from Barley
Looking for a rewarding outdoor adventure? This family-friendly route up Pendle Hill offers:
- Stunning panoramic views of Lancashire
- Clearly marked, accessible paths
- Practical tips for walking with kids and dogs
A short but steep climb—ideal for a half-day escape into nature.
🌊 Coastal Run: Waterloo to Southport
This two-part coastal route captures the diversity of the Merseyside shoreline:
- Start among the iconic iron statues at Crosby
- Pass through pine forests near Formby
- Finish along the wide-open coast at Southport
Blending urban edges, history, and nature, this run offers a dynamic long-distance experience.
🖼️ Exhibition Spotlight: May Morris at Lady Lever Art Gallery
Discover the legacy of May Morris, a key figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement, at the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight. This exhibition explores her design work alongside fascinating connections to the Pre-Raphaelite circle, including Jane Morris and Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
A must-visit for lovers of British art, design history, and textiles.
📖 Nobody’s Girl: Memory, Trauma & Controversy
A year after the death of Virginia Giuffre, her memoir Nobody’s Girl continues to provoke discussion. This article explores themes of memory, exploitation, and trauma, alongside contested accounts of her experiences involving Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
👻 Flash Fiction: A Head Full of Ghosts
A quiet, intimate piece exploring memory, loss, and absence, this flash fiction reflects on the emotional weight of holding on—and the difficulty of letting go.
🔜 Coming in June
Looking ahead, June will bring:
- My Summer Running Sketchpad reveal
- Updates on my digital sketching journey
- More on the North West coastal path run
- Writing on Liverpool life & cycling to work
- Fresh insights and news from the art world
Stay connected for more stories, art, and explorations across the North West.
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