Have you ever wondered how conservationists spend their days or what keeps them optimistic about the future of nature? Do they always spend their time in the distant wild, or might they be hidden all around us? Do their roles encompass aspects we never thought of?
“Meet The Optimists” is a monthly blog series by Conservation Optimism which introduces conservationists working in different fields and contexts to our readers. We discuss their journeys into conservation, typical daily activities and reasons for hope.
Read on for the inside story on different careers and fresh approaches to conservation!
In the June 2024 blog of Conservation Optimism’s “Meet The Optimists” series, Alicia Hayden introduces us to her life and work as a creative conservationist and artivist and immerses us in the diverse aspects of these roles!
Alicia with Waxwing Body Art
Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi! I’m Alicia – a creative conservationist and wildlife artivist – originally from North Yorkshire, now based in Bristol; with a degree in Biological Sciences from Oxford University, and a Master’s in Wildlife Filmmaking from the University of the West of England.
A creative conservationist is a relatively broad term, which I hope encompasses a variety of different aspects of my job – I enjoy working across different disciplines, including art, film, writing, animation, and photography, to tell stories about our natural world and the threats it faces. Alongside my freelance work – where I work for a variety of organisations around the world – I also work for the BBC Natural History Unit in children’s TV.
Can you trace the origins of your interest in conservation and what led to your current work?
Growing up in North Yorkshire, I have been lucky enough to have always had a connection to the natural world – encouraged by my parents, who took me and my sister romping around the countryside with the dog at every possible opportunity. I think my interest in conservation came naturally with loving wildlife; I was aware of things like pollution and climate change from a young age, and I used to write poems and short stories about these issues.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, I discovered some of my early pieces – and I seemed to have a particular fascination with ants and small things; writing stories, poems, and creating little illustrated books about them!
I was relatively unusual in the sense that I decided what I wanted to do from quite a young age. I knew I wanted a career which blended all of my interests: nature, art, writing, and cameras – so wildlife film was a natural fit. However being a professional wildlife artist, specialising in wildlife artivism, was something I never expected!
What does a typical day of work look like for you?
Buckle up – this is going to be fun!
Alarm goes off at 7am – I almost definitely snooze it and bury myself determinedly into a pillow like an antisocial rabbit. The snoozed alarm goes off persistently at 7.30am, and I’ll drag myself out of bed, make a cup of tea, and check my freelance emails and professional social media. Some of my clients work in other countries, so often I have emails or things that have happened overnight to respond to, or to start thinking about!
I walk to work at the BBC Natural History Unit, listening to music to get my brain into the creative funk (and in a desperate attempt to remove any musical earworms that I’ve woken up with!). At the BBC, my work will vary depending on which team I’m working for – but broadly I’ll be doing something to do with children’s natural history development (new ideas) or production (a specific show) until about 1pm, when I break for lunch. During my lunch break, I normally have some freelance meetings – chatting to organisations over zoom for half an hour – before scampering outside to watch the starlings in the park for the reminder of lunch.
After lunch, I continue with my BBC work until 5.30pm, at which point I’ll either have a meeting as part of my role on the BTO’s Youth Advisory Panel (YAP), go kickboxing, or start my freelance work!
My freelance work has to fit in with my BBC full time job, so this means that my evenings become my self-employed work hours. I normally start with emails and admin; this is the rather unglamorous side of being a freelance creative conservationist, as it takes at least an hour to work through emails, and do any social media posts about recent pieces or projects. Although a less creative part of my job – doing emails and admin is still a pretty essential aspect of it, and it’s always exciting to hear what contributors and organisations have been working on!
After I’m done with admin, I’ll prioritise working on anything urgent – any fast-turn-around commissions or editing projects are worked on first, and then slower projects, or projects with long or flexible deadlines slot in after. This is the plan… but honestly it varies a lot! Being creative means I’ll flex what projects I work on, depending on what I’m excited to explore that day, otherwise I won’t produce my best work. Some days I might be editing, planning a film shoot or project; whereas others I might be working on art commissions and new pieces for collections!
Alicia working on a new piece.
When working on my art, I tend to do a quick initial sketch in pencil (I prefer using F), so I can check my proportions etc. are correct; and then I’ll immediately get going with whatever media feels most fitting for the piece. Just like different disciplines – I love to experiment with new media and mix it up – working in everything and anything from biro and inks, to watercolours, to oils, gouache, and coffee!
Eventually I’ll stop work – the time varies depending on imminent deadlines, and how busy my evening has been! Then it’s to bed before starting all over the next day – but one of the best things about all of my work is that it’s so diverse; every day is different, and that’s one of the best bits about the job!
What is your favourite and least favourite aspect about your role?
I suppose the least favourite has to be all of the admin – particularly doing all of the spreadsheets which come with being self-employed! It’s an essential part of the job, but definitely the least fun in my opinion!
I honestly love so many aspects of my career! I think I enjoy the diversity of my job, and I find it really exciting when I get to work with new people and organisations on projects and ideas – they often push and challenge me to develop my style, and work a bit differently.
As a conservationist, what makes you hopeful about the future?
Seeing the work others are doing – particularly young people! There are so many amazing people working in conservation in so many different ways; as an artist, it’s always very inspiring – and very hopeful – to see others engaging in arts for conservation; and it’s also amazing to see young people taking ownership of their futures and their relationship with our environment. When I’ve volunteered on the British Trust for Ornithology’s bird camps as part of my role on the Youth Advisory Panel, one of the most inspirational things is seeing how knowledgeable and excited all of the young attendees are on the course. It really gives me hope for the future, and also inspires me to keep pushing for change using my own work.
What helps you stay positive day-to-day?
A whole mix of things help me stay positive day-to-day! Being outside in nature is absolutely essential for me, and fundamentally grounding. I have spots I go to in all of the places I’m regularly based where I can connect with birds in particular – hearing wrens, blackbirds, robins, and skylarks always gives me hope, and helps me feel rooted in myself.
I think one of the other biggest things for me is music and the arts. Seeing art others create is always inspiring – and I draw a lot of hope and positivity from that, and how it feeds into my own work. Music – similarly to birdsong – is grounding and calming; there is always a soundtrack when I’m working, and I think this helps keep my energy up!
Hope, by Alicia Hayden
Could you share a story about a formative moment in your conservation career?
There are so many moments which I feel have been formative for me in my career. But perhaps one of the most formative moments was receiving the biro I work with for all of my biro pieces – including When the Whale Sang, which went on to win the “Human Impact” category of David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF)’s Wildlife artist of the Year in 2021, and gave me the confidence to really delve into wildlife artivism, as well as kickstarting my professional wildlife art career.
Receiving that biro – in a little box – completely unexpectedly, was the catalyst which showed me that someone believed in what I could do, even before I’d had any recognition from the wider world.
Any advice for someone interested in pursuing your field of work?
As simple as this is, the biggest piece of advice I can give is – start. Start drawing, start writing, start making films – just start being creative, however that manifests for you. And don’t stop!
