10 Questions with The Mad Woman:Collective
The Mad Woman:Collective is a UK-based, independently run art brand. It's a home for all types of ghouls and ghosties, creatures and weirdos, creating art, poetry, books, short films and photography. The brand was born in May 2025, and since then, they have had their work sold in exhibitions, published photography books online, donated and fundraised for charities and lots of other lovely things! They are deeply passionate about kindness, honesty, comedy, integrity and spreading love and giggles. They have worked with other small independent artists to collaborate and spread that arty goodness. Accessibility to art is super important to The Mad Woman: Collective, and they hope to inspire and encourage others to start creating.
The Mad Woman:Collective Logo
INTERVIEW
First off, The Mad Woman: Collective was born in May 2025. What inspired you to create the brand at that moment?
I was half swimming, half drowning in a sea named "muddle." Things had changed rather suddenly, and I found myself in a completely unwarranted situation. I was given a new start, not quite a "fresh start" because the situation I was in was not particularly pleasant, but I saw it as an opportunity to transfigure. I could slide myself one of two ways. Sit with this discomfort or drag it behind me and use the spite of it all to create something. I had the privilege of open time and ran with it. Art has been my closest friend since childhood, and it is a heartfelt dream achieved to be able to do this work now as an adult.
Why did you choose to work as a collective rather than as a single artist identity?
I have so many creations and little creatures running around in my head that it felt right for my art to be shown through their own unique perspectives. I think it gives me a wider landscape to play with, creating things through others' eyes, and not sticking to just one viewpoint means I can explore a whole range of themes and ideas. I think this plays into the comedy aspect, too. I can inhabit different characters while creating. Separate functions all constructing something that I do not always have automatic control over, but that sums up all the different squiggles inside me.
Yours, Truly, Photography, 6 x 4 inch, 2025 © The Mad Woman:Collective
Your world is full of “ghouls, ghosties, creatures and weirdos.” What attracts you to these characters?
I’m goth at heart. As Edgar Allan Poe said, "From childhood’s hour I have not been as others were"—a life rife with mental illness has meant I often connect to the spookier characters. Even my birth was a near-death experience, so there has been a bleak shade pulled over my vision since I arrived. I feel more comfortable in the dark, I avoid the sun and flourish in the night hours. The concept of darker things seems natural to me. I have dreams that seem to later tell reality, supernatural experiences, and as a Wednesday's child, the woe in me connects with the death around us.
You work across art, poetry, books, short films, and photography. How do you decide which medium best fits an idea?
Intuition and the energy of a project. It's more of a natural reaction than an active choice.
Humour and kindness are central to your values. How do you balance darker aesthetics with warmth and comedy?
Life has been hard. Reaaaaaaally tricky. I deal with the awfulness with laughs and finding the silly in the shitty. Comedy has always felt like one of my homes, and the mixing together in my cauldron of imagination, comedy and spooks, seems like a pretty good representation of me. I’ve grown up with comedy, and it is such a comfort to watch something silly when everything else around you seems so scary. The two options usually presented to me are to cry or laugh. I always do both. But ending with laughs shows a desire to carry on. I accept the crap, but that crap won’t have the last laugh. I will. Haha. See? :)
Inside the universe known as the old bus seat fabric, Digital, 925x 925 px, 2026 © The Mad Woman:Collective
Untitled, Digital Drawing, 925 x 925 px, 2025 © The Mad Woman:Collective
Accessibility is very important to you. What does accessible art mean in practice for The MadWoman: Collective?
For us, it means acceptance primarily. Anyone we decide to collaborate with is encouraged to tell us if they need things done differently. For example, using alternative fonts or communication styles in emails and messages or having something visual described. Working together and openly, respectfully communicating means we can learn how best to support each other. We want to ensure that we can create a space where art is available for all and encouragement that inspires others to start creating. All art is art—all art is subjective, so the end result will just be what it is-what it’s meant to be. I think when you remove this pressure and use art as a force of understanding, movement, and imagination, it creates something extra special that is always better than something mass-made for profit.
You’ve collaborated with other independent artists. What do you look for in a creative collaboration?
Most importantly, they need to share our values -
1 - Love and friendship
2 - Creativity
3 - Honesty
4 - No use of AI/plagiarism
5 - Kindness
6 - Accommodating our brand and projects to every friend's individual needs
7 - Acceptance and love for our friends' differing beliefs, genders, sexualities, disabilities, and all that sort of thing :)
8 - Ensuring our work is ethical and kind to the planet
If other artists share these values and are open to collaborating, the options are pretty much endless. If both sides are operating fully on kindness, then we will always create something awesome.
Your work has already been exhibited and published. How has the public responded to your projects so far?
From what we have heard, positive words and happy smiles! Our biggest supporters, both online and offline, Thalia Kethro and O.K., are always so encouraging, and we couldn’t have gotten this far without them. Online interactions with customers are always so interesting and sweet—one of our "Vulgar Mouth” pieces was sold to a lovely guy whose mum had recently gotten divorced, and they thought the piece would help her get her spark back. That’s exactly the type of thing we want to continue doing.
Orange Truth, Photography, 6x4 inch, 2026 © The Mad Woman:Collective
Pink dog, Digital drawing, A4, 2025 © The Mad Woman:Collective
You’ve supported charities through your work. How do social causes connect to your creative vision?
I think it’s in most people's minds at the moment that the world is pretty fucked up. Art is a wonderful healer, and I think it can teach us so many ways of coping with the terribleness of it all. Art, writing, and everything creative can teach us to be emotionally present, kind, empathetic, tender, and a tether to the point of view of others. If we can make any profit from the sale of our works, we want to make sure a good portion of it goes back into furthering our passion for creativity. We try our best to be as honest as possible about everything we create and share. We can’t fix much, but we can at least try to make a difference. Even if it’s just encouraging someone else to pick up a pen or start writing, that’s part of our mission already working.
Looking ahead, what would you like The Mad Woman: Collective to grow into over the next few years?
I would love to see The Mad Woman: Collective grow into a well-known art brand and all-around lovely, sparkly, spooky, awesome part of the internet and art world. As well as all our art stuff, growth in our home interiors work, and lots more donations to charities would be awesome too! We are constantly growing and evolving, so watch this space, The Mad Woman: Collective is here to stay.
Artist’s Talk
Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.
