Molly’s Artist Journey

New Artist Development Programme

Maya Productions, a theatre company dedicated to enabling social change and promoting racial justice, partnered with darts – Doncaster’s award-winning Creative Health and Learning Charity – to deliver a new Artist Development Programme.

Supported by funding from the Yorkshire Policy Innovation Partnership’s Communities Innovating Yorkshire Fund, the programme aimed to strengthen South Yorkshire’s pool of global majority freelance artists, expand skills and create new paid opportunities and pathways into the cultural and creative industries.

Nine artists took part in the programme in 2025/26, gaining hands-on experience in community arts practice. Trainees benefited from one-to-one mentoring with experienced participatory artists and industry professionals, practical experience through shadowing, co-delivery and leading sessions, continued professional development (CPD) and peer learning, as well as opportunities to build networks and industry connections.

Hope, nerves and new beginnings

It was a conversation at a slam poetry competition that first brought the traineeship to multidisciplinary artist Molly Eroje’s attention. After submitting a successful video application, stepping into this new role brought with it a mixture of excitement and uncertainty:

I was nervous, wondering what’s this going to be like, will I fit in, all the usual nerves that you get with being in a new environment.

Despite these early nerves, Molly saw the traineeship as an opportunity to both showcase her skills and stretch herself creatively. Already an experienced poet, writer and performer, she was particularly interested in exploring how she might grow her music practice, a relatively new artform to her at the time.

The traineeship experience

The programme began with plenty of time for observation and reflection, before gradually introducing opportunities co-deliver sessions alongside experienced artists. Over time, Molly progressed to planning and delivering full sessions independently.

Working across a range of darts programmes, Molly engaged with diverse groups, including adults experiencing mental ill-health, people living with dementia and children with learning disabilities. These experiences taught Molly how to adapt her ideas to meet the needs of the people in the room:

Initially I was planning to turn the song into a rap and have [the group] sing along to my guitar. But when I saw how energetic they were, I decided it would be good for them to expend some of that energy on hitting the drums! So thinking on your feet is something I’ve really learned to do.

Alongside artistic development, Molly was also able to build essential planning, facilitation and collaboration skills. The experience really deepened her understanding of participatory arts and its wider impact:

I’ve learned there’s so much more to community arts than I realised. It’s more than just entertainment or escapism. It’s how we connect with other people, places and things…and create something together.

Meeting industry professionals

It wasn’t only the participatory element of the traineeship that Molly valued. Through mentoring with Maya Productions, Molly collaborated with an experienced Leeds-based artist to record a demo of her own song. This experience strengthened both her personal creative practice and professional confidence:

That was really special…it was nice to be partnered with someone more experienced and bounce ideas around and learn from them.

Looking ahead

The traineeship has opened up new possibilities, particularly in participatory arts and freelance practice. Molly now feels equipped to develop and pitch workshops across different artforms, from music to sewing and creative writing:

This year seems to be opening a lot of doors for me, and I think the traineeship will help even more.

The experience has also connected her with artists, facilitators and leaders across the sector – relationships she plans to build on as she develops her career.

In just three months, the traineeship has transformed Molly’s sense of identity as an artist significantly:

[The traineeship] has been so affirming. I didn’t even regard myself as a proper musician before … now I feel like I should give myself more credit.