Finn was taught to use a sewing machine by their mother at age ten. This sparked a life-long love of all things textiles, and they proceeded to branch out into hand embroidery, crochet, quilting, and more. Being self-taught has allowed them to develop a neuro-affirmative approach to their practice, where they can follow rabbit holes of interest and learn through research and ongoing hands-on experimentation. They are indebted to the people around them who have shared skills, answered questions, and recommended reading to enhance their practice.

Some of Finn’s fibre art skills include:

• Traditional and experimental embroidery
• Crochet
• Cross-stitch and tapestry
• Darning, upcycling, and visible mending
• Dressmaking
• Banner making
• Quilting

These have been used in their volunteering, artistic practice, and for commissions. Dobson have been featured in Roots magazine (Issue 3, 2026), and exhibited in a number of group shows such as the Metamorphosis Textile Competition (Farfield Mill, 2026), Fables (The Mill Gallery, 2026) Queerfest Norwich (Norwich, 2025), and the Leeds Summer Group Show (Leeds Playhouse, 2025), among others. For a full list of exhibitions and artist development programmes, see Finn’s CV.

You can keep up to date with exhibitions and works in progress on their Instagram.

Dobson has over a decade of writing experience, both in performance poetry and poetry for the page. They have written to a range of briefs for individuals and organisations. Finn’s writing is largely inspired by personal experience, through which they relate to others and the world around them. They seek to bring to light subjects which may be difficult to find words for, exposing the way systems of power influence our everyday. Dobson is also greatly inspired by the natural world, and often use this to highlight the necessity of slowing down and noticing the small and the marginal.

Finn sat on the committee for the University of Leeds’ Spoken Word Society for three years (2013-2016), which involved regularly organising and hosting open-mic nights and workshops; fundraising; organising an inter-university poetry ‘slam’ competition in a 360-seat venue; and collaborating with other University societies and cross-disciplinary artists. As part of an enterprise project, they co-created the organisation Watch Your Mouth (2016) which ran a cross-disciplinary poetry night that combined spoken word with art forms such as improvised music, dance, and illustration.

Dobson’s performances have included events such as Can Ruins Arts Festival, Leeds’ Unity Day festival, and the University of Leeds conference Moving Beyond the Binaries of Sex and Gender (2016). Their work has been featured in Haus-a-Rest zine (2024) and published in the anthology Hope, Joy, Light, Meaning (Huddersfield University Press, 2025) in collaboration with NHS South West Yorkshire Partnership and the National Poetry Centre.

Finn has over 13 years experience running workshops for children and adults ages 8-80+ in schools, community venues, academic institutions and mental health services. This includes adapting workshops for a variety of needs, (such as for neurodivergent and disabled people, people with English at ESOL Entry Level 1+, children and adults) and for different communities (e.g. LGBTQIA+, Global Majority, etc.).

Examples of workshops they have offered include:

• Creative wellbeing workshops, e.g:
  • Using art to find your voice
  • Finding your strengths
  • Mindfulness (mindful making, mindfulness in nature, etc.)
• Creative writing and poetry
• Visual arts, specialising in textile skills
• Advocating for ourselves in healthcare settings
• Looking after our physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing (peer support, health management, streamlining your life, sleep hygiene, etc.)

In addition to this they have also provided training to MA Art Therapy students in working with transgender patients.

You can find out more about Finn’s past workshops on their Services & CV page, and keep up to date about future workshops on their Instagram.

Finn has experience in:

• Writing persuasively for blogs (e.g. Touchstone), essays (both academic and creative non-fiction), newsletters, press releases and other copy.
• Proof-reading and editing poetry, creative writing, academic articles and informative texts.
• Script-writing for monologues, workshops, etc.
• Reports and analysis

They are open to writing for commission and can be contacted here.