Blog Splodge Three: Reflections of a Project Coordinator

Hello everyone,

I’m Marie Clews, and as I head into my last 2 weeks at Warwick (for now, we hope!), I’ve been reflecting on everything I’ve learned and experienced at Warwick.

Since arriving in late 2024, I’ve had the privilege of coordinating two linked projects—Drop the Mask and CovenTRY CollaborACTION—that have taught me so much about turning research into real-world change.

   

Drop the Mask began as a simple idea: what if neurodivergent people could step out of “masking” through art and storytelling? From our first R&D workshop in April 2025 to the creative lab with John Bernard, India Holme, Nivaria Salas Morales and 8 others on in May, then our pop-up exhibition at Resonate Festival at the end of May, I learned how to design events that balance structure with creative freedom. I discovered that genuine innovations comes not just from good ideas, but from deep listening and relationship-building with participants and partners alike.

   

CovenTRY CollaborACTION pushed me further into the world of knowledge exchange. I learnt loads about the mechanics of research development and bureaucracy, turning ambitious concepts into HEIF- and Policy Support Fund-backed projects and supporting the development proposals for ESRC, NIHR, UKRI, AHRC and I know what these are now! They are research councils that I now know what these acronyms mean - they are all research councils, that allocate funding to researchers and projects via competitive call outs for proposals.

 

I've learnt about retrofit challenges and economic inactivity, neurodivergence and policy development.

 

What I’ll take with me isn’t a list of events or funding figures (though we did secure over £95,000 cash and in-kind support to run these projects so far). It’s the confidence to navigate red tape without losing sight of people’s lived experiences; the conviction that co-production is the engine of sustainable change; and the belief that small, messy workshops can spark big conversations and create ripples of impactful connections.

 

On 15 September 2025, we’ll showcase the next Drop the Mask exhibition at the Neurodiversity in Higher Education Conference. I’m excited to see our participants’ creativity take flight.

 

Leaving Warwick is bittersweet. I’m proud of every late-night brainstorm, every workshop that felt more like a conversation among friends. But I’m also eager to carry these lessons forward: to keep dropping masks, building genuine partnerships, and turning my innate curiosity into opportunities to connect with others, and with ideas and creativity.

 

— Marie Clews