about
Alicia Hayden is a creative conservationist and wildlife artivist, originally from North Yorkshire, now based in Bristol
With a degree in Biological Sciences (BA Hons) from the University of Oxford, and a Master's in Wildlife Filmmaking (MA) from the University of the West of England (UWE), she is an award-winning artist and creative communicator, telling stories about the natural world using multiple disciplines.
Alicia loves to tell stories creatively - she feels passionately that the arts are a vital part of successful conservation, crossing boundaries, languages, and countries to create empathy and drive emotional, meaningful change.
Alicia works freelance across the arts, primarily as an artist & illustrator, writer, filmmaker & editor, and animator. She is currently available for commissions, projects, and work - get in touch if you'd like to work with her!
Previous clients include: BBC Studios Natural History Unit, On the Edge, the University of Oxford, the London Natural History Museum, London Graphics Centre, HUE Cameras, Whitley Fund for Nature, Global Bird Fair, the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, and many more.
Alicia is confident teaching & leading workshops about wildlife art and artivism - her recent 'draw with me' series with On the Edge has amassed over 600,000 views across Instagram & TikTok. She is confident teaching both in-person and online, catering her classes and workshops to children, young adults, and adults alike.
She is on the British Trust for Ornithology's Youth Advisory Panel, and on Whitley Fund for Nature NextGen's Committee.
Alicia is an award-winning wildlife artist; she has placed three times in the prestigious international competition David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF)'s Wildlife Artist of the Year. Her piece When the Whale Sang won the Human Impact category (2021), and was displayed as part of a touring UNESCO exhibition (2022). More recently, her piece Charcoal sold in Mall Galleries as part of the 2024 Wildlife Artist of the Year exhibition, with 50% of profits going to DSWF for conservation across Africa and Asia.
She is a Daler-Rowney Artist, working to bring the natural world into the public eye through her art - including their Graduate campaign, and a banner for London Graphics Centre (2023).
As well as her work as an artist, Alicia is an emerging writer & wildlife camerawoman, working in both stills photography and film. Her work as a writer has seen her publish several poetry books in collaboration with different organisations since 2020; as well as writing for Into the Red (2022), Resurgence & Ecologist (2025), and BTO (multiple).
Alicia is also a partner artist for David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, Africa Wildlife Artists, and Mammal Society; an ambassador for Invicta Wildlife Fund and Girls Who Click; and a creative consultant/graphic designer for Butterfly Conservation.
