Mark Stenson is the Company Director and Operator of Maximum Effort Art. He has over twenty years experience working with young people across a range of settings. From independence projects and care homes to schools and colleges, Mark has worked with youngsters living with a wide spectrum of additional needs and vulnerabilities.

Throughout his career within the care sector, Mark has also forged a secondary career creating and selling his own art.  
Eventually combining the two, to create Maximum Effort Art. Holding a BA Hons in Design and Visual Art, along with other qualifications in fine art, Mark is undertaking qualifications centered around Childhood Trauma so that Maximum Effort Art can help to make a difference for youngsters from every walk of life, to help them understand their personal journeys and most importantly that where they are from does not dictate where they are heading. 

Our Core Values

Our core values are based on Mark's years of experience working with youngsters, what he has identified as integral elements that vulnerable young people need in order to grow and evolve but are sadly often lacking from their lives for a plethora of reasons. Maximum Effort Art delivers every session with these core values at the forefront.  

RELIABILITY

The dictionary definition of 'reliable' is 'consistently good in quality or performance'.

 We strive to ensure every youngster through our doors knows that being reliable is important. By being here when we are expected to be or have said that we will be, shows them a level of consistency. Consistency being something that is sadly absent from the lives of many hard-to-reach youngsters who have led unsettled home lives. 

This core value is vital as an example to set for those particular youngsters - for them to experience from an adult and learn to be themselves as they move on into adulthood. We pride ourselves on being reliable, to be present, to deliver a high standard of session and knowledge in a safe environment.

 RESILIENCE

Resilience is the ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficult situation or problems.

When a young person has had to deal with difficult situations or consistent problems in life, it is easy for them to accept that this is how life is supposed to be. Resilience dwindles as a difficult life becomes normal. We aim to restore the ability to deal with problems and difficult situations as they arise, using consistent encouragement to reinforce our belief that all problems can be overcome. 

The ability to 'keep going' is a powerful one. Utilising art as a tool to galvanise this trait in our youngsters, with their finished art works as evidence, we aim to prove that pushing through difficulties will yield amazing results coupled with self esteem growth. 

 CONFIDENCE

Confidence is built slowly but can be destroyed in an instant.

Confidence and self esteem issues are one of the first things we address when youngsters come through our door. We hear 'I can't do that' more often than we care to count, however we always add 'yet' to the end of this declarative when it is said. 

Without confidence, the fear of failing will hinder all youngsters at some point. Negativity from family, adults or peers, leads to a  'you can't do it' mindset that is difficult to overcome. This is what youngsters will then grow believing. From the very first session, we push a 'yes you can' agenda. Starting with a 'there is no harm in trying' and progressing onto 'attacking' a new project with a positive attitude. 

The effects on a youngster's outlook, ambition and work are all increased imeasurably once confidence is in play.

 ENCOURAGEMENT

Audrey Hepburn once said 'Nothing is impossible. The word itself says 'I'm possible'.

From the moment a young person walks into our studio, the encouragement and positivity begins. We remove the fear of failing in a fun and light hearted manner, there are examples of Mark's personal work fails around the rooms as well as examples of the good stuff. We normalise 'getting it wrong' because its something that we all do. 

We operate with the mindset that trying and failing is better than not trying at all, we can always try again, that just takes confidence. Growth and learning are after all fostered by making mistakes.

All of our core values encompass aspects of life that we know we can instill over time by employing each value collectively. When used together, our core values become a recipe for positive progress both on a personal level and for our community.