“I believe in society. I believe in community.”

The recent financial downturn, has, however, thrown Hughes an opportunity to open dialogue with the local council and commercial developers. With property developers on their knees, Hughes has found them actually willing to entertain the notion that an area like Hackney Wick can be regenerated in a way that doesn’t have to alienate its artist inhabitants. She has found herself in the unusual position of educating commercial developers about the lifestyle and salary of the typical artist, illustrating her dialogue with personal examples of how she has struggled to scrape a living together.

‘You have to make a choice as an artist as to how close to the poverty line you want to be, and for how long. I spoke at the forum and was telling them how between 1994 and 2005 I never earned any more then £15,000 a year, ever. They were like (pulls astonished face) “What?!”- they had no idea.’

Later on that day, as Hughes takes me on a guided tour of the local landmarks of Hackney Wick, the recognition she receives from local residents is testament to how far her hard work and dedication has carried her, and this apparent ‘armpit of nowhere’, forward. A natural conversationalist, it makes sense that she is engaged in dialogue with the very sort of people who have made life hard for artists in the past. But it’s early days, and although she says negotiations have been fruitful, the juggernaut of commerce lends poignancy to the creative fervour of the region. I can’t help but ask her why she chooses to put herself through so much hardship, and after a long pause her answer takes me by surprise.

‘I believe in society. I believe in community. Unless we have good relations, communication and support from the people around us, then we don’t have anything. We have nothing, you know? You can’t live life on your own. There’s different ways that you create that, so you have your family unit, and so on. I’m interested in the art community. I’m interested in the work that people are making. I was thrilled, going round the Hackney Wick-ed and seeing some of the fantastic work that people are doing. You need to have people around you who do what you do.’

My tour concludes with a cup of tea and a cherry 7up (that was me, I admit it) in a local café, vibrant with artists and local families. Her parting shot is similarly imbued with her trademark enthusiasm.

‘It’s great that you’ve been here today and seen it how it is at the moment,’ she says, smiling, ‘because in a few years time none of this will be here. You’ll be able to say “I was there”.’

Mother Studios is home to the Elevator Gallery. The gallery is hosting the exhibition 'Tales That Witness Madness' from the 8th-25th October.

Check out http://www.motherstudios.co.uk/ and http://www.elevatorgallery.co.uk/ for updates and more details.