A 20-year-old Salford entrepreneur who built a creative business around her own experiences of neurodivergence is celebrating recognition for her artwork and small business.
Georgia Timmis founded Minds in the Matrix in Walkden at 19. Her colourful designs explore mental health and neurodivergence through products including stickers, tote bags and clothing.
She has been shortlisted for Best New Small Business at the UK Small Business Awards. In her submission to Manchester Gazette, Georgia also said she is a finalist for Young Entrepreneur of the Year and has won Gold in the Unique Art Awards 2026.
Creating a different path
Georgia said she started the business after finding it difficult to see where she fitted into a traditional working environment. Rather than following a conventional route, she began creating artwork shaped by her own experiences.
“I decided to create something from my own experiences instead, with the hope that my artwork could help other people feel understood and less alone,” she said.
Her aim is to make conversations about mental health and neurodivergence more colourful, approachable and less clinical, while showing that there is more than one route into work.
“I'm trying to teach through my business that the normal route is not for everybody,” Georgia said in her submission.
Recognition for a growing business
Since launching, Georgia says she has developed an original product range and secured independent retail stockists. Hearing from people who connect with her work remains central to the business.
“Something that started as a way of creating a path that worked for my own brain has grown into a community of people who tell me that my work makes them feel seen,” she said in the supplied release.
The UK Small Business Awards event is scheduled for 19 December 2026 at the Eastside Rooms in Birmingham, according to the release.
Further information about the artist and her work is available through Minds in the Matrix on Instagram.