Day 10

Instead of winding down, we wound up, building from every incredible contribution to new insights from George Gachara and  Dr Raven Bowen.

George challenged us: “What is good business? Can a business take on the values of goodness (or badness)?”. He spoke of the importance of a business being steeped in its own value and  history and  gave insight in to how he had built new forms of finance, looking at the relationships with employees in a business and  working to find ways to support a business to hold on to its own equity. George reflected on strong collaboration being based on inward reflection, an analysis of your skills, how you exist as a person and how your work exists in the world. It is an honest view of self, your interests, and how your interests can dovetail with others interests.
Sometimes we exaggerate our capacities, it’s always important to have a bit of honesty, to achieve anything we hope to achieve, then you need other people to choose you.

Raven talked about the complexity of sustaining a charity, of balancing service provision and  financial resilience and  the shifting requirements, needs and  foci of funders. She spoke of the important of developing opportunities for developing strategic partnerships that do work similar or adjacent to the charity, and  not needing to lead every application or project. Collaboration for her comes from a place of taking a time to understand the interests of other parties or other groups and truly deciding what are the shared goals, what are the tensions, what can we work together on? How does that serve our various interests and users? There needs to be a transparency and honesty, about what the collaboration is… really being open about who benefits from the collaboration.

And  that was it, the end of the 2023 SELFestival.

Stand out sentences for me: Compassion is not just a feeling, it is an active process; patience is not passive, compassion feeds authenticity, kindness is a social convention.

This festival has been as exhausting, exhilarating, generous and  inspiring as any form of Festival. Thanks to all speakers, and  to students and  Goldsmiths for allowing us to deliver our teaching in an open and  collaborative way.

Siân & Adrian

Day 9 of our Festival

Bobby Kolade spoke to us from his fashion design studio in Kampala, Uganda with Rasheeda Nalomosa joining us from Nairobi, Kenya to talk about the circular economy in Uganda and  wider in East Africa, and  ways that creative enterprises are tackling climate and  sustainability challenges. They gave insights in to the need to unlearn, that running successful creative companies for them is finding new ways to develop creative offers and  then different ways of doing business. Much of the learning from universities and  text books did not offer new disruptive approaches that were world withing (Haraway, 1988) so they were creating radically different ways of working.

Rasheeda spoke of the optimism that she had about the new networks across the continent, and  the opportunities to think bigger and  acknowledge the potential through and  with others. Bobby told us that his optimism was fuelled by his team, but that when he reflected on collaboration he first thought of the collaborations between large scale brands, and  how these were less about mutual exchange and  more about ways to increase sales and  encourage people to buy more.

The session reminded me that the optimism I have for the creative industries and  for ways of “doing” business better, more ethically with less harm to people and  the planet come from the radical but gentle, innovations in East Africa.

In the afternoon Ashley Evenson gave a workshop that encouraged participants to find new ways of developing relationships with clients, customers and  other collaborators by finding ways to tell stories with alternative main characters. Ashley reflected that compassion is about taking yourself out of the main character role, and  about meeting people where they are.

Tomorrow we start with George Gachara, creative industry strategist, a fund advisor, and an investor in creative industries in Africa. He is also a senior entrepreneurship fellow and a founder. We will reflect together on notions of Good Business. He will be followed by our final festival guest, Dr Raven Bowen  from National Ugly Mugs, and  we will explore notions of sustainability and  support for a charity that supports marginalised people.

Siân Prime

Day 7

Two very different speakers and  sets of experiences in the SELFestival today.

Robin Braum, co-founder of Squareglass and  Head of Label Management at !K7 Music talked through the experiences he has gained as an artist, label owner and  now employee at a label. All of his work has been characterised through his approaches to collaboration, being open to being wrong and  surprised. Reflecting on the need to be patient, he also was clear that things never felt static. He spoke about how he built relationships with listeners, developing the authentic connections that would lead to more sustainable practices being possible. The need to be respectful to music forms, creators and  how to acknowledge the inputs from inspiration to sampling.

Deborah Williams also gave her insights from being an artist, cultural leader, venue manager and  now lead of Creative Diversity Network which exists to enable the UK Broadcasting industry to increase diversity and inspire inclusion. She spoke about the various ways she engaged people in the broader vision and  mission to achieve the aims of a more diverse creative sector. She showed in her way of listening to us that she sincerely valued everyone’s experiences, the clarity that once you have seen diversity you cannot unsee it, needing to listen  to people to be an ally in the space. “Compassion – it frees you. Because I have responded to someone on their own terms.”

Tomorrow we have Bobby Kolade speaking about his disruptive sustainable fashion business in Uganda – Return to Sender, speaking with Rasheeda Nalomoso – dramaturg and  British Council Arts Officer. In the afternoon Ashley Evenson and  Chris Stokes will run a storytelling workshop to help us release the main character in our own stories. https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/selfestival-2023-2286519

Museums and  Carnivals – two very different forms of cultural consumption and  experience, but Day 7 of our SELFestival spent time reviewing the complexity of ownership and representation.

Dr Sylvia Lahav spoke about who chooses what is shown in a museum/gallery, owned, sometimes never shown but owned, and  how it is written about to engage/educate or tell “this is what I see, now let me tell you what you should see”. She reminded us that museums/galleries did not always have a mandate to educate. The honesty about privilege, class and  finance was shared, “as long as the permanent collections exist we are reminded of power, status, mobility and  class.”. She encouraged us to question the notion of legacy and  encouraged our curiosity and  to not know.

Carnival and  the origins and  current expression were explored by Dr Sharon LeGall, together with the complexity of an almost social franchise model. The divide between celebration of culture and  culture appropriation was very carefully explored, together with the impacts of colonisation. “Cultures are not stagnant” and  as they evolve so does the work, so tradition and  current expression and  technical movements are adapted together. The scale of Carnival is huge – the ecosystem of employment and  engagement comes to tens of thousands, and  the research Dr LeGall has undertaken in to the inidgenous knowledge was generously shared – “Collaborations should be open, persons should know what they are getting into… Persons should know how their creative work will be used.  It may be difficult to walk in somebody else’s shoes, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.”

Tomorrow we hear from independent musician, and  alumni of ICCE and  Goldsmiths Robin Braum. Followed by ICCE Fellow Deborah Williams The Festival has foregrounded many themes, compassion, optimism, collaboration and  the relationship and  needs for both learned and  lived experience.

A change in pace this week to look at, as Professor Vanus James said “the knowledge, skills and  self-confidence” to innovate. Josh Shuermann opened the day giving insight in to the ways that Intellectual Property can support creatives to develop sustainable enterprises, and the ways to protect, exploit and  sustain creative livings.

Vanus explained the modelling and  mapping he had undertaken, funded by WIPO to look at how the creative industries could develop the Caribbean economies. He outlined the investment in education – at all levels – as well support with export and  distribution mechanisms. The strong work in music as well as video games and  many other areas of the creative industries are clear in the Caribbean countries, and  Professor James showed what policy interventions would be needed to enable the potential to be realised.  We were also left aware of the negative impact of the colonial past in the country, and  Vanus suggested that for the countries to move forward all citizens needed to be brought into the process, to ensure firm foundations for the creative industries.

Tomorrow we hear from Dr Sylvia Lahav on Winners, Losers and  Choosers: the Modern Museum, followed by insights in to the IP and  Traditional Knowledge from Dr Sharon LeGall – in particular the steeldrum and  carnival.

Week 2 of our Sustainable Enterprise London Festival is moving to look at the frameworks, ecosystems and  to take a macro-view of the cultural economy.

Exciting to have Joshua Schuermann from Reed Smith, bringing his knowledge and  experience of IP legislation and some of the complexities of implementing it.

In the afternoon Professor Vanus James will be sharing his research and give insights in to the creative industries as a contributor to development, and  the approaches and  results of national strategies for promoting the creative industries from his experience of the Caribbean economies.

An important shift in perspectives for week 2.

Day 5 – Week 1

Our last contributors to the first week were Drew McOnie and  Ana Garanito.

Ana as Head of Scripted brings her expertise and  experiences in story development, structuring stories and  working to widen the opportunities for a greater breadth of people to be included in film, media and  tv and stories to be told.  Drew as a Director, Choreographer, theatre and  film maker simply says his job is to tell stories. Both brought key perspectives and  experiences in to our Festival. It was a beautiful and inspiring end to a rich week.

Drew gave us simple – but powerful tops in to making spaces more inclusive to bring a diversity of talent, and  ensure equity – his Company had been founded to find new ways to support talent in dance: “The thing I am most proud of is the environment in which something is being made , and everyone in the space feeling as if they own part of it.”  He spoke of patience – a recurring theme –  and  he reflected on this in  terms of dance vocabulary: “Every step is about laying the foundations of where you want to be – The long phrase”. He gave us a strong image of standing in a river and  having the choice to go with the flow or stand against the current and  build new tributaries. His work as a Company Director as well as artist – and  negotiating ways forward  “Dealing with the gate keepers who are very, very used to being heard, but not very good at listening.” -vitally ” 90% of collaboration is listening..Compassion is my work”.

Ana talked us through her way in to film and tv and  how through Green Door Pictures. and  as Head of Scripted she worked to ensure stories are well told – and  how she and  the production company worked to tell stories that may otherwise be lost. She spoke of the need to bring together a team and  how to tackle the gatekeepers, particularly commissioners. There was reflection on how decisions on what is commissioned were made, and  the reliance on data to make decisions to predict what would gain high audience ratings, and yet audiences want to be surprised and  the tensions around decision-making and  who ultimately are the gatekeepers to which stories get told. There is huge optimism around the changes happening, even if slowly, disruption and  change is happening. 

We reflected on the potential of themes for films still leading, but the importance of amending and  making work more  culturally appropriate for the settings of the work and doing this with integrity “Compassion is authenticity”. 

A powerful week of insights from cultural and  creative disruptors – showing the importance of faith, patience, compassion and  optimism.

Day 4

Our fourth day included Christopher Tendai (founder of CTC Dance Company ) and  Veda Harrison each have very different careers, but their talks gave insights in to their approaches and  shared values.

Chris to embedding education and  conversation in to his practice – engaging audiences in conversation after performances, and  developing work for young people that ensures the development of dancers who engage with identity and  anti-racism and  creativity. The complexity of developing a sustainable living while managing risk and  relationships – deep listening and  working to ensure that all involved in the company are given an equitable  starting place are key to the process. Chris shared his approach of understanding barriers to success and inclusion in a sector and  then working with them or round them to create new business models for the sector and  finding partners who have the same level of integrity and  authenticity.

Patience for the time that change might need is a crucial piece of advice from Veda’s experiences – the work to support young people, communities and find ways to using that waiting time to mindfully, or creatively develop work – valuing the journey and  the destination equally. Veda spoke about her time as a Goldsmiths student and  how she had studied both Sociology and  Communication – and  this, plus the opportunities to be playful and  make mistakes without failing had informed her interest and deep skill in communication. There was reflection on the pressure and  complexity of often being the only Black woman in spaces and how to design for systemic change https://reframingrace.org/data/it-takes-a-system. The importance of faith and that there is potential for change are key to Veda’s optimism – and faith in different forms has been emerging as a theme in this year’s festival.

The final day of the first week will look at how stories are told in different ways, Drew McOnie will talk about his work as a choreographer, director and  working across theatre, dance and  film – and  how he has developed a strong leadership style that ensures strong performance from all engaged. Ana Garanito Head of Scripted at Green Door Pictures will talk about who gets to tell their story – and  how. https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/selfestival-2023-2286519