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Build your creative community: Creative Shift meets Black Girl Fest

Two people sit on a sofa holding microphones
  • Written byRachel Segal Hamilton
  • Published date 30 January 2024
Two people sit on a sofa holding microphones
Black Girl Fest festival. Photograph: Hannah Faith

Creativity flourishes through connection.

But what if the networks that currently exist don’t reflect you?

Nicole Crentsil founded Black Girl Fest in 2017 to create space for Black women and non-binary people to come together, sharing stories and ideas. The platform has now evolved into BGF Studios, a cultural consultancy working with clients such as Tate and Nike.

What follows is a conversation between Nicole, who guest curated our Community and Belonging UAL Showcase collection, and Shani-Louise Osei and Tessa Read, from Creative Shift, a UAL initiative that supports students from underrepresented backgrounds, an antidote to the exclusivity and nepotism within some parts of the creative sector.

They discuss networks, collaboration and the power of community-building.

A panel sits on stage. A sign in the background reads 'the leader within'
She Says 2022: The Leader Within, a Women+ of Colour in Leadership panel and networking event. Photograph: She Says

Community drives creativity

“In the creative industries, work gets done through communities,” says Shani-Louise, Lecturer in Learning and Teaching at London College of Fashion.  “People often reach out to previous colleagues or friends to fill roles. We don't talk enough about how important who you know is for getting work, for your work to be seen and celebrated, for you to move through your journey. That happens through community.”

Community is also how you develop as a practitioner, exposing you to approaches that inform the work you’re producing. “For Creative Shift, community is about growth,” she continues. “It’s about enabling work to be made and it’s about supporting each other.”

Create your own communities

“Students can feel quite lost when they leave UAL,” says Tessa Read, Associate Head Retention and Belonging (Creative Industries), “so at Creative Shift, we try to embed the importance of the community you build while you’re at university and a recognition of the longevity it can bring beyond graduation.”

When Nicole launched the first Black Girl Fest festival, she saw a gap that needed filling. “It was about finding a community where you could see other people who look like you, might not think like you, but who wanted to share space with you,” she explains. At the time there was nothing like it - a space wholly dedicated to Black women, with Black speakers, facilitators, ideas, businesses. The growth we’ve seen shows there was a real craving for that.”

An audience seated in front of a wall covered in framed pictures.
Inside Track 2023, a collaboration between Insights programme and Creative Shift. Photograph: Thai Mahendrakumar

Establish your shared values

When you’re setting up a new community like Black Girl Fest, it’s important that everyone subscribes to the same core values, says Nicole. “With every group of people, whether it’s a society, a neighborhood, or a platform like ours, there are always elements of power and privilege interwoven into its fabric.”

Your code or core values should recognise this and set out what you believe is important. Some examples of Black Girl Fest’s values are: “’collaboration’ - being open to working alongside other people and being open to kind of share your skill sets and knowledge and ‘curiosity’ - being inquisitive about the world and challenging things that don't feel or seem right,” Nicole explains.

Respect your differences

Every community is a collective of people. “We are currently working on understanding what community means, but also understanding what the individuals within our community want. We are all constantly navigating different systems, some of which oppress us, others which inspire us. To grow as a community, we need to nurture our members.”

Black Girl Fest sees the world through an intersectional lens. “We want to make sure that we are including as many people as possible, those who identify as Black women,” she says, citing the intersections of gender, religion and generation. “We’re not a monolith.”

And remember...

“University is talked about as a community just because it comprises many people in one space,” says Shani-Louise. “But there's a lot of competition and that breeds a mindset where students don't see themselves as collaborators within a potential powerhouse.” Instead, you spend your time comparing work, comparing grades, worried that someone else will snap up your dream job.

“It’s draining," adds Shani.-Louise "And it also means you don’t open yourself up to the future support networks you could be tapping into. There is strength in community.” Instead of seeing each other as rivals for the opportunities available today, by working together we can create the opportunities of the future.