Please give us an overview of your average day
Generally during a week I’ll be curating or writing, or composing in a solitary setting. I may also have one-to-one mentoring and coaching sessions with poets and other artists and freelancers who are looking for funding, publication, to make inroads into their career. I might also be pitching ideas to media companies and festivals, meeting members of my teams in person or via skype, or going to must-see arts events and exhibitions for inspiration.
Sometimes I’ll be a project consultant, like with the business plan for the Bluecoat arts venue in Liverpool. Every now and then I’ll give talks or lectures at universities or venues on creativity and enterprise.
What is the most common misconception about your job?
That there is an average day. And that artistry and business never mixes well.
What is the hardest thing about your role?
Switching roles. It’s also the most creative and gives me great fun and joy.
When did you decide what you wanted to do with your life and how did you start out achieving it?
I think I’ve always known that the live experience of speech and performance was the most magical, and disarming, form of expression. For as long as I can remember, I was involved in speech, poetry, performance and galvanising others to get involved.
My mum told me fairly recently that, as a teenager, I used to get my neighbours to dress up and act in plays I adapted, like Treasure Island.
It took about twenty years to get the courage to make what I do into a living as I was brought up to believe that medicine, law and other established jobs were the only way to make a wage.
What can you do to get a head start?
Be confident in yourself and your passions even if no one else is noticing. Look for opportunities through social media and more “underground” means, as well as the usual tried-and-tested ways. Lots of people connect in ways that were never available before – and the traditional application process may not be the only option for you.
Find the means to describe your uniqueness and what you do well in a way you can describe easily to others. Then shape it into a “package” – whether written, verbal or otherwise - work out who may be receptive to it and go out there and propose it. But, as Alice Walker said, “Never offer your heart to someone who eats hearts”.
Could you describe the creative element to your job?
I always start from ideas. I explore themes, write prose, compose and sing songs, and speak as a means to explore what’s around me and the things that are important to me.
When I feel these musings deserve an audience, or are developed enough, I will shape shows, tours, projects and festivals that in turn create opportunities for writers, artists and creative people as well as inspire and generate audiences.
I always build-in consideration of whether they will generate money and sustainability for my overarching work and that of my colleagues. For instance, the Liming shows came out of a wish to bring fun into spoken word and to celebrate mischief in words and people.
What one thing do you wish you had known at the start of your career that you know now?
That I had what I needed to be successful. I looked up to a lot of writers, but was a little drained by the egos at times.
Which organisations/websites/resources do you think would be useful for people entering your industry?
Apples and Snakes – for an overview of nationally funded opportunities for performance poets, as well as events listings
The Poetry Society – for opportunities and resources for poets, and for information on National Poetry Day
General Assembly – for imaginative training courses on social media, business and design.
thespace.org for what can be done with an injection of funding into the arts scene to boost multi-media platforms
Spread the Word for workshops and resources in London.
Arts Council England – for national overview of resources and events.
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