“I creativity’s a tool that you can use to not only express what you’re thinking but, if you can, it gives you the chance to give a voice to people who don’t have a platform. And I think it’s a very important tool”
Simone’s a recent graduate taking her first steps into the film industry. She’s worked on several projects and is currently on the team organising the UK Iranian Film Festival in London.
“My name is Dan, I’m 21, I used to study Economics at Bristol Uni and now I'm a postgrad doing Music Production. I’m really into music. I write a lot of my own stuff, I write for various music magazines, I used to host a radio show, and I do some work at BBC Introducing. I suppose that's why I also like going out to clubs like Lakota and Motion. Coming to Bristol gave me a taste for Dance and Electronic music which I hadn't been exposed to growing up in the middle of nowhere.”
“I just want to be someone who talks about the nonsense that’s going on in the world and at the same time play good music. Simple as.”
A club DJ who’s making his way over to radio, he loves to make people laugh and he’s good at it too. Check him out here.
“Some people are so fortunate that they do something and they find a job doing it and they’re happy and that’s great, that’s awesome. I think more and more we’re becoming a bit disaffected and it’s important for people to realise actually it’s ok and safe to go and do something else that’s totally unknown.”
Leon spent several years working as a chef, nowadays he’s pursuing his writing career in Poland.
“So, I’m a painter. I guess you’d describe it as abstract expressionism with a focus on the landscape. I’m very interested in capturing the essence of physical space in my work. I work mainly on canvas but I have also experimented with painting on perspex as well. That’s huge fun as I paint backwards with the colour palette so the front of the painting ends up looking completely different to the back by the time you have finished. I’m also still into experimenting with new painting techniques and mixed media. I like to work big, I don’t do little”.
She’s travelled the world, nursed Stephen Hawking and now she creates beautiful art. Go look for yourselves HERE.
“I know right? Singing over a candle lit dinner, with my Spanish Guitar. She’s just like ‘mate what are you doing? We’re having a deliveroo, put the guitar away’. Na yeah, she’s my main inspiration but politics inspires me too - and other musicians. A band I’ve been listening to recently is Idles and the lyrics are so tongue in cheek, like ‘I kissed a guy and I liked it’ but it’s spinning ideals on their head and saying ‘it’s ok for men not to be masculine’ and talking about things like never seeing his father cry which is just so powerful. And behind all that it’s kinda punk.”
You can find Harry’s music HERE
“I’m a musician and a writer, but it’s very DIY music. So basically, it’s just very much me and my piano. I’ve done gigs around Bristol but my biggest performance to date was when I sung one of my tunes on the Guilty Feminist podcast. Deborah Frances-White (the woman who hosts the show) liked one of my songs that I wrote for International Women’s Day and that’s how I ended up singing it.”
Meet Maia. She's performed in front of 600 people on the Guilty Feminist podcast, she's been on BBC Introducing and she's also just ridiculously stylish.
Check out her Soundcloud HERE. (We recommend listening 'Into the Sun' whilst you're there)
“The struggles, the battles that I’ve had and overcome. The fact I’m still here. I’ve worked through things and haven’t given up. So definitely my experiences, and generally my interest in the human mind in general - like the psychology of my own mind. If I understand my mind, I feel like there’s more of a chance to overcome life’s stresses.”
“I’m a bit of a loud American who’s been on the scene for quite a while. I also have a slightly famous dog named McNulty, like from The Wire. Her birthdays have been in the paper, she’s even been in a movie. For her fourth birthday one of my dear friends got a lifesize cake made of her. I’ve featured in a couple of German documentaries about not having children by choice, McNulty always features there pretty strongly.”
She’s done so much its hard to put into one list, here are the highlights though.
After Sixth Form I knew I wanted to do either Art or History but I wasn’t sure. I got into uni but then decided to take a gap year in London. So I did that and sold chocolate with my best friend. Then I went to UCL and studied Ancient History and Egyptology. I only did a year because turns out hieroglyphics are very hard. I was always interested in jewellery, especially ancient jewellery, but it was when I was at UCL that I really decided that I wanted to make these treasures. I would go to the British Museum and stare at their beautiful Egyptian collection. Everyone loves them but obviously you can’t have them unless you have thousands so I thought, right, I’ll make my own.
Meet Roo. She's an absolutely indomitable woman and, importantly for us, the maker of stunning pieces of jewellery, all of which are inspired by the Ancient World.
Check out her beautiful work HERE.
“It's always been my passion since I was in high school, I always liked to draw and I started a little blog... it was at the beginning of the Internet (haha) and I wanted to make it pretty so I started to design it and realised that I loved it. Then I studied design as well and the rest is history.”
Meet Kiwani, the Italian born illustrator and designer that won the Bristol Pound Design Competition.
You can see her designs HERE.
“Bullet Theatre is an all female theatre company that was set up a year ago. Our broad aim is to explore the everyday female experience and create an open dialogue about the issues that all women face. So our first show was Freak by Anna Jordan which we took to Edinburgh recently and that was about exploring female sexual experiences and taboos.”
Bullet Theatre is an all female theatre company run by Katherine and Grace - their aim is to explore the everyday female experience and create an open dialogue about the issues that all women face. Their first show, Freak by Anna Jordan, was a sell-out 5-star show - both in Bristol and Edinburgh.
“We did our R&D at Stratford East and at the end we did a Q&A for a bit of feedback. At the end, we had a lady put her hand up and ask if she could say something. It’s then that she told us - “I’m going through this right now. My daughter was born a boy, she’s transitioning, we’re a really working class family, we don’t know anyone who is gay, let alone trans” and then she said that she could relate to the Mum of the play, even though it was set in the 80’s. We said to ourselves after, if that does that to one person then our work here is done.”
“I did music production at Uni. That was a real teaching experience, it gave me a nice overview of the different facets within the industry which I was completely oblivious to. When I was that age it was taught to me that the only thing that would prepare you adequately for adult life was like a job in an office, nothing creative. I battled with that and I when I clocked that the only thing I was passionate about was music and being creative, so it made too much sense for me to do that.”
Romaine has worked in several creative industries but songwriting is where his passion lies.
“My name is Charlotte Ward and I’m currently studying History with Innovation at the University of Bristol. Alongside that I have decided to set up my own production company where I create short promotional videos in a documentary format. It was inspired by my summer spent in Barcelona for a production company called Otoxo. It was absolutely unreal and I just fell in love with the industry. I just realised that so many people are running creative projects, setting up businesses, and their stories really need telling. “
Final question, what would you do if you knew you could not fail?
R: Book Wembley Stadium.
M: Sell out the world. First sell-out North Pole gig.
R: I like how no one said ‘find the cure for cancer’, just the selfish music route.
Meet Insomnichord - a Bristol based ‘progdelic’ band consisting of guitarist Mat Balone, keyboardist Harrison Wright, bassist Mischa Dhar, drummer Zak de la Bedoyere and frontman Rollo Ellison. Apparently Zak’s the ‘husband-material’ one.
Check out their Soundcloud HERE.
“My name is Sarina and I study Biology, that's what really shaped my interests. I just really like under appreciated bugs. I also really love painting as well. And...what else? I’m the oldest of five siblings so I have lots of people to keep me young. I watch the worst TV ever, I’m currently re-watching Gossip Girl. And, my music taste is very eclectic. I went to see Tom Misch, that was so good. I quite like Gabrielle Aplin, Birdy, mellow stuff, but I also love vintage Red Hot Chilli Pepper stuff, and all of Madonna. Every single song.”
Get to know the lovely Sarina Saddiq. She’s the amazing creator behind @smartsquid, a sustainable clothing range that sparks ecological conversation.
Check her range out HERE.
For me, without sounding too wanky, [creativity] is the essence of life. It is absolutely innate in me; I’ve always been creative. Everything I do is creative, whether it’s laying the table or putting up pictures in my room, dancing, singing, learning languages. Just that feeling of having a pen or paintbrush in my hand and feeling the paint go on - when I don’t do it, I get really sad. I feel like I’m not living my life. This is why I want to launch it now, if I don’t do it I’ll never forgive myself. I’ve always been struggling, part time doing this, part time doing that, thinking of money, always sacrificing something, but I have to do this. It’s what I’m about, It’s my core. Creative, designer, maker.
So much energy, so much vitality - Diana is an absolute pleasure to be with. We’re excited to be working together with our Creative Soul Session Workshops.
“I’m like a magpie, I just love jewellery. But whilst I was in Mexico I started getting into a couple of jewellers who were also artists, just buying their stuff.
I saw this course and just thought I'll just have a go, just for fun. My Spanish at the time was not good so even though it's a very visual thing I missed a lot of the explanation, I didn't really get it.
So that was almost a pothole. I still enjoyed it though and then one of the jewellers that I loved gave me a couple of classes. I was like I love you, I want to be like you.”
Lucy Greer is the founder of Oso Jewellery. Inspired by two jewellers she came across during her time living in Mexico she now makes beautiful, minimalist jewellery.
I love colour. I listen to a lot of colourful music. I quickly get bored of things too. I tend to jump around from genre to genre, taste to taste. And...Jazz. Jazz is my soul.
Take a look at her clothing HERE.
“Hi my name is Molly and i’m 21 years old. I’m from a small little town in Derbyshire and I graduated this year from studying History at the University of Bristol. I sing, I play guitar and piano and I write songs. I also write a lot of articles about women’s health on different platforms aiming to destigmatise anything associated with mental health.”
An absolutely amazing creation from Molly Gorman, The Health Diary is a platform that aims to redefine society’s problematic definition of health. She’s an inspiring lady so go get inspired, check out the website HERE.
“When you’re a child you don’t feel this separation amongst Science and Art, it's just exploration and play. The two subjects crossover, maybe as you’re playing with petals and sand or something like that. However, as you get older these become very divided. I want to go back to my childhood experiences and the playful fascinations with the natural world. I’m basically still exploring what I’ve always explored.”
Adele has a degree in Glass and Ceramic Design and a M.A in Ceramics and Design. She’s now living in Keynsham working as a glass artist.
Check out her gorgeous art HERE.
Say hello to @mariejtaylorbristol, AKA the urban earth mother. A writer, a doula (birth coach), a consultant AND a marketeer. She’s a busy lady.
Whilst I was in Mexico I started getting into a couple of jewellers who were also artists, just buying their stuff. Then I saw this course and just thought I'll just have a go, just for fun. My Spanish at the time was not good so even though it's a very visual thing I missed a lot of the explanation, I didn't really get it. I was just silent, making gestures to try and understand.
It was all back to back. I changed career to become a mindset coach, met my husband, went backpacking, got back, got married, got pregnant…then nearly died.
I would describe it as energetic. I try to make the piece striking as I can. I use quite rich colours and I don’t really water the paint down. I kind of use the richness of it to make it stand out. It’s quite thick, textured paint. I build up layers from thinner to thicker and I literally get to the point where I’m just taking it out of the tube - no thinning out of the paint, just putting it on there.
To you, what does it mean to be creative?
For me, without sounding too wanky, it is the essence of life. It is absolutely innate in me; I’ve always been creative. Everything I do is creative, whether it’s laying the table or putting up pictures in my room, dancing, singing, learning languages.
I know right? Singing over a candle lit dinner, with my Spanish Guitar. She’s just like ‘mate what are you doing? We’re having a deliveroo, put the guitar away’. Na yeah, she’s my main inspiration but politics inspires me too - and other musicians. A band I’ve been listening to recently is Idles and the lyrics are so tongue in cheek, like ‘I kissed a guy and I liked it’ but it’s spinning ideals on their head and saying ‘it’s ok for men not to be masculine’ and talking about things like never seeing his father cry which is just so powerful. And behind all that it’s kinda punk.
I have an example that stuck with me. I did a job, I won’t say with who, but on day one we all met up and one of the writers said that she couldn’t understand what I was saying ‘half of the time’ because of my accent. I went away and just sobbed and I felt I didn’t deserve to be there. It was my husband, who is absolutely not in the industry whatsoever at all, who just said to me ‘No. You have just the same right as her to be there’. It was from the moment I just knew, you can’t give other people the power.
We did our R&D at Stratford East and at the end we did a Q&A for a bit of feedback. At the end, we had a lady put her hand up and ask if she could say something. It’s then that she told us - “I’m going through this right now. My daughter was born a boy, she’s transitioning, we’re a really working class family, we don’t know anyone who is gay, let alone trans” and then she said that she could relate to the Mum of the play, even though it was set in the 80’s. We said to ourselves after, if that does that to one person then our work here is done.
I just want to help people. I think this skill I have is so useful for the modern world, especially with social media. Everyone is trying to do it and I feel like they feel they should be able to do it because they have their phones and it can film but it’s actually more difficult than people may assume. It’s about having a creative eye and learning about the technological background.
If I had to describe my current sound though I would say I aim for tasty notes under a heavier, more spacey rift…I also want to do something that is very jangly and happy but my music always seems to come out with darker tones so i’ve started to embrace it. People don’t seem to not like it either.
Yes I read, yes I was a film major, yes I was a photographer, but I can also produce. I think that part confuses people, they don’t expect creative people to be able to sell and negotiate. Add in the feistiness and the feminism and that’s me.
What motivates me is looking at ancient treasures, standing next to lovely ladies also looking at them, and thinking ‘I want to touch them and wear them and feel like that ancient queen. I want to hold that piece of history. It’s that wanting but not being able to that makes me do it. I want to make and teach.
It’s a collaborative platform. I didnt wanna be someone that's just writing a blog constantly about myself, I wanted to learn from others and be inspired by others.
I just want to express...what’s important in being a person, what makes you a beautiful person. That’s definitely up there. My morals too but always keeping it lighthearted and fun, cause life is just about having fun.
Bullet Theatre is an all female theatre company that was set up a year ago. Our broad aim is to explore the everyday female experience and create an open dialogue about issues that all women face. So our first show was Freak by Anna Jordan which we took to Edinburgh recently and that was about exploring female sexual experiences and taboos.
I want to go back to my childhood experiences and the playful fascinations with the natural world. I’m basically still exploring what I’ve always explored.
And doing a quick U-Turn, do you guys have a favourite piece of Art?
M: Controversial one, but I think Rogue One. It’s just sick isn’t it?
R: Awh mate, no. I can’t really follow that.
