My sister-in-law asked me a few weeks ago what do you actually do? It’s a question I have always struggled to answer without endless waffling. Some might say that’s normal for me and they are probably right, but in my defence, it is a really difficult question to answer. Depending upon who I am talking to the answer could be one or more of the following: a Project Manager, a Graphic Designer, a Creative Producer, a Creative Advisor, a Community Artist or if I am feeling posh and sophisticated a Cultural Animateur.
The truth is I don’t think specialising in one area of the creative sector is sensible or desirable for me. It limits what I can do creatively, it makes earning a living more difficult, it stifles curiosity and is less of a challenge. To have this freedom with the work I do is something I am very grateful for. I never really thought whether it was possible to work across so many creative sectors, there was never some detailed business plan. It just happened because that’s what the project required, so that was that. Similarly, I never really set out to work predominantly with communities be they geographical or defined by need or interest. I just wanted to believe in the work that I was doing and to achieve that, I needed to produce outcomes that had benefits to others.
Experience has taught me high quality outcomes and benefits are only possible if you collaborate with others. This is fundamental to the original question of ‘What I actually do?’ ‘We Can Create’ is not just me, it’s the inspirational communities, brilliant clients and the amazing creatives I work with. When people work together they can do great things and this is what I hope We Can Create does and will continue to do.
We Can Create is here to help others, to not be afraid to be curious, to share ideas, to be playful, to learn new skills and to celebrate the collective talents we all bring to a project..
We are, We Can Create