I’d done a guest lecture two years ago for postgraduate students at Loughborough University London on how East London has shaped my creative practice. Updating it for a new cohort, one thing stood out: change.
My work has broadened and become more ‘overlappy’. The geography of creative activity in East London has changed. Grassroots initiatives have matured and joined up. New cultural institutions have opened. Economic uncertainty and access to creative tools have presented challenges and opportunities that play out locally.
When I do these kinds of talks, I notice that the learning isn’t one-way… I got to listen to the end of an economist’s lecture on international creative contexts. The economist stayed to listen to mine. And a student posed the question. “What about conscious consumers?” – a good question and one that answered a conundrum of my own.
If you’d like to chat about a guest lecture or talk for your organisation, get in touch.
Picture of me with bespoke sketchbooks for live sketching at the Trampery on the Gantry by Monica Gomes.
