Hosted at Cielo Café on the 4th April, Arts4Lyfe’s first of many monthly networking events got underway, with a diverse range of gifted, innovative, and emerging creatives showcasing their skills. So what happens when the paint meets its canvas ? When a melody finds its lyrics? Imagine, a room full of realisations, where you’ve finally found the writer your story needs, the beat you’ve been trying to find a voice for or the passion you think you have been missing. Over the course of the evening, it was realisations like this that inspired a collective. In its debut, Arts4Lyfe:The Motive has definitely made its mark.
‘I was surprised but pleasantly surprised’.
During the evening, the performances covered all areas of what being creative truly means. There were passionate rappers, energetic actors and talented artists all eager to share their latest project. Admittedly, both attendees and organisers were overwhelmed by what they heard, saw and witnessed. Perhaps what this proved, was that no one really knew how much talent or how much creativity was present in Birmingham and the Black Country. But now we do know, isn’t it time we both showcased it and shared it?
It’s events like this which celebrate the creatives of tomorrow. They connect these up-and-coming performers and artists to other people like them. For some, they’d hit a dead end in their latest project but now they’ve met someone that’s given them a new route to explore. For others, a quirky collaboration awaits (a violinist is set to create new music together with a grime artist). Whatever the result, it’s about the collaboration, the connection and in turn possibilities that arise when creatives come together.
The networking event will run monthly.
Getting from A to B with networking
In amongst lively performances, inspiring exhibitions and the exchanging of contact details, Arts4Lyfe:The Motive did more. Passionate speakers also attended, answering questions and sharing invaluable knowledge as experts in their creative field. Beyond that they inspired. One budding actress shared her thoughts: “I liked talking to the speakers because they gave me advice of who I can speak to further my acting”. Its safe to say that the creative industry is by no means an easy one to navigate, but knowing the do’s and don’ts can really make it all the less daunting for any creative starting out.
How networking can help you as a creative.
A different kind of motive…
For many that attended, it was the first time they had experienced youth networking like this. Here is where the problem lies. That’s where Arts4Lyfe comes in. They aim to change the way young people access growth, resilience and progress. In doing so, events like this will no longer be just a one off. As one audience member expressed, “you just don’t get a lot of this these days”. But, the truth is, that when such opportunities are made available, we as young people want to fully immerse ourselves in a venture that could take us to new levels. An evidently diverse creative scene is right on our doorsteps, so maybe it’s just about opening people’s eyes to it- even if that is just for two and a half hours. With Arts4Lyfe:The Motive, the outcomes truly are limitless.
Arts4Lyfe:The Motive takes place on the first Wednesday of every month in Sandwell and we are looking to expand to Dudley and Walsall.
Written by Tiah Shepherd.
Lyfeproof
Lyfeproof – Finding creative ways to get young people life ready. Particularly through mind-set. Explaining things that help you move forward in life or prevent negative outcomes. Creating experiences and invite people to join. Sharing knowledge across sports, arts, sciences, financial literacy, employability mental health & wellbeing.
Our Vision: Imagine a world where people understand their brains enough to make better decisions, then imagine fully understanding money to never be at its mercy; now thread both with individual and collective purpose so that poverty and disadvantage can be overcome for generations to come.
Our Mission: Lyfeproof works to help young people towards well being. We aim to do this by what you see (online experiences with us), or what you feel (our events, workshops or programmes).
Our Intuition: We believe in sharing things that are proven to work for different people.
If you care enough to share and would like to blog for Lyfeproof, please email info@Lyfeproof.co.uk. Use “I want to Blog for Lyfeproof” as the subject header. We appreciate you all.
