Creative Careers

Creative Careers is aimed at young people who want to work in the arts, the creative industries or as creative entrepreneurs.

Usually, Creative Careers sessions take place at the Barbican, but this year we've brought everything online, to help keep you feeling creative and engaged throughout these difficult times.

Barbican Guildhall Creative Learning develop these learning sessions to encourage young people to engage in some of the topics and attributes we believe are crucial to becoming future leaders in the creative sectors.

For this Creative Careers session, we wanted to do things a little differently and make space on our platform to amplify the voices of Justice for Black Lives, an organisation we think are making a difference in the fight against racism and inequality. We hope that, through sharing the perspectives of some of the members of Justice for Black Lives, we are able to spark genuine debate and reflection amongst young people who wish to develop a career in the creative industry.

We recognise that the Barbican and Guildhall School must address and dismantle systemic racism in our own organisations. Presenting work like this is only the start, and we know we’ve got to take tangible actions to become anti-racist organisations, including diversifying our workforce and arts and learning programmes. Read more about the Barbican's commitments to anti-racism and from the Guildhall School.

Introduction from Creative Careers' Joseph Gray

'With a fresh start for 2021 just around the corner, we’re bringing this year’s Creative Careers series to a close with a suitably poignant set of contributions. We’re constantly blown away by the thoughtfulness and positivity of contributors to this series, and it’s a huge privilege to be able to call upon brilliant young talent to bring these exchanges to life.

This year certainly hasn’t been straightforward for any of us, but the murder of George Floyd in May brought into sharp focus the racism that so many people still face every single day around the world. What has happened since then has given new urgency to this movement, with protests rightly gaining more prominence than before, as well as individual, collective and institutional recognition of white privilege, and the structural racism it supports.

Justice for Black Lives is a grassroots campaigning organisation, founded this year around the time the Black Lives Matter movement came to global prominence. The group hopes that with the right tools, allies, language, and technologies, we can shape a new reality here in the UK; one that moves beyond tolerance, to become actively anti-racist. We’re delighted to have invited some key team members to reflect on 2020, and to share their thoughts on leading the UK into a significantly better future.'

Twitter: @jforbacklives / Instagram: @justice_forblacklives

Further Learning
Watch: Fighting the Power: Britain after George Floyd (BBC iPlayer)
Read: Abolitionist Futures Reading List

Joseph Gray works as a consultant across youth, public and third sector spaces, with a commitment to social mobility and with a strong focus on work being genuinely useful. He currently works with Barbican, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Bloody Good Period, and is a trustee with Sour Lemons.

Baby Blue

Instagram: @babyblue_ldn

I’m Baby Blue, self-proclaimed public speaker. I now hold decolonisation workshops for young people in my local area. Like my fellow drill artists, I wear a mask because the surveillance state is very real.

Can you sum up 2020 for us?
This year has been full of uncertainties birthed out of crises. The life-threatening pandemic forced us all to question what really matters to us as individuals but also to us as a society.

What is your day to day work, and what do you love about it?
I’m a true academic at heart, studying Social Anthropology, Abolitionism, and Queer Theory. I love studying because it provides theoretical avenues for understanding injustice and how to combat it.

Whose work from your industry has really helped shape your own work, and why?
Combining the works of Foucault and bell hooks has been fundamental in understanding the history of power and how it affects those of overlapping minoritised identities in both interpersonal and structural ways.

How does your day job influence your work with Justice for Black Lives (JfBL)?
Educating myself on privilege allows me to be conscious of the power dynamics present within JfBL. We aim to function as a microcosm for progressive society: where the most oppressed voices amongst us take centre stage.

What does the work of JfBL mean to you personally?
JfBL channels my rage. Living amongst white supremacy is heavy, but taking steps to support our community makes it all worthwhile. I’m comforted knowing that in this oppressive context, the Joy we cultivate here is radical.

What change would you like to see across London and the UK’s creative institutions in 2021?
In London and especially in the creative industries, we need safe spaces: a normalisation of accountability culture so we can address oppressive behaviour, correct it and move on.

'Living amongst white supremacy is heavy, but taking steps to support Black communities provides us hope '

What advice would you give to UK arts institutions on how they can make progress in their anti-racism work?
Anti-racism must run through institutions, from their workers’ rights all the way to their donations, subsidies, and content creation. UK arts institutions need to decolonise their art: catering to the tastes of all - not just the elite.

How can we maintain the energy and momentum from spring and early summer this year, avoiding the fatigue and frustration that could creep in?
Maintain your energy by balancing your consumption of Black trauma with Black Joy. Supplement your intake of great Black artists with Black Liberation literature and keep fighting the good fight!

What reason do we have to feel positive when it comes to anti-racism work here in the UK?
Since the BLM protests this summer, revolutionary steps have been made by activists and community campaigners to generate abolitionist change. These steps show hope and promise for a better, decolonised Britain.

Rachael Mallam

Instagram: @queenraylahxo

Hi, I’m Rachael Mallam. I’m a mum to a beautiful little girl, also a healthcare nurse and a fashion designer. I absolutely love making people happy. I’m one of those people you meet and never forget.

Can you sum up 2020 for us?
2020 has been a year of ups and downs for the Black community but we have always and will always come out stronger and ready to push for equal rights and equality against any unjust system.

What is your day to day work, and what do you love about it?
I work as a healthcare nurse. When it comes to my job in healthcare, I enjoy helping others and making people even a little bit more comfortable and happier, no matter their predicament.

Whose work from your industry has really helped shape your own work, and why?
My mum was an amazing nurse and I fondly look back on the passion she had for caring for others. I carry this passion in my career and justice work now. My mum truly crafted me into the person I am today.

How does your day job influence your work with Justice for Black Lives (JfBL)?
As a healthcare nurse, I do a lot of reading and research on the inadequate care Black and Brown people receive from the NHS because of the legacy of racial injustice in the healthcare sector.

What does the work of JfBL mean to you personally?
JfBL is one of the blueprints for the change needed in Britain. Young, Black people from different backgrounds coming together to fight for a common goal - it’s my idea of radical love, it’s what the world needs.

What change would you like to see across London and the UK’s creative institutions in 2021?
I would like to see the UK’s creative institutions be open to diversity, welcoming different communities, and being open to different cultures and their different forms of creativity.

What advice would you give to UK arts institutions on how they can make progress in their anti-racism work?
When it comes to anti-racism you have to look at yourself and the people around you and ask yourself if you’re doing enough to help the anti-racism movement. Self-awareness is very important.

'As a healthcare nurse I do a lot of reading and research on the inadequate care Black and Brown people receive from the NHS because of the legacy of racial injustice in the healthcare sector'

How can we maintain the energy and momentum from spring and early summer this year, avoiding the fatigue and frustration that could creep in?
Always remember we have to be resilient and remind ourselves that if we don’t help make a change the next generation will have to do what we couldn’t do, and we want a better world.

What reason do we have to feel positive when it comes to anti-racism work here in the UK?
Look back at the protests that happened this summer and the togetherness we all experienced and what we achieved in a short time. Nothing can stop us from reaching our goals if we keep pushing and believing.

Tierney Fauche

Instagram: @whyreasons

Curly haired girl.
An optimist for opportunities,
with a well-seasoned crazy personality.
Reasoned with an exotic decent,
Where her roots stem from empowerment.
1st Runner up of Miss Barbados UK 2019,
Poet.
Photographer.
I am Tee.

Can you sum up 2020 for us?
2020. This year has challenged many globally as individuals, communities, and countries. It has been a year of revolution, reconciliation, and reflection. It has taught us the unfulfilled promises of tomorrow and the gratefulness of the present.

What is your day to day work, and what do you love about it?
I currently work as a secondary SEN (Special Educational Needs) teacher in West London. Due to the unknown dyslexia I struggled with, I wanted to create a framework of support for those within SEN.

Whose work from your industry has really helped shape your own work, and why?
Marva Collins' style of teaching towards children with behavioural challenges has influenced me to implement high-quality effective teaching through pre-planned interventions. This pronounces universal, targeted, and specialist support towards the child in need.

How does your day job influence your work with Justice for Black Lives (JfBL)?
As an educator within a school and head of social media in JfBL, I use education as a tool for empowerment. I have faith in knowledge as a resource for change. I carry this with my students as well as in the fight against racial injustice.

What does the work of JfBL mean to you personally?
To me, JfBL means seeking change through education and community. We seek to be cogs for the machine of Black Liberation: turning oppression into freedom through knowledge and radical Black love.

'We want to have more equal opportunities within big industries - it gives hope to young people and facilitates self-actualisation'

What change would you like to see across London and the UK’s creative institutions in 2021?
I would like more positive representations of Black womxn, men, Non-Binary folk, and children being modelled within society. We want to have more equal opportunities within big industries - it gives hope to young people and facilitates self-actualisation.

What advice would you give to UK arts institutions on how they can make progress in their anti-racism work?
Challenge the constrictive notion that there is only one way to be British. Create paid internships that celebrate up and coming Black and Brown creatives throughout England, leveling the playing field and honoring talent.

How can we maintain the energy and momentum from spring and early summer this year, avoiding the fatigue and frustration that could creep in?
For non-Black people maintain your energy by reminding yourself that 'it is a privilege to learn about racism as opposed to experiencing it'. For Black people: your mere existence is resistance!

What reason do we have to feel positive when it comes to anti-racism work here in the UK?
Social media has been the main platform for getting Black Liberation to the masses, manifesting itself into tangible change for the Black community. Technology can be on our side!

If you're someone who works or wants to work in a creative industry, join us for our Creative Careers sessions. Each session introduces you to leading creatives and artists to discuss the state of the industry and how you can fit into it, shape it and make it work for you.

We are keen to experiment with new ways to get you more involved in future Creative Careers sessions - if you'd like to be considered or have an idea for a collaboration, please contact [email protected]. Creative Careers is presented jointly by the Barbican Centre and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

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Young Barbican is our free scheme for 14-25 year olds offering discounted access to unmissable art and entertainment as well as exclusive events and creative opportunities.

About Barbican Guildhall Creative Learning

Barbican Guildhall Creative Learning is a creative alliance pioneering new models for cultural learning across the art forms. Our mission is Creative Skills for Life and every year we deliver more than 40 programmes and events alongside 150 partners to over 22,000 participants.

^{The Barbican Guildhall Creative Learning programme is made possible through the contributions of our generous supporters, including Arts Council England.}