Colchester Creativity
Three days in to our North Essex adventure and I found myself sitting around a breakfast club table, eating croissants and discussing the creative Colchester opportunities with the lovely people @15QueenStreet.
Cripes.
@15QueenStreet is essentially a creative hub with collaboration between @firstsite, the Arts Council and @creativecoop. The physical space boasts of:
“…a brand new meeting space in Colchester’s town centre. Whether you run a local business, training workshops or a community group, the venue provides a stunning, contemporary meeting space that’s affordable for every occasion.”
Stunning though the surroundings are, it is of course the people that make @15QueenStreet so unique. Working in isolation isn’t good for the soul. An informal network of connected workers doubles, trebles, and even quadruples the opportunities and contacts available.
I’ve been following online the work of @15QueenStreet and @CoolColchester ahead of the Great Escape. The plan was always to join up, but only if I could find that my own *ahem* creativity could be accommodated.
I would have balked at the idea in the past of turning up for breakfast in a boardroom full of strangers. Experiences such as Tuttle have taught me however that you’re either an observer on the outside, or you participate within.
I needn’t have worried. Bike locked up around the back of the bus station, buzzer buzzed, and soon I was breakfasting with a lovely bunch of strangers, whom hopefully will soon become a lot more familiar.
I felt something of a fraud amongst a breakfast table of genuine creators. The only thing I create is ideas in my head, which *occasionally* lead to some form of action. But amongst the artists, graphic designers and producers, I pondered that perhaps creativity isn’t always about the physical.
Much of my work involves creating digital content within education. Outside of the bill paying and there’s my interest in photography. I’ve also been known to be something of an art lover whilst at The Oval, as well as a different type of artist altogether after an afternoon spent in the Long Room.
We talked about the area, my ambitions and shared connections. The fine @dougald is a common contact. It is no coincidence that the spirit of what @dougald and @spacemkrs have achieved in South London, is now starting to take shape out on the Essex coast. The Hidden Kiosk Project at Colchester Bus Station draws direction inspiration from the #brixvill pop up mentality.
I’m not sure why I was surprised to find this bottom up approach to the arts as soon as I became Essex bound. Twenty years ago and my Sunny Colch arts experience involved getting rather ‘tired and emotional’ at a University Psychedelic Society Disco.
This form of creative collaboration is definitely a condition of the economic circumstances. There’s not a lot of dosh out there for anyone. The agenda has switched from blatant capitalism (if that ever was the case for the artistic community) to one of co-operation.
In genuine practical terms, my visit was a success in sourcing a local swimming pool. @MarcDe_ath got out a map (digital, natch) and gave me a brief guided tour of the Wivenhoe Trail down to my waters of choice. That has to be worth signing up on the dotted line for a flexi-membership I thought.
I’m not sure what direction this will take me, but certainly the social side of @15QueenStreet seems like a hell of a lot of fun. There are weekly Thursday evening events covering film and talks. But it’s the network that is now available to me that I hope will prove more beneficial.
I keep on coming back to the one quote that remained with me from my day spent at the #lno10 conference:
“If you want to get something done, set up network. Slow it down, set up an organisation.”
Top, top, tea btw.
