On May 21, 2024, I joined creatives from the West Midlands for the West Midlands Ownership Hub Launch.
The event was packed with exciting sessions that broke the concept of co-operatives apart. (Yes, I stumbled a bit about the spelling too, and yes, the hyphen is the British way of writing the word, thank you!)
Dr. Vishalaskhi Roy, Rose Marley, James de le Vigne, and Dr. Karen Wood shared valuable insights on Shared Ownership and the Economy. We explored case studies of successful co-operatives through the experiences of Stephen Hawkes and Marine Akter (The Developer Society), Jonny Graney (founder of Artefact Stirchley), and Aardman Animations.
Networking always feels like stepping into the unknown for me. I am not a stranger to entering the ‘unknown’—I left everything in my home country to start afresh in Birmingham, but networking is a different kind of ‘unknown’.
As I looked around, I tried to find someone to connect with or a topic to start a conversation. My first chat was serendipitous—a lady took my seat when I got up to drop my coffee cup. A perfect icebreaker! Now I don’t remember her name. Again, the thing with networking is that you cannot hold all the information in your head.
Then, I met Paul O’Donnell, an artist extraordinaire with an impressive background in stage and other art forms. He’s been involved in the Shoot Festival and the Museum of Me. (You should check the projects out!)
Here’s what I’m learning about networking: sometimes, you just have to embrace the awkwardness. Let me tell you why.
Several times, I moved around the Fazeley Lounge awkwardly, telling myself, “Today is the day I finally introduce myself to Lara Ratnaraja.”
Lara was one of the first people I followed on LinkedIn who works in the West Midlands arts and culture scene. She’s always sharing the latest happenings in the region. I’d seen her at an art opening before but felt too lily-livered to introduce myself.
This time, I did it. I patiently waited until she finished her conversations. Yes, I became that stranger lingering on the sidelines. Hesitant to jump into an ongoing conversation, I didn’t want to intrude on something private.
But when my turn came, Lara was so warm and welcoming. She could finally put a face to the name that frequently visits her LinkedIn profile. Sometimes, you just have to check for updates, right?
And when you are comfortable networking, extend grace to the awkward like me. Shout out to Nikki Tapper for being kind and drawing me into that chat when she saw me just hanging around the corners.
Thank you, Dr. Vishalaskhi Roy, for that reminder about how I frame my business. “Don’t say small.” I agree that what you call it also affects the way people perceive it.
The event kept the spirit of co-operatives alive. The event photographer belongs to a photographer co-op—The Commercial Photographers Network. The dance performance was done by a dance co-op. How cool that is?
Thank you, Jo Ind, for putting this together. The idea of the hub is to continue to spread the gospel of co-ops by organising more events that draw attention to the idea and its benefits to businesses in the region. So, if you are interested, head over to the comments; I have popped useful links in there.
There is so much happening in the West Midlands Combined Authority regarding creative businesses. I hope to continue to post about my experience being part of some of these projects, especially as a new immigrant, and perhaps some specifics that event programmers need to consider.
I’ll leave you with some lines from the poetry and dance performance by Jasmine Gardosi and Dance Cooperative, Birmingham, which closed the event:
“Your knuckles come together, look how they make a fist / The closer they sit on your palm, the tighter they grip / If muscles are part of a group, they learn when to push and pull… If your vessels are linked in a chain, your body will find its rhythm… Be part of it, so we don’t start alone. Be part of it, we have what it takes to outmanoeuvre a giant.”
True for co-ops, true for creatives.
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My name is Temitayo and I work with StoriesClick. We use words and images (photography+short videos and more) to tell brand stories. Why have a beautiful event when you can mine a month’s worth of content from it?
Let’s talk!