Ipswich Creatives MeetUp: Retrospective
It was an absolute honour to host the Ipswich Creatives Meetup collaboration with Suffolk Pride. The focus of the evening was a panel discussion with local queer creatives about what it means to be a lgbtq+ artist. We honestly could have spoken all night, and this conversation was very much the beginnings of a dialogue that is worth pursuing further. Many of the panel spoke upon labels; what value labels have to them as a queer person, as an artist and whether they give them personal worth. If I were to summarise what was said it would go something like this… There are multiple moments in any individual’s life where labels make them feel seen, validated, and appreciated. But as we learn more about ourselves and accept everything that we are, the initial significance we place upon those labels fades away. Self-acceptance and not being affected by the judgements and expectations of others goes way beyond having a label. We transcend everything that is put onto us.
We also talked a lot about community; having a queer community both online and in person, having a thriving creative community and how this interacts with an entire regional community. The connections that can be made between people, who they are and what they create is endless. As queer people we all can note times where we have faced challenges which others will not experience. Having the support of each other, an outlet to express and process those experiences (creative or otherwise), being given or creating opportunity to showcase our true selves in which ever way we choose to… these are what are important. And when you reduce that to it’s bare bones you simply get something incredibly human. It is human nature to connect, to be loved, to express ourselves, to share our lives with others in ways which benefits all those present in that moment. Our individual experiences of the world create our own personal context to this, but this should only serve as opportunities to learn about one another and to understand how we are finding our own ways of reaching the same things.
Thank you to everyone that came along to the panel discussion. It was such a wonderful experience to host and create space for this conversation to happen. Thank you to all of the lovely panellists for taking the time to be with us and for sharing their lives with everyone. Thank you to Suffolk Pride and Led Creatives for bringing together this event and for asking me to lead to conversation. Thank you to Eastern Angles for supplying the venue for what was a wholesome and loving evening.
The panel:
Ellena Woolf, she/they: Spoken Word Artist
Jobie, he/him: Musician
Tiah, she/they: Musician
Sharpay, she/they: Artist
Thomas Evans, he/him: Fashion & Graphic Designer
Lindsey Woods, she/her: Theatre Producer
