“GROWING UP IN CARDIFF, MY FAMILY WANTED ME TO PICK A SAFE CAREER.”; “WE GET NO SUPPORT FOR NON-TRADITIONAL CAREERS, IN OUR ENVIRONMENT THERE’S LITTLE UNDERSTANDING OF CREATIVE CHOICES.”; “FAITH BASED RESTRICTIONS EXIST IN MY COMMUNITY. IDEALLY I WANT TO BE IN CONTROL OF MY CAREER WITHIN MY OWN BELIEF SYSTEM.”
In our creative careers, we want agency. It’s something that’s important to all artists; to have control of your own narrative. But too often we’re poorly understood, and people expect us to work within a certain context. How often do white artists get asked to make work which speaks about their whiteness, or speak on behalf of white people? We are asked to reflect our ethnicity, and to opportunities available to us. Sometimes all we are is a tickbox, a target that has to be met. And even when there’s good intentions we are rarely understood, frequently drowned out by other voices that dominate the room. It is tiresome to be in the minority, to have to explain your perception and be questioned on your experience. We want to put on the show, not be put on show. “If we’re bouncing together we’re good, otherwise by yourself you’re just on show in a dominantly white space.”; “We need access without a hidden agenda, someone from within the community so people are in it together.”; “It’s good to be in this space with my people and discuss ideas and visions. I’m tired of being invited by white organisations, they want to keep hearing about pain and problems. IT’S TRAUMA PORN.” speak for people of our ethnic background, on a regular basis. Sometimes those are the only
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