On this issue you will find all about the free online Creative Futures programme, which is starting again in August. We are also very excited to share with you a sneak peek to our FERIALATINA happening the third week in September. In "Our Volunteers Corner" we have a beautiful artwork done by Maha Al-Khattab along with a meaningful reflection on how cultures so far apart can be so similar... unknowingly. You can also enjoy "In Conversation with..." a boss interview with Mandla Langa, author of the second volume of Nelson Mandela's biography

Please let us know what you think and if you would like to contribute give me shout on
betty@lumacreations.org

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CREATIVE FUTURES    by Max P Alder

Creative Futures is a programme designed for freelance entrepreneurs in the creative arts and cultural sector. The UK has a thriving creative economy with 95% of creative industry businesses run by small teams or by individual artists. This means that more creatives were starting businesses on their own before the pandemic which has now made it a necessity to adjust the way people work, using different types of technology to communicate and to develop an alternative way of working with more autonomous start-ups choosing to remain working remotely for the foreseeable future.


Developing an administrative bridge that creative entrepreneurs must incorporate as part of their physical working life is a challenge for those who are used to expressing their thoughts and imagination through the medium of their art. Creative Futures helps bridge that knowledge gap and delivers a programme in Developing Professional Practise in the area of freelancing,  and portfolio careers in the Cultural sector introducing participants to project planning/management; budgeting & funding; networking; marketing; teamwork; collaborations; portfolio careers & basic workshop delivery. Creative Futures have adapted the way in which the course is delivered and an online network event with industry professionals has already taken place in July, and the third and final training cohort will be delivered online.

Luma Creations has a strong history of delivering training to creative professionals, as well as acting as a mentor and guide to a wide range of individuals and organisations involved in the Creative and Community sectors. Examples of this include Epic – Producing Community Events, a training programme in 2017 for unemployed professionals delivered through a series of accredited and unaccredited courses in event management, digital learning areas and personal development, as well as an ongoing commitment to supporting artists, creatives and community engagers through formal and informal events and networking events.

We were successful again in 2019 in securing funding from the European Social Fund’s Community Grants Programme, to deliver the Creative Futures – Developing Creative Professional Practice training programme. The course delivers unaccredited training sessions over an eight to ten-week period, providing learning over four main areas: Personal Development, Project Planning, Digital Literacy and Workshop Delivery.
In Personal Development students learn about: What the requirements are for working as a self-employed/freelance worker; Developing a Curriculum Vitae & Personal Statement; Letter writing and Interview Techniques; Creating an E-portfolio.

In Project Planning the course covers: The Fundamentals of Project Planning; Risk Assessment; Production; Marketing and Promotion; Staffing; Budgeting.

In Digital Literacy participants get to grips with: ICT Literacy (understanding and using technology); Accessing and using Online Information; Introduction to Social Media in the Workplace.

In Workshop Delivery students explored: How to produce a Workshop Plan; Delivering Creative Sessions; How to use Arts & Creativity to develop Health & Wellbeing Workshops.

We started the first of three training cohorts in John Archer Hall in October 2019, with fourteen students enrolling for the course with creative backgrounds including visual arts, broadcasting, design and making, dance, the written word, film, photography, and sculpture. All the sessions were delivered by Francisco Carrasco and P. Max Alder.

The training sessions were a mix of seminar presentations and group work, with students encouraged to share their own creative backgrounds and experiences, and because they all bought into this, the sessions were fun, interesting, productive and ultimately extremely positive in moving the participants, all at very different points in their creative journeys, to a place where they felt they had the knowledge and tools to work as a freelance, self-employed creative. And this is clear from the feedback given after completion:

‘This course helped me to find out my capacity to achieve my goals and how to be more confident in what I want to do’

‘Very well delivered. Excellent for new entrepreneurs’

‘I enjoyed this course. The group were very kind and everyone tried to help each other’

‘The decision to continue after the course is a great idea’

For the second training cohort, we partnered with Liverpool Libraries and Information Services to deliver the training at Central Library, and eleven students enrolled for the course which started in the last week of February. Despite the gathering pace of concern with this new virus which seemed to be affecting the whole world, we were keen to carry on with the training, and managed to deliver three sessions before the lockdown hit us. This was a hugely confusing time, with no one knowing what was really happening, what was going to happen, or how long things would remain in lockdown, but the delivery of face-to-face training was not going to be happening for quite a while. As an organisation, we had to quickly adapt and find alternative ways working, whilst retaining quality in what we did. All around us we could see organisations posting all sorts online, or setting up live discussions online, but we felt that a lot of this content was weak, not well thought through and difficult for people to engage with.

So, we regrouped, developed our technical ability and hardware and were ready to continue delivering the course online via Zoom sessions, four weeks after the lockdown was introduced. Unfortunately, some of the participants had their own issues to deal with in the lockdown and dropped out of the course, but six remained and completed the course by the middle of June. It was an interesting shift in how we normally worked, but the students remained fully engaged, shared their own experiences, and responded well to what they were being taught.

And now, with the situation again rapidly changing, we have adjusted the course slightly with, regard to what might happen in the creative industries short and long-term, for the third and final training cohort which will be delivered online, twice a week over August, and we are currently recruiting for participants.

Max P Alder
July 2020

by Francisco Carrasco

In these unprecedented times LUMA Creations took the decision to deliver an online Festival of Latin American Culture. After much deliberation FERIALATINA was born.
 
Our festival online will take place 14-19 September. You will be able to see a full schedule in our August REVISTA.

 
We are really excited and proud to have been able to bring together some incredibly talented artists and producers from Latin America to share their work, their experiences and their culture. We are bringing you performances, talks, workshops, discussions of Latin American arts and culture.
 
We have asked some of our young people to read stories from Latin America for the week and we will also have a short Yoga class in Spanish from our Yoga Teacher, Estibaliz Moure Abad (Chile)
 
LUMA Creations will be presenting a number of musical concerts from their workshop including LUMA Trio with iconic songs from the South; Francisco performing a set of his own compositions with guest guitarist Philip Garrett and Saranne Carrasco-Brennan will be sharing the stage with her father Oscar. We also have an exciting performance Gabriel Nelson Alder performing an acoustic set of Santana songs
 
Thanks to Arts Council England Emergency Covid-19 Fund we were able to commission Latin American Artists who have worked with us over the years, based primarily in the UK, to create exciting, online content.
The commissions include:

• Jose Navarro (Peru) an internationally acclaimed mime and puppetry master who has participated in numerous international festivals in as wide as Russia, Spain, China, Brazil, Vietnam, Turkey, Iran and many more.
• Mestisa (South America) are an exciting South American folk band playing a variety of folk songs using traditional instruments from the region including the Charango, Cuatro, Quena and Bombo.
• Colibri (Mexico) led by Magaly Flores, Colibri is a vibrant Company based in Manchester that presents traditional Mexican dance, promoting the cultural context of the dances and creating wonderful and colourful performances.
• Cusan Theatre (Colombia) creates and performs interactive street theatre shows, walkabouts and workshops. Inspired by her Colombian roots and artistic background, Tanya Cusan brings to life incredible characters, introducing the audience to some amazing mythological creatures inspired by Latin American culture and her mother's stories.
• La Doctrina (Chile) Beautiful Latin Blues band who took part in our 2019 Latin American Festival and will be joining us from the very south of Chile.

 

We will also have interviews and conversations with our commissioned artists about their work and the challenges they are facing to continue to be active and creative in the face of such difficult times.

Francisco Carrasco
July 2020