Diversity in the Creative Economy

Local Producer Commemorates Juneteenth with ‘Talk Eat Art’ Event

June 6, 2018 By upstatecreative

[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]Every year on June 19th, Black Americans celebrate “Juneteenth” to commemorate the day Union Officer General Gordon Granger issued an order to slave masters in Galveston, Texas to free enslaved Africans.

*Kaciem Swain, Founder and Creative Director of Velvet Rope Group*

This was necessary since the Emancipation Proclamation, announced by President Lincoln about three years before, did not have jurisdiction over Confederate states like Texas and technically didn’t free a single enslaved Black person. Even after it was law, there was minimal support in enforcing the law.

In the Capital Region, a local entrepreneur is producing an event that not only celebrates the Emancipation of Black people, but celebrates the creative impact Black people have made in the region. Through art, poetry and music, Talk Eat Art, or T.E.A. is an event that has been happening for 4 years in the Capital Region, but this year, the event also commemorates an important day in Black History.

Kaciem Swain (aka @CampaignSwain) is the Founder and Creative Director of Velvet Rope Group, an experiential special events company. He says he decided to celebrate freedom and economic development for people of color rather than a history of slavery and inequality. Six venues, over a thousand tickets sold, and 100 performances later, this year’s event will be held at Proctors Theatre on June 15th.

Swain wants to provide a platform for artists, musicians, and creatives of color to share their talents. His event promotion career began as a teenage protegee with a series called “Rock The Mic.” That started Swain on a path to creating a diverse range of experiences and events, like He said She said, a forum about love, intimacy and relationships, and a writers forum called “A Penny for Your Thoughts”.

Swain wanted to offer a safe space for people to come together, eat, drink, and share constructive criticism in a safe creative environment.

Swain has also teamed up with entrepreneur Liska Wilson, marketing consultant, founder of the nonprofit She’s a Boss, and Busy Day co-owner. Together they created Think Tank Thursdays, a mastermind event series in which aspiring entrepreneurs, small business owners, and visionaries meet up and share ideas about success, innovation, and growth.

“The goal is to build relationships that are diverse and inclusive. Instead of focusing on us having seats at the table, we should focus on building a table together.” Swain also wants to help the creative economy as well through events like T.E.A., whose business model has changed to a profit sharing model where creatives are empowered to deliver and understand that they can create their own financial destiny. The new business model has allowed creatives to see the impact they can have from a business perspective.

I also got a chance to speak to a musician Jordan Taylor-Hill, who will be a part of the opening performance at T.E.A.

“Juneteenth for me personally means freedom of expression as an artist and a drummer. Practices like drumming were condemned and banned on plantations and places where Africans would gather. So to be able to perform , and commemorate people who have laid the groundwork and made this possible is an honor. I’m excited to be involved in this event.”

Tickets for TEA can be purchased at Proctors website. The event begins at 7pm. For more information, contact Velvet Rope Group.

Guest post by Ashleigh Kinsey, owner, AK Design[/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]

Are the Self-Employed Happier?

May 23, 2018 By upstatecreative

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Guest post by Ashleigh Kinsey, owner, AK Design

A new study has shown the self-employed both enjoy their work more and find it more rewarding – despite longer hours and less job security – than those who work for others.

The study found that those who were self-employed were not only amongst the most engaged, but also experienced greater opportunities for innovation, achieving challenging targets and meeting high standards. Many people are intimidated by the prospect of going it alone, but there are plenty of consultancy firms that can help you, like SGI who guide contractors in setting up their own business, so you’re never really alone if you do want to take that leap.

Do you find it shocking that self-employed people are happier? I don’t. With freelancing on the rise, and many reports showing that more and more people are either freelancing full time or as a “side hustle” It all comes down to independence, flexibility and freedom. Three things that would contribute to anyone’s happiness.

There was a time when businesses would hire an employee and that employee would be offered wonderful benefits and great retirement incentives, and people would generally work one job for many years of their life. They would work 40 hours per week year after year, and then be able to retire with a nice pension they could depend on.

Times have certainly changed. With glass ceilings in corporate jobs, and uncertainties around the future of benefits like social security, and retirement or pension plans, self-employed individuals are simply trying to build their own future, and a life they love. Certain people like to change their careers when they are no longer happy in their current one, especially if is having an impact on their life. A lot of people may decide to become self-employed in an area of work that they know they will enjoy, whilst others decide to join an organization in which they have a specific interest. For example, certain people who have knowledge and experience with medical cannabis may decide to go into the field as they could find that they enjoy this more than their current job. Read more here for further information about some jobs in this industry. Whichever route you decide to take though, whether that’s becoming self-employed or changing career, make sure that it is the right one for you and your personal happiness.

Then there’s the internet. This has leveled the playing field for many and allowed people to access a multitude of resources without gatekeepers. Freelancers on and off-line are making opportunities for themselves, not just waiting for handouts. That sort of independence is freeing, and makes freelancers feel in more control of their lives. Want to work at night vs. 9-5? No problem. A freelancer can adjust their schedule as much as they wish. As they become more efficient in their work, that boosts confidence, (making them happier) and allows them to be a more valuable freelancer.

Many times those who moonlight are doing it to get a sense of fulfillment. Perhaps the job pays the bills, but is not engaging enough. Or maybe they went to school for music, and when they got out of college, could not find a job in their field, and had to settle for another option to pay the bills and student loans.

Kierra Jones of Kierra Jones Inc, has said; “For me personally, happier isn’t the word. I believe that is something only the individual can express and it’s completely subjective and case by case. What I will say is I do believe we are more fulfilled. I believe although sometimes we find ourselves doing some tasks we don’t love, we are ok to do them because we see how they lead back into our bigger picture vision. Working for your dream feels massively different then building someone else’s.”

“I don’t know if self-employed people are happier. I know that I am happier as a self-employed person. There are many pros to being self-employed they’re almost endless depending upon who you ask. The specific one, for me is time flexibility. There are also many cons however I think the first one that comes to mind are the fluctuations in income.” says Chef Tiffany Davis.

Kathleen McLean, of The McLean Group mentioned that “Yes I think people who have their own are happier because they can choose their clients. We also have flexibility in when and how we work. The pros in my business is I can see and feel the changes. The cons is it is a long sale cycle. People need to trust me to invite me to engage in difficult dialogue. It is a risk and sometimes people have had negative experiences with previous consultants in my field. I keep going because I need to eradicate systemic racism in every single institution and empower others with new tools to do the same”

These are just some of the reasons people are taking their lives into their own hands and creating their best life. When a person does that – it makes them happy knowing they are doing what they love, even if they are working more hours. The boring tasks are still there, but being on a path you create for yourself, and seeing that pathway lead you to more and more opportunities for happiness would be worth it, right? What are your thoughts? Are you self-employed? Do you moonlight? Do you feel you are happier? Share your thoughts in the new Facebook Group![/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]

Solving Diversity Issues in the Creative Economy

April 16, 2018 By upstatecreative

Guest post by Ashleigh Kinsey, owner, AK Design

On April 11, 2018, ACE had a Creative Economy event with the subject “Open Forum: Diversity in the Creative Economy.”

The purpose of this meeting was to engage members of the community and have a conversation about diversity in upstate New York’s Creative Economy. Although this is the fourth largest employment sector, providing over 35,000 jobs to Capital Region residents, there is an issue with diversity. U.S. Census data reports that in July 2016, 76.9% of those who took the census reported they identified as white alone, with 13.3% identifying as Black alone.

As a lifelong resident of Troy and Albany NY, I can tell you those numbers seemed accurate when I was in grade school, but in 2016 I personally saw much more diversity. And in 2018, my daughter attends an elementary school with students from all over the globe, in a predominantly non-white classroom. I would love to take the time to sit with my daughter one day to really research our family history – we might visit here for starters and take a look at old census records to see what that can tell us. I want her to only be proud of who she is and where she comes from.

Although there are many groups and organizations in the Capital Region that cater to Creative Industries, they are quite separate culturally. Organizations like ACE and Power Breakfast Club have been instrumental in providing ways to bridge the gap and truly work towards a greater, more inclusive creative economy. However, nationally recognized organizations, of which I had a membership, did not make me feel welcome as a woman of color.

The Open Forum, moderated by Ada Harper of 518blk.com, had 5 panelists:

DJ Trumaster, Founder of Beat Shot Productions,
Dale Davidson, Owner of Umana Restaurant and Wine Bar,
Bhawin Suchak, Executive Director of Youth FX,
Hana van der Kolk, Troy-based touring Choreographer and Performance Artist,
and myself, Ashleigh Kinsey, Owner of AK Design, Digital Media Services and Consulting.

Panelists shared their experiences in the Creative Economy, and the successes and struggles they have overcome to get where they are today. Many of the stories shared were successes that have come out of the need to create something for others like themselves, as many times they were the ones being left without a seat at the table. The conversation went on. How do we create a truly inclusive environment for creatives of any race, culture, gender, etc. to come together and share their gifts and voices in a way that benefits the entire community?

After a formal discussion, the audience asked their questions of the panel, and many were of the same common thread. What do we need to do? How do we do it? What would the next step be? Organizations need to be more inclusive and not just plan a diversity event, but make diversity a part of the planning for every event.

One of my suggestions was to create a community within ACE that would provide a digital Rolodex of sorts, and include the freelancers and professionals involved with ACE between event times. A network where these creatives could share their ideas and collaborate with one another. ACE networking events have been a wonderful resource for me as a creative to meet other creative folks and has lit a fire in me when it comes to creating change in my community. I appreciate the event, and the opportunity to share my thought on it. I certainly hope this conversation does not die as mere words and ideas, but lives and thrives on the energy it has been given to make the Capital Region one of the most diverse, and creative regions in the country.

If any part of this article has stirred you, feel free to write to me by clicking here. I encourage you to take action and get involved with ACE and your Creative Economy. For other events and more information, visit https://www.upstatecreative.org/.

This is a guest post contributed by a member of the ACE community. Guest posts do not necessarily reflect the views or represent official statements from ACE or ACE partners.[/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]