In this full interview Sandwell's own Lumi HD discusses her life as a singer songwriter and performing artist in the West Midlands. Lumi discovered her voice in her teenage years by chance at church, when she was informed they needed an Alto for the Church Choir and was sent home to practice. Despite being shy and running away after finishing her early solos, Lumi persevered and developed a love of music as she was encouraged to keep going. After studying popular music at the Wolverhampton University Lumi travelled playing a variety of gigs and recalls a jazz festival she played at in Norway. When Lumi became a Mother her relationship with music changed and she realised her love for it went far beyond short term fame and she now finds the most meaningful gigs are the ones she plays closer to home in the region. She believes Midlands audiences are uniquely warm and family friendly and believes this could be the key to encouraging more talent to develop in the West Midlands and attract investment into the region. Lumi outlines if we continue to encourage creativity in each other, connect and share opportunities we may finally be able to step into the spotlight and let the world see who we are.You can find her @LumiHD on instagram and her music on spotify just search for Lumi HD.Visit our website at www.creativityandculturewm.comFollow us on instagram: @creativityandculturewm - tik tok:@creativityandculturewmSubscribe and leave a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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27:30
Fran Richards - BONUS CONTENT
In this full interview we hear from Fran Richards a freelance Creative Practitioner and Director who works closely with the Arena and Grand Theatres in Wolverhampton running their joint youth theatre programme. Fran talks about her journey in to theatre and how it began from a very early age when she watched her Grandparents VHS videos of popular musicals over and over again and performed to old ladies on the bus. She opens up about the disappointment she felt when she didn't get into a national drama school, but also how this inspired her to make the most of every opportunity open to her during her time at Wolverhampton University. Fran's passion for theatre has grown beyond a desire to be on the West End, as she has learnt more about the transformational power of theatre and seen what a difference it makes to the young people she works with, when they get the opportunities to write plays, produce them and star in them. Now twelve years into her career Fran realises not getting into a national drama school was the best thing for her as she now has the opportunity to make a difference to her community whilst enjoying the Black Country's beloved orange chips.You can find her at Fran Richards on facebook, or @arena_theatre on instagramVisit our website at www.creativityandculturewm.comFollow us on instagram: @creativityandculturewm - tik tok:@creativityandculturewmSubscribe and leave a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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42:13
Futures
In this final episode of the series Satnam and Robbie consider the future of creativity and culture in the West Midlands. They ask where next and consider what they've learnt from listening to those working across the sectors and again we head to the Black Country and speak to two women who believe that investing and encouraging our creatives and keeping them connected to local communities and grass roots initiatives with a focus on delivering creative education is the way forward. Fran Richards is a freelance Creative Practitioner and Director who works closely with the Arena and the Grand Theatres in Wolverhampton running their youth theatre programme. After missing her opportunity to go to Dram School, Fran's career took a different direction which changed her life and forced her to develop her networking skills. She is now a passionate advocate of creative education not only in theatres but across disciplines and determined to show the young people she works with just how many creatives are working successfully across the West Midlands. Fran is the Senior Practitioner at the Gran Arena Theatre and you can find her at Fran Richards on facebook, or @arena_theatre on instagramWe also hear from Lumi HD who is a Sandwell based singer songwriter and performing artist. Lumi discovered her voice in her teenage years by chance at church, when the head of the Choir told her to go home and practice because they needed an alto to harmonise. After getting over her initial nerves and feeling the encouragement from the other choir members Lumi developed her love of music and went on to study popular music at the Wolverhampton University. Having played at large and small venues she admits the most meaningful gigs she has played, have been here in the Midlands where the audiences continue to encourage and the network of musicians continue to connect and share opportunities. Lumi believes we are at an exciting moment and if creatives can connect and continue to support each other, we may finally be able to step into the spotlight and let the world see who we are.You can find her @LumiHD on instagram and her music on spotify just search for Lumi HD.Visit our website at www.creativityandculturewm.comFollow us on instagram: @creativityandculturewm - tik tok:@creativityandculturewmSubscribe and leave a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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40:08
Bag Lord - BONUS CONTENT
In this full interview we hear from Wolverhampton's very own Bag Lord who talks about his role and function as an artist in the city he loves. He discusses some of the barriers people face when thinking of themselves as creative and his love/hate relationship with social media. He also talks about the benefits of art and creativity on mental health and how if marketed properly it can not only become part of the city's identity, but attract tourism to its cultural gems.Finally he talks about how he and other protesters set up a petition and took to the streets after hearing that Wolverhampton School of Art was set to be demolished and what a crime it would be to lose the School, as it has a long history of providing top class art education to working class artists from the Black Country and beyond. He believes a universal basic income could enrich hyperlocal scenes and urban areas by funding artists to engage with their communities more.You can find him @b4g_lord and pop in to see the community arts space @01902.urbanrooms in the centre of WolverhamptonVisit our website at www.creativityandculturewm.comFollow us on instagram: @creativityandculturewm - tik tok:@creativityandculturewmSubscribe and leave a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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32:25
Place
Today's episode of Creativity and Culture West Midlands is all about place. Satnam and Robbie discuss place and placemaking, as we head over to the Black Country to meet two people who live, work and love telling the stories of the places they live.Samatha Prescott, Creative Director and Founder of Fashion Talent and Black History CIC is based in Dudley and uses vintage fashion, music and re-enactment events to bring black history and Caribbean migration stories to life. As part of the Forging Ahead Advisory panel for @bclivingmuseum @fashiotalenthistory has helped the Museum explore new stories and showcase the role of Caribbean migrants and subsequent generations in shaping the culture of Dudley and the wider region. We also hear from Bag Lord a Wolverhampton based visual artist who works loves Wolverhampton and sees his function as an artist in the city as holding space for people that don't typically view themselves as creative. @b4g_lord talks about how he considers identity through art and how artists have the opportunity to contribute to constructing a city's identity and a sense of place. He discusses the benefits of being able to be an artist and have a life in Wolverhampton and his recent efforts along with other protesters to save the School of Art in Wolverhampton.Visit our website at www.creativityandculturewm.comFollow us on instagram: @creativityandculturewm - tik tok:@creativityandculturewmSubscribe and leave a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Where creativity and culture meets ambition in the heart of the West Midlands.Join former BBC Arts and culture correspondent Satnam Rana and Birmingham based artist Robbie Dalal as they journey through the vibrant cultural landscape of the West Midlands. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the region's most compelling creative voices – the dreamers and doers shaping the future of the West Midlands creative powerhouse. Fresh from Coventry's triumphant City of Culture and Birmingham's Commonwealth Games cultural spectacle, Creativity and Culture West Midlands asks the burning question: Can lightning strike twice? Can this dynamic region reclaim its heritage as the ‘Creative Workshop of the World?’ Intimate, revealing, and unapologetically local – hear the full, unfiltered stories of artists, performers, and cultural innovators carving out their place in the West Midlands' creative renaissance. Subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop weekly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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