Slack huddles are all well and good, but collaboration and communication have a different kind of impact on creative thinking when they happen in person.
Which is why Converse and Dazed wanted to get the Open to Change All Stars and mentors together in person for the final session of the creative entrepreneur mentorship programme we’ve been running collaboratively for the past year. This time with an event centred on “making a difference” through creativity.
Hosted at 180 The Strand, London, the closing mentorship event saw three mini workshops and discussions focused on the commitment to, and call for, change in creative spaces that Samuel Ross laid out in the Dazed x Converse Manifesto for Change film.
The Converse x Dazed Open to Change initiative has seen eight young creatives, across disciplines including filmmaking, art direction, and fashion design taken under the wing of mentor Ross, who is the founder and creative director at A-Cold-Wall*. So far, Ross has guided the All Stars on everything from problem-solving to turning creativity into a successful business.
All Stars Fon and Fa Watkins, Jaimus Tailor, Reece Yeboah, Coco Mell and Nathan Clement joined mentors Ross and Yi Ng of A-Cold-Wall* and filmmaker Bafic at the event. Here’s what went down across the three sessions...
Head to head: A positive ideas exchange
The All Stars and mentors Samuel Ross, Yi Ng and Bafic discuss ambitions and ideas for 2022.
In a spin on the traditional speed-dating format, our All Stars paired up to take part in a quick-fire ideas exchange, rotating across each of our three mentors to talk about their creative aims for 2022, the obstacles they might face in getting there, and, well, life in general. Stylist Coco Mell explained that this year, she wants to work “smarter not harder”, while Ross highlighted the importance of giving your all to your creative practice.
Bafic and Nathan Clement exchange positive ambitions for 2022.Jesse Ogunbanjo c/o Glance Productions
Creating with purpose: A roundtable discussion
After meeting in person for the first time, our All Stars and mentors got down to discussion with a roundtable on creativity with value.
In Ross’s Manifesto for Change film, he outlines that his interest lies in “good design regardless of the field” and that creatives should be aiming to offer “solutions for everyday lives”. In the roundtable moment of the event, our All Stars and mentors discussed how that can be achieved – from the value of collaboration that isn’t just for hype to how each All Star is, or aims to, make a difference with creative practice.
The All Stars and mentors talk creating with purpose.Jesse Ogunbanjo c/o Glance Productions
All Star Manifesto for Change
Reflecting on the original Manifesto for Change statement, our All Stars closed the event, and series as a whole, by delivering the change they want to see in their respective creative spaces. As well as calling on their peers to adopt new ways of thinking and working, the All Stars highlighted the steps they’re already taking to drive that change forward.
Watch this space for the All Star Manifesto for Change statements...