Carys Bradley-Roberts, Creative Cardiff Manager
January always feels like the longest month of the year and then suddenly February flies by! At Creative Cardiff, we certainly made the most of this short month with a packed programme. I can’t quite believe we’re already approaching March, which also serves as a bittersweet reminder that I won’t have a birthday this year (#leapyearbaby).
When developing themes to underpin our work, we fully embraced the cheese of Valentine's month and decided to focus on partnership and collaboration. Working in partnership is at the heart of what we do at Creative Cardiff, striving to bring the city’s creatives together for connection and collaboration.
It’s essential that we reflect a collaborative ethos in our approach to work too. When we work in partnership, we can access resources, expertise and support to develop the most innovative and sustainable ideas.
It’s tough to summarise my partnership highlights from this month, but a great example of a new collaboration is our AMDANI initiative (which roughly translates to 'go for it')! We hosted our first AMDANI event on 19 February, in partnership with the MA in Creative Writing at Cardiff University. Working with the course lead, Dr Christina Thatcher, we’ve developed a new series of writing groups for Cardiff’s creatives, facilitated by an emerging writer as part of their course. Student Naomi Brown, who led our first event, did a fantastic job and we can’t wait to see how this partnership develops as we continue AMDANI over the next few months.
This year, we’ve also renewed our partnership with producer Tom Bevan to host DIVERGE, our coworking space for neurodivergent creatives, and announced seven artist commissions which we’re delivering in partnership with Pharmabees. I could mention lots more but was meant to stick to a paragraph so over to John and Tori!
John Evans, Events and Projects Officer
It’s always a busy month for partnership and collaboration at Creative Cardiff, but February has been particularly exciting, with some fantastic new and ongoing projects coming to life.
This year, the Welsh Government launched Wales and Japan 2025, a year-long campaign designed to foster new economic and cultural partnerships between the two nations. In keeping with this theme, I had the opportunity to be an ambassador for The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme at Chapter Arts Centre this month, where I caught some incredible Japanese films. It’s always a joy to experience international culture and creativity right here in Cardiff.
We also recently launched a brand-new partnership with Lone Worlds, a queer arts production organisation, to spotlight trans+ creatives through talks, networking, and skill-sharing sessions. GORWEL has been a privilege to work on, and it’s open to all—those interested, find more information and register for the first event.
Carys and I had the chance to connect with emerging creatives at JOMEC – Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media, and Culture during a meet-and-greet session. Speaking and partnering with students eager to enter the creative industries and sharing how Creative Cardiff can support them is always a joy. It’s rewarding to help the next generation of creatives find their footing and explore new opportunities!
Now see it off Tori….
Tori Sillman, Digital Content Officer
It has been a lovely start to the year, with everyone being super connected and busy, as you’ve seen from John and Carys' highlights!
To kick off my highlights, I attended Atseinio, an insightful event co-run by Anthem and Beacons Cymru as a part of SUMMIT Music Industry Conference, which is a gathering of which the sole purpose is focused on partnership networking. Bringing together Wales-based organisations, venue owners, and young people in music to strengthen networks, share knowledge and foster collaboration to shape the future of music in Wales.
John and I had the opportunity to attend the SUMMIT Music Industry Conference Day 2, hosted by Beacons Cymru, who are doing amazing work to support music development across Wales. We met so many bright and talented creatives as we weaved through The Gate in Roath, which is a beautiful space! Creative Cardiff sponsored their Peak Talks, where a range of creatives shared their projects and ideas in a more intimate setting. It was a space designed to inspire and invoke discussion among those with similar interests and aspirations.
A fitting conclusion to this month’s theme of partnerships is the consistent support from the Creative Cardiff team! Not only are they always delivering strong work but are always there whenever you need a boost or a good laugh. Diolch o galon tîm!
Creative Cardiff’s tips for working in partnership
Carys: “For me, the key thing is managing expectations and communication. It’s important to outline expectations and responsibilities on both sides at the start of a project to make sure you’re all on the same page. A written agreement or contact can be a helpful guide to frame your approach and make sure you all know the score."
John: “Always be open to new opportunities and approach collaborations with an open mind. I’ve learned that valuing other people’s input, respecting diverse perspectives, and embracing different ways of working can lead to exciting and unexpected creative outcomes.”
Tori: "It can be quite scary to reach out sometimes, but collaborative working is the strongest and most essential step in your creative journey. Sometimes you don't even have to look far within your community to know you can be a part of something great. Reach out to like-minded creatives, start up something with your mates, help on other projects. Collaboration can be as big or small as you'd like, but it will always go a long way."
