A new regional collective is encouraging creatives – from media professionals and painters to photographers, researchers and animators – to join forces.
Gulf Creative Collective is a virtual network that promotes collaboration and professional growth, at a time when creative industries around the world are undergoing extreme disruption.
"Finding stability and creative freedom in the age of social distancing is a challenge," says Bhoomika Ghaghada, 28, co-founder of Gulf Creative Collective. "When the global economy stalls, creatives are the first ones to be hit. Marketing budgets are slashed, art and research funding pools shrink, and freelance writers and designers in the gig economy suffer.
"For creatives who are employed, work is slower and the terms of engagement are different. Opportunity for creativity at work declines after a crisis and it becomes a little less satisfying. Gulf Creative Collective aims to provide this virtual connection and free creative space," she says.
The collective will function via a Slack group, newsletter and virtual workshops. The Slack group is intended to encourage relationship building, where members can introduce themselves, share their work, find potential employment and projects, and initiate conversations about collaborations. The newsletter will provide curated job listings, resources for skill-building and networking opportunities.
The virtual workshops will focus on developing essential skills for evolving industries, as well as creative outlets that fall outside work – slated workshops include painting with an art therapist, how to have meaningful conversations and a guided meditation for creatives. All creatives are welcome to join the network, free of charge.
“In the UAE, creative projects have always been more tethered to commerce than elsewhere in the world. Those working in creative industries are experiencing a lot of disruption: uncertainty of future projects, different rules of engagement with audiences, and shifting media consumption habits and client measurements," says Ghaghada.
“The UAE is unique because creatives exist in pockets. There is a lot of intra-organisational support, but there is little inter-organisation and cross-industry connection. This is reflected in a lack of data-sharing across industries.”
Born in the UAE, Ghaghada is the co-founder and lead copywriter of Street, a Sharjah advertising agency that has worked with clients such as Victoria’s Secret, Unilever, Bandai Namco and Flash Entertainment.
The entrepreneur splits her time between the UAE and New York, where she has partnered with New York University, UN Women and the New York City Mayor's Office.
Projects she has worked with include "Not Yet", a web community project by and for women of colour, "She's The First", a non-profit that sponsors female secondary education in the Global South, and "0 to 1 Data", an initiative advocating data-driven social change and sustainability.
“Virtual communities are crucial to our survival and health at the moment,” says Ghaghada. “While we slow down and reassess, we have an opportunity to form alliances that can help our fellow creatives and industries adapt and survive.”
