I spent yesterday evening participating in some creative networking as guest speaker at the latest Creative Growth Southampton get together. The idea behind the talk was for me to share how I’d started in my industry and explain the decisions, pit-falls and successes along the way. This would then, hopefully, act as an inspiration (or dire warning) to the other creative people in the room. 

The event was held at the new SO14, a fantastic space in Southampton’s City Centre where start-ups, small businesses, freelancers and remote workers can rent desk space at reasonable rates for lengthy periods or as little as a day. It’s a brilliantly conceived set-up that aims to nurture and enhance the local community, and its position makes it an obvious and affordable destination (for me it’s a short hop across on the Hythe Ferry).

After some almost inevitable connectivity issues with the projector we eventually got going (and what a fantastic team effort that was). I’ve done a fair few talks to date but I still struggle to read the room as to how well things are going down. It’s only when you get to the questions at the end that you get a sense of engagement, and fortunately there were plenty to answer.

Fortuitously there was a representative from the Department For International Trade there who had some encouraging words of advice that I’m looking forward to exploring. So all in all a very worthwhile event.

A quick thank you to Creative Growth Southampton for inviting me along, and to SO14 for hosting. Keep your eyes open for the next event – well worth attending.