30 June 2025
Over the last few months, students Helen, Raya, and Ife hosted a unique two-part panel series focused on creativity, funded and supported by the Arts & Humanities faculty as part of the Student Success project. This initiative represents an opportunity aimed at empowering students from diverse and marginalised backgrounds – particularly people of colour and minority groups – to gain meaningful insight into the creative industries.
By bringing together speakers from a wide range of professional and cultural backgrounds, the series offered attendees a rare chance to explore potential career paths that they may not have previously considered and are typically less accessible.
Beyond sharing inspirational stories of navigating the challenges faced within the creative sector, panelists provided practical advice and guidance, making the sessions both motivational and actionable. The events were intentionally designed to be highly interactive, with adaptable, open formats shaped by participants’ contributions, encouraging personalised engagement between students and professionals.
The themes of the two events, each highlighting hyper-relevant topics from “resistance” to “healing”, drew a roadmap through art, towards love.
The first event, ‘Art and Resistance,’ explored how creativity can be a powerful tool for navigating challenges and asserting agency. Speakers included book author Gabriel Dedji, set designer and interior stylist Shari McLawrence, and journalist Precious Adesina.
They shared insights on how creative practices, such as storytelling, music, and writing voice the unvoiced, strengthen community connection, and enable inspiration to flow across disciplines. The session highlighted how art and resistance intersect to foster community, confront systemic inequalities, and facilitate self-reclamation.
The event provided a safe space for attendees to explore their experiences using art not only for self-expression but also as a means of engaging with the world. Many students shared their unique perspectives and stories on navigating art, self-identity, and career sustainability at their respective life stages.
Speakers offered practical advice on carving out a niche in the creative industry while addressing social issues through their artistic practice. The discussions highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, emphasizing how combining diverse skills and viewpoints can lead to innovative solutions and broader impact.
The second session, ‘Healing through Creation’ provided a heartfelt and fitting close to the project on May 28th. At the heart of this intimate gathering was the idea that healing is not a passive state, but an active, creative process. For many of the speakers and attendees, creativity was presented not just as artistic expression, but as a vital strategy for nurturing communities, navigating and confronting systemic inequalities, and asserting agency and self-reclamation. Whether through storytelling, music, visual art, or performance, creation and imagination become avenues for processing trauma, resisting erasure, and realising new futures.
Speakers included: theatre director and change-maker Justine Themen, community organiser and podcast host Eden Ng, artist Zena Assi, and medical practitioner and singer Dr Una May Olomolaiye. They spoke powerfully about how creative practice allows for the articulation of experiences often sidelined or silenced – particularly for women of colour.
The panelists reflected on how music and medicine intersect as tools for care, explored the role of visual art in mapping identity and displacement, highlighted the importance of healing generational wounds to create environments were younger voices can thrive beyond inherited struggle and acknowledged the value of ‘real’ community, empathy and collective resilience.
Reminding us that these acts of art and making are, in themselves, acts of healing: spaces where pain is held, transformed, and even transcended.
Both evenings were uplifting moments of mutual solidarity, connection, and support. It was moving to witness participants share their stories, reflections, and dreams for the future. The final instalment marked a beautiful conclusion to the project – but we hope, just the beginning of many more conversations, collaborations, and creative initiatives to come.
A massive thank you to Naomi, Paola, and the entire faculty team for their unwavering support throughout this busy but exciting journey! Their hands-on approach not only fostered a supportive environment but their trust in our vision ensured the series went beyond tokenistic diversity efforts to deliver genuine value and have sustained impact. Initiatives like this continue to strengthen and inspire the inclusive, creative community here at UCL.
Helen (Yilun), MASc Creative Health student - UCL Arts and Sciences
Ife, 4th year International Social and Political Studies student - UCL European and International Social and Political Studies (EISPS)
Raya, 4th year European Social and Political Studies student - UCL European and International Social and Political Studies (EISPS)
