Upgrade Yourself Festival November 2024

Workshops

Entry for workshops in G16 will be on a first-come, first served basis. Capacity is limited. Information on how to sign up will be sent in the pre-event email

Friday

Creative Access Application Clinic
16.00 – 19.30 | G19

Creative industry guidance plus where to look for opportunities, plus advice on formatting and tone of applications. The team can cover CVs, cover letters, portfolios, statements and answer any questions you have about industry recruitment practices. Bring one thing to focus on during the appointment to make the best use of your time.

Quick Connects by The Yard
16.00 – 19.30 | River Rooms

Awkward networking sucks, and like you - we hate it. So we’re curating a space that is the opposite. Quick Connects is all about curated connections so you can chat with people who also want to chat with you. Think speed networking - but actually good.

We’ll also have a Skill Swap Wall where you can offer up something and learn something new in exchange. No stuffy name tags, no forced small talk—just real conversations with people who actually want to connect. All you need to do is show up, and we’ll take care of the rest.

How do I create a budget?
16.00 – 19.30 | River Rooms

Drop in with all your budget-related questions to Grand Plan’s program manager and creative producer, Savena Surana! She can review a draft budget, point out potential gaps or places for improvement and brainstorm other forms of funding and support.

The Green Practice: Fusing Sustainability and Creativity
17.00 – 18.00 | G16

Led by fashion designer and multidisciplinary artist Elfreda Dali, this workshop will guide creatives on how to integrate sustainability into their artistic practices, using hands-on exploration with recycled and repurposed materials.

Roundtable Discussion with RIOT SOUP members: Asma, Sarah & Tinuke
18.30– 19.30 | G16

Join RIOT SOUP for an engaging group discussion where we'll share insights into our professional journeys. We're here to talk about how we've navigated the creative industry, built and sustained our creative community, maintained personal art practices, advocated as racial allies in the workplace, and everything else in between. Come down, join the conversation and ask anything!  Unlike traditional panels, this session encourages questions and collective dialogue throughout. 

Saturday

CV Clinic with Represent
16.00 – 19.30 | G19

Represent shares practical knowledge and confidence-boosting strategies to equip you with the tools for a successful and thriving career. The team can cover CVs, portfolios, and work applications and answer any questions you may have about industry recruitment practices. Please bring one thing to focus on during the appointment to make the best use of your time.

44 Questions: If your creativity were a tangible object, what would it be and why?
16.00 – 19.30 | River Rooms

44 Questions is a conversation activity by Forty-Four Words - Britain’s first Black-owned publisher to specialise in handmade-to-order books. Think of 44 Questions like a card game but in handmade books. The experience revolves around 44 thought-provoking questions, like the one you just read, inviting you to explore the art of playful thinking and the significance of meaningful interaction when among like-minded individuals.

Custom Charms Workshop
16.00 – 19.30 | River Rooms

Make a personal commitment about taking a specific action in your creative, personal, or professional life. Craft a kitschy charm using beads as a personal reminder. Drop a message to your future self in our analog time capsule to seal the deal.

Ghost stories, folklore & inherited memories
17.00 – 19.00 | G16
In this roundtable discussion Nia Fekri, Chanthila Phaophanit & Parwana Haydar will be discussing the impact of folklore, folktales & ghost stories on their artistic practice. How do we translate and transform the visceral stories & memories we grew up with into audio-visual language? We will bring examples of our own and other people's work - We will bring ways to think about and expand on what it means to work on these topics as a diaspora practitioner. How can we experiment with the variety of tools that are given us by the film medium & produce the outcome we desire to express?

ACROSS BOTH DAYS

Dream the Check
16.00 – 19.30 | River Rooms
Run the Check is a creative career resource, we aim to help people find the best-paid opportunities within the creative industry. Concise jobs with a people-first approach. Demystifying the process, one disclosed salary at a time; We streamline information to expand the reach and impact of roles. With the intention to make the industry an equitable space for all.

This time round: we’ll be dreaming ‘the check’, with our dream jobs board, an open space manifestation station for participants to think about what they really want from a career and visualise their dream opportunity. Alongside this, we will also have our first physical job bulletin board with live roles, grants/funding opportunities and more!

1:1 Mentoring Sessions
16.00 - 19.30 | G18 & G20

Drop-in 1:1 mentoring sessions with creative industry experts and trailblazing talent including:

Ibrahim Abba-Gana (Friday & Saturday)
Jason Baron (Friday)
Asher Kosher (Friday & Saturday)
Eerf Evil (Friday)
Rudi Minto de Wijs (Friday & Saturday)
Hannah Patterson (Friday)
Enorê (Saturday)
Lauren Little (Friday)
Clara Chu (Saturday)
Savena Surana (Saturday)
Nikki Pinkus (Saturday)
Aoibheann Greenan (Friday & Saturday)

Meet Your Mentors