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contents The Design Section: jewellery designer, Jessica Karan
The Culture Section: The Depths Of Zambia, Daisy Wright
The Music Section: Interview with DJ, Louis Broad
The Writing Section: Interview with script writer Francesca Wright
contributors Jewellery designer Jessica Karan, studies Fashion Communication at Northumbria University in Newcastle where she also does her studio work for her own jewellery designs . Her jewellery company is called 24 Mandarin.
Louis Broad - a well known DJ in Newcastle studies graphic design at Northumbria University specialising in brand advertising. In his spare time outside of university he DJ’s at big nights and also runs his own House/Techno and Disco night.
Francesca Wright is a freelance writer. She studies script writing at Northumbria University and is currently directing a play ‘Love Is Hard Enough’. She talks to showcase in detail about her background and how her work has begun.
Daisy Wright studies Fashion Communication at Northumbria University. She tells her story about her trip to Zambia whilst she worked with a charity called Beyond Ourselves.
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captivating interviews taking you into the lives of ambition driven jessica Karan, Louis Broad and Francesca Wright, talking about their exciting careers and
let your imagination run wild as you are taken into the depths of zambia with daisy wright, describing her internship as
‘truly inspirational’
the
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ewellery ion: J d e
jewellery designer Tell us a little about yourself… I am originally from Hamburg, Germany and have lived there all my life until I came over to England where I went to boarding school in Essex in 2009 for lower and upper sixth. After those two years I decided that I didn’t want to go back to Germany just yet and wanted to apply for a fashion course in Newcastle at Northumbria University. I have always had a great passion for Fashion and photography so I was very happy to have got a place in Fashion Communication. I have now been living and studying in Newcastle for nearly four years and have loved life up north. I can’t wait for my graduation in May and I’m really looking forward to moving back to Germany to hopefully build on my jewellery company. I have lived in England for nearly six years and I have loved it, but am now ready to go back to my home.
What would you like to do when you leave university? I have always loved to try out new D.I.Y. projects and have made my own jewelry since I have been about five years old, my dream would be to open up a little boutique in Hamburg. I would also love to continue selling my own hand made jewelry and other products I believe in and love. I want my shop to be more than just a jewellery store but somewhere where you could just spend hours flicking through books and looking at great clothing and jewellery. showcase
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What inspires you and why? In general I get my inspiration from my family, my mum mostly but also from different types of blogs and websites. I love stumble upon and tumblr. I could literally spend days just scrolling through tumblr (laughing). Magazines such as POP magazine or TUSH also inspire me and make me think about new ideas. What is your job title and how did it all begin? I am a jewellery designer. I design and make my own pieces. It is still only a small business but I hope that over time it will grow and more people will be aware of the brand. I have been making small pieces of jewellery all my life, I just love being creative with things like this, but I guess only in the past year or so have I decided to start selling and have my online store. Do you think its important for people your age to start thinking about their careers and even to begin them now? I do think its very important to think about what you want to do after you have graduated and even though it is hard for some people to know what they want in life and where they want to be in the future, I think it is better to start sooner rather than later. As a young entrepreneur, do you have any targets or goals for the future? Well my only goal really is to be happy with what I am doing and that my jewellery pieces are popular and well known. I don’t need them to be popular in a sense of them being pictured in every magazine but I just want my customers to be happy with what they buy. My biggest goal and dream is to have a small boutique and that is going to be my plan for the future. Where do you hope to see yourself in 10 years time? In 10 years time I would love to have build up a small family, two children maybe three and happily married. I want my boutique to be well known but still a great and interesting store for everyone to visit and much more than just a simple jewellery store. showcase
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the
culture section
culture
The depths of
zambia
culture
jo yf
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ul ay to bold M I c ne 1: an s pa aro sta fe ripp tte on nd m el m lin rne silk so in y s y h g a d sa , lift m g t o ing eo fix m ea rou ro ne ed ac rt nd ng th e ha in h tw qu the s, ro Voic I Is i o of hu am fe s su ne isti cke ch e go t m of s fu n u e p p n th ll me t to er osi g, ing rch sp y de , e of . el ey sp sm th glu tio c p n ch es er e e h e oi a ate atm urc owe rise flo d m like r. W nd ly h r a d. or. y o a s t m hen inte ryin ph nd nd y e I rn g er Th e, bur hop a er o t y o sti e es pe lise r an e f ng , e a o n o d t a Hi r r h ff e l t c sta or ou se da nly a y hem e so h G n t in ye rk di ou u o o d ss a l to n we the g re ng g fu d. hu l a th t t do t st r or am ssed bo in, voi e w y, I c ce ith sh igh wn rea ph on , an s o his ak t a hi ks an gst ’t f th s s s s th ha ing h ch wi . ta e e e Al nd un s ee mm k e w lI ca s cl con ay ks. ing n asp tro s b eff a w nd do e lla ac or ha d tle k b i t h wo s w to ly an ssl is nd at his d y sto er ch h fo ea rth ry rt. , is.
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As we wait outside, a swarm of people approach us with hands outstretched. Joyful faces and wide eyed smiles with chipped teeth. After the church service, we visit some of their homes. The children run alongside us, fascinated by our cameras. Their few unusable possessions; televisions, microwaves and stereos, are all on display like trophies or precious ornaments around their homes. There are tiny rooms accommodating up to twelve people under the safety of a sloping tin roof. We all cram in and suddenly are overwhelmed by the claustrophobia that the families experience every day. The humidity, the sizzling charcoal, the tangy body odour lingering around the room. Flies dance around the space drawn in by the stench of sweat and the potent smell of old food.
“Everyday we serve food to the children, we serve with your hearts� Day 2 Today we are driving to Janna School. The gigantic sliding windows of our van allow us to take in a breath taking yet desolate dry landscape. We speed past a myriad of people dressed in radiant robes walking aimlessly along dry dusty roads, piles of fruit and vegetables being sold on the roadside and women balancing vast quantities on their heads whilst carrying small children on their backs. In the far distance, I can see clusters of tiny huts, miles from local villages, and miles away from anything that remotely resembles the country I call home. My ears are filled with the innocent hum of children singing as we approach the school. The crumbling brick and windowless holes in the walls mean the sound of singing explodes out of the classrooms, like a geyser, tremendous and resonant. The children are delighted when they see us. They wave and shout and want to show off everything they have learnt at school.
The shabby walls are covered with bright posters that hide the very basic facilities and buildings within the school. Making our way to the interview room, we pass by parents and children, waiting patiently outside. The interviews begin and the once jubilant, enthusiastic children are transformed into subdued and shy ones in front of their parents. I cannot help but wonder if some of the parent’s are lying to me about their home life. Their stories are overwhelming; children sleeping on mud floors, sometimes eating only once a day, absconded parents and the children that are left behind. Most frightening of all, this is completely normal. This is real, everyday life in Zambia.
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Day 3 The playground at Janna School is a dismal and depressing sight with only a dangerous rusted slide with jagged metal and a see-saw made from just mud and a plank of wood. But despite all of this disrepair, the kindness and love within the school is abundantly clear. The cooks, who slave away in the scorching heat to prepare meals for the children, are eternally grateful for all the sponsorship and help they receive. “Everyday we serve food to the children, we serve with your hearts” says Mary the cook. It is scary to know that it would cost them six pounds to feed the whole school for a month. In England you couldn’t even buy yourself a decent meal for that amount. Inside, the children are queuing up waiting to be measured and weighed before their portrait photographs. After a brief arrangement of uniforms and quick tidy of hair, the shutter clicks and their cheerful smiles are frozen in time.
. A lone child is walking towards me, his head down, and with nobody to accompany him. I ask him when his birthday is. He doesn’t know. This is not a one-off. Many parents don’t know their own birthdays let alone that of their children. I am shocked. In England, I celebrate my birthday, here they mean nothing. The mothers show little affection to their children so on seeing us ‘foreigners’ and ‘white people’ they are immediately drawn to us. Knowing that from us they will receive love, affection and attention. They cling to me desperately asking for cuddles and wanting to hold my hand. I am taken aback when a little girl approaches me and asks me to be her mummy. Zambian parenting is tough and to westerners might be seen as harsh, but in order to survive in such a ruthless environment the children are not showered with affection.
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Day 4 One of the things that strikes me the most about Zambia in my final days is that it provides little support for people who are suffering or struggling. I feel grateful for the services available in England such as benefits, NHS and free counselling. These are all things that would greatly benefit a country like Zambia, which is blighted by sadness and poverty. As we approach a stunning garden and clean stone house I am not prepared for the difficult story I hear. The mother, an unemployed widow, looks after her five children and elderly mother who is suffering from dementia. I peer into a tattered old wooden out house and notice the grand mother wrapped up in patterned sarongs laying on the ground just staring up at us, saying nothing.
For a moment I felt scared. As the mother had to stay at home the children would have to walk miles to school at the age of just five years old. The area is unsafe for the children to walk alone. There are many people getting drunk, busy roads and markets with lots of people and hazardous materials lying around – dangerous places for young children to be. Similarly, on a previous day I greeted a young boy and his mother who both looked worn out and dishevelled. The boy was very quiet and looked unhappy and his mother did all the talking. He sleeps on a mud floor and is expected to do lots of duties around the house. I soon discover that they are both HIV positive. I feel anger towards the parents. A proud mother of her home invites us in and tells us a story about her mentally ill son and how he climbed on to the tin roof and jumped straight through it causing a large hole. She cannot afford to pay for a new one. showcase
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“All the girls are very good but the boy is trouble”
The colourful hanging laundry illuminates the back yard. I notice the freshness of the deep green trees peering over us, creating shapes on the floor. I can see the son sat staring at us from behind the tree. I can’t help but wonder how lonely he must feel, living inside his head and not understood or accepted by anyone in his community, let alone his family. At least in England we have understanding of these things. We have the facilities to help people who are terminally ill, who are suffering from mental health problems, or struggling with money and childcare. Zambia is a lonely and difficult place to survive. I am reminded why this work is so important – to give to people who have so little whilst we watch our plasma TVs, and sit in the comfort of our own homes with electricity and clean, running water. It is a shame that we aren’t thankful for it every day of our lives.
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Day 5 Driving along a dirt track into the poverty stricken depths of Zambia, I am swamped by the copious amount of advertisements there are. Colossal billboards ruin the untouched landscape. The presence of these billboards advertising expensive products is deeply incongruous given the poverty of the local population. We are approaching Beautiful Gate School. Brick buildings and bright walls, a football pitch and a generous playground instantly catch my eye. Their uniform is smarter than any others I have seen and the support and donations from sponsors is obvious. I feel frustrated interviewing these children. They are greedy and assuming.
It seems that in getting a little from sponsors, it has driven them to want more and more, and this is hard to come to terms with given that they are in a much better place than many of the other children we have met. The children here are argumentative and grapple with one another. I am confused. When given a football, they shout, argue and fight over the ball. They don’t know how to share with each other and want everything for themselves. It feels like the children are more wild, less appreciative and grateful. Even the teachers and parents are cold and misanthropic towards me.
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It makes me wonder about how much we give our children at home. We forget to give them what children truly need to thrive – love and support – over giving them the things they want. Perhaps it is true, the more you get, the more you want and in doing so you forget to be grateful for the things that are free in life like love, friendship and family.
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the
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music
music Tell us a little about yourself‌ I am originally from Oxford, I have lived there my whole life. I now live in Newcastle as I am student at Northumbria, studying Graphic Design. Specializing in branding and advertising. What would you like to do when you leave university? When I leave uni I want to move to London and get on the job ladder asap, in the advertising and branding business. I am tempted to do a ski season but I will probably have to leave that for another time. What inspires you and why? Success. Success in my field of work inspires me ! I can lack motivation at times but always finish what’s needed from me and a lot more. I have seen other people in the past chuck opportunities away, I always take every opportunity I can, when it comes my way. What is your job title and how did it alll begin? Out of uni, I DJ and run a night in Newcastle. I have just managed to branch out to Leeds, London and Oxford ! I co run a House/Techno and Disco night in Newcastle’s china town called Faction. My plan is to build the brand up as much as I can up here and then when I move to London start it back up again there on a bigger scale. showcase
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Running a night has proven to my self that you need to be motivated, hard working, open to ideas and not to give up when the going gets tough! How do you balance work with university? When I have an event coming up I usually try and do 9-5 uni work and then have dinner and then 6.30 till 9 music/organizing Faction. Do you think its important for people your age to start thinking about their careers and even to begin them now? Its hard to say, I can only really say from my experience and my friends have had, i’d say 70% of my friends know what they want to go in to in the future. But everyone’s different. Personally I’d be rather worried if I didn’t know what I wanted to do in later life by now! As a young entrepreneur, do you have any targets or goals for the future? My goal is to book a DJ/producer legend to play at Faction before my time is up living in Newcastle !
Where do you hope to see yourself in 10 years time? In ten years time ill be 31 ( scary ) hopefully I will be working in an advertsing/branding agency in London and I would of taken the next step with events and DJ’ing. showcase
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“ When I’m at home I like to turn my room into a club! I am the bedroom DJ! “
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the
writing
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writing
Francesca Wright
Script Writer
Tell us about yourself… I grew up in London with my mum who was a single parent and worked full time. I was mainly looked after by my Auntie and Grandma. I grew up with four younger cousins, so being the oldest and most imaginative, I was always the one bossing them around and making up games for us to play. Every Christmas I’d write a play, direct it, make programs and be the star of the show (of course). On Christmas Day, our family would sit and watch it. I remember I used to get really cross when my uncles didn’t take it seriously. My mum grew up on a council estate and is the oldest of five children. She was the only one of her siblings to go to University, and I think because of that, we both feel quite separate to our family. I never felt like they really understood me even as a child. My mum sacrificed a lot in order for me to take part in theatre. She sent me to a stage school where I took drama, singing and various dancing lessons. I was always an incredibly confident kid and a massive drama queen who loved the chance to show off so I loved going to stage school. I took a bit of a step backwards once I got to secondary school. I got involved with the wrong crowds, started playing up a bit and went a bit off the rails. I stopped going to stage school and my home life was very difficult because my dad had walked back into our lives. We had a very difficult and turbulent relationship and as a result I was angry all the time and all the creative stuff became a kind of outlet. I wasn’t a complete tear away or anything – I wasn’t a terrible child – but I just had so much pent up aggression that I used to lose my temper very quickly. I hated school for a while. Particularly maths, science and French. There was a massive difference between my reports for those lessons and things like art, English, music and drama. My English teacher, Mr Leigh, was always very supportive and complimentary of my written work – he was one of the few teachers I fully respected and listened to! I never misbehaved once in his class. I remember getting another teacher for English and absolutely hated him. I got sent out of the class once and had to sit with Mr Leigh who didn’t even shout at me. He knew I wasn’t naughty and it was just because I wanted him to be my teacher. The most influential teacher I’ve ever had has to be Mr Watkins. He was my teacher for GCSE music and was new to both the school and teaching. I remember the first time I met him, he was a proper posh boy who had a degree in Music from Oxford Uni and had gone to Eton, and I just thought ‘Who is this plonker?!’ It must have been so daunting for him in the beginning with all these angsty teenagers but he really turned my life around. When I started music, I had no confidence at all and I refused to sing for him but he snuck in on me rehearsing with my friend and said he ‘blown away’. He was so supportive of me and stuck with it even though I tried so much to push him away. He had the patience of a saint, I swear! I was horrendous to him at points; I locked him out of his classroom, I threw oranges all over his display board with my friend and when he brought his friends from Oxford University to come and help us with our final pieces I was really rude to one of them and ended up walking out of the recording session. Despite all of that, he was incredible. I flat out refused to work with the people from Oxford so he took extra time to help me do my own piece. showcase
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me and what a confidence boost he had given me. He also took us to sing in Oxford University’s chapel, and from that point on, I think I realised there was a lot more on offer in my life. For most of my adolescence, I had just assumed I’d leave school, get a boring job, find a boyfriend and settle down. It was just what most people did or at least aspired to do. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with living your life like that but I just felt dragged down by the world I was in and the people I was friends with and I knew my mum didn’t want that for me. I knew she could see more for me. She had worked so hard for me in order for to me to have opportunities, and I think she really wanted me to pursue a career in something I was really good at. It was hard to feel different from my friends in terms of our aspirations at that point because I knew that I would move on from them all and they would all still be in the same place when I got back. I didn’t get into Uni the first time round but I fully believe that everything happens for a reason. I ended up reapplying the next year and getting on the same course in a much more exciting city plus I got to do a gap year and had an incredible time. I think I started to find myself when I went to Jamaica for three months. My granddad had immigrated to England in the 50s from a tiny little place called Pedro Plains in Jamaica and I felt like going there helped me to understand myself. My ethnicity has always been a struggle for me particularly because of my dad not being around. I haven’t really understood my ‘roots’ but going there truly helped me to get to know who I was and where I was from. University has also been a massive learning curve for me. I’ve learnt more about myself and who I am than ever before. I’m very hard-working and passionate about what I do and I put my all into everything I start. I’ve also made incredible friends that will last a lifetime. Going to University has made me realise more about who I am, where I come from and who I want to be.
What would you like to do when you leave university? I’m really into Community arts. I would love to write, facilitate and direct different works. Currently I’ve been working on a devised ensemble piece for an NHS charity called Teenage Kicks. They run sex and relationship education workshops for young people in Newcastle. They do a fantastic job and the response to our performance ‘love is hard enough’ has been fantastic and hugely humbling. Community arts have the power that no other theatre has in my opinion. It really has the ability to connect with an audience and the response from young people to our production has been mind-blowing. I think the Teenage Kicks team has really inspired me to work more within the community rather than just being a writer on my own. It can be quite an isolating job and I am somebody who enjoys being around people. What inspires you and why? I definitely believe on writing from experience. I use themes that have been present in my life and I’m quite into social politics. I never thought I’d write political plays but I’ve actually discovered that it can be really interesting to put onstage. I use all kinds of things to inspire me; particularly bus and train journeys. Living in London means I am constantly surrounded by different characters and I find most of my ideas when I’m traveling somewhere. Music is also a massive part of my life and a huge influence. Sometimes I find a song, and listen to it over and over again whilst I write because it gives me so many ideas. I’m quite visual and can see things playing out in my head. The most crucial things I need to get me writing are a nice big desk, a cup of tea and a big window with lots of light and an interesting view. I’d take a view of houses over a view of fields any day. I like how alive cities are.
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What is your job title and how did it all begin? At the moment I am a freelance writer. Writing isn’t a stable job and can be quite isolating but I do really enjoy it and love the process of developing a piece obviously it would be amazing if other people wanted to take my work on too. The ‘Love is hard enough’ performance will hopefully get some funding so we can take it to other places which would be an incredible opportunity! My career has started at University. It’s definitely allowed me to develop connections and discover opportunities that would be a lot harder to find and pursue at home. How do you balance work with university? I think it’s quite easy when they are so closely linked as they bounce off one another. I am always learning and growing at Uni, and I can use this within my own work outside of it. Do you think it’s important for people your age to start thinking about their careers and even to begin them now? I don’t necessarily believe that everyone will have or even has to have careers. A lot of my friends left school without many qualifications and learnt a trade, or didn’t go to University and have a job they are perfectly happy doing. just have That’s fine for them. I don’t think university is for everybody but I think if you want a ‘career’ you need to think carefully about if there is a degree that could help you with that. Some people get to Uni and realise it’s not for them or that they don’t actually want to a job remotely related to their degree. I think the important thing is to know what makes you happy and what you enjoy and focus on that, it might not be for everyone else, but it will certainly be best for you in the future. As a young entrepreneur, do you have any targets or goals for the future? I would love to set up a youth theatre for disadvantaged kids where I could run workshops, teach them different skills both technical and practical within performance. I definitely think if I had had something like that as a kid I might not have made some of the choices I did. I’d also love to write more plays and do a lot more work within the community. I like people too much to work solely for myself. I’m not sure where exactly, but for now, I’m really enjoying living in Newcastle. Where do you hope to see yourself in 10 years time? In terms of geography, I have no idea. All I know is I’d like to have a job I really enjoy hopefully working within community arts or youth work (Something in that field), perhaps a boyfriend would be nice too and most of all I’d just like to be happy and content in my life. showcase
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