Around this time just over a year ago I decided to take the plunge and apply for the Agent for Change role without having a clear understanding of what I was getting into. It was a time that was riddled with doubts, cynicism and uncertainty for me. What was life after university going to look like? What am I going to do for work? Do I stay in Wales or start building a life elsewhere? These are just a handful of the types of questions that were swirling around my head as life after university was slowly looming on me. It was perhaps the only time in my life I’d ever been so indecisive, lacking a clear sense of direction after almost a lifetime of always having a sense of what I was going to do next.
Applying for the Agent for Change role was both a catalyst and a continuation of an arc and a journey that I have been on since 2020, which was sparked by my work with Black Lives Matter in Gwent. It has been a series of Black Swan moments; moments of rare, unexpected events that occur outside the parameters of the norm, moments that are random but extremely high-impact, moments that change the course of your life forever. I had no clue what stepping into an institution like Arts Council Wales would be like and of course I had my reservations. I have always been deeply sceptical and suspicious of institutions, but at the same time I was drawn to the potential for genuine, positive societal change at a national, and even global level, that the role could have and this outweighed any scepticism that I initially had. Also, Arts Council Wales welcomed me into the organisation with open arms and an open heart which also helped as well.
Reflecting on the last year has really brought to the fore just how massive of a role it is, and also how much I’ve learned from my experience at the Arts Council. It has enabled me to connect with communities and individuals in ways that were just not possible for me before. It has allowed me to connect with Wales in ways that I could never have imagined and it has enabled me to try and be a force for good to those that need it most which is the most rewarding aspect of my work. The breadth and depth of this work is difficult to put into words really. I have been involved in almost everything within the organisation; all our funding schemes, our various partnerships with organisations across Wales, strategic thinking and mapping our future, hundreds of panels and discussions, setting up different forums to ensure healthy and transparent communication, connecting with the sector and with communities, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. The work that is done at Arts Council is truly expansive and my role epitomises the scale of what we do but more importantly, the scale of change needed if we are to genuinely become a more equitable and just sector, society and nation.
I still struggle to explain what I do when people ask. I consider myself to be a creative problem solver operating in a space that needs courage, creativity and fresh ways of thinking. Changemaking is not an easy feat and we’re not always going to get it right but it is necessary, crucial work and somebody has to do it, at whatever cost. I believe in the arts as a vehicle for transformation, inspiration and self-expression, I believe in the arts as a vehicle for social change and social justice and I believe in us wholeheartedly as well. As long as I have the opportunity, I will continue to be a force for good and I will continue to fly the flag. My first year in Arts Council was me learning how to plant my feet firmly on unfamiliar grounds. The next years will be all about taking all my work personally and our work as an organisation to the next level.