Plastic Fortune (2014 to 2017)

In 2014 I started a creative collective for York based artists, designers, filmmakers, photographers, performing artists and writers.

I built a directory of members, arranged regular meet ups, and created a Facebook group for members to share their work. The group became a central hub for those looking to reach local creatives, and for those looking to promote their exhibitions and shows.

In August 2015 I opened Plastic Fortune Studios, a shared workspace in Stonebow House in York city centre, facilitated by Skippko’s Blank Canvas project. We built a stage for performances, a tool workshop that members could use, a music studio, meeting room, materials store, and provided desks for members to work from for just £50 a month.

By 2016, the Plastic Fortune network had grown exponentially and I took the decision to rebrand it to York Creatives, repositioning it from a small creative collective to an open community for York’s creative industries.

I continued to host photography events under the Plastic Fortune brand name until the end of 2017. These photography meet ups were later revived as York Photographers.