Our Community is Pretty Cool

It's been one of those weeks where we've been out and about, we've spoken to some awesome people and has honestly hammered home a sense of community that is slowly growing within the city. We've been to lovely nature spaces too, which have been really pleasant to visit and beautiful to photograph too.

Stoke, Everyday

• We’ve been facing some fun little challenges lately, like shooting in the same locations for different people and different stories.

• Stoke’s a small town, so that kind of overlap is bound to happen, it’s actually a lot of fun making sure each photo has its own vibe and suits the person and their story even in the same location.

• We’ve had the chance to chat with some incredible people this week. It’s honestly amazing how many folks move to Stoke, for all kinds of reasons, and how they find their own communities and make this little city home.

Community Vibes

• There’s a guy who pops into Smithfield now and again, David Adebiyi, and this week we got to properly sit down and chat with him. Turns out he’s a super creative entrepreneur, working on everything from fashion to music. The ideas he’s got are wild (in the best way), and we definitely seem to be on the same wavelength. David is definitely someone who we look forward to collaborating with in the future.

• We’re also really looking forward to meeting more up and coming artists through people like Lily and Mitch. There's so much talent around, and we’re all about lifting others up, especially at a time when creative opportunities feel harder to come by.

• We caught up with a local business owner this week too, and even though things are tough right now, there’s this real sense that the community is starting to build again and it’s something that seems to be going around more these days.

• More people, in little groups or whole neighbourhoods, are banding together. Businesses supporting each other, folks in the same street, lending a hand when they can. We always hear that the community is gone, but based on the chats we’ve had (from cricket games to lunch discount schemes), we’re not so sure. If anything, it feels like it’s growing again.

Lily Healey

• Our up and coming artist Lily Healey has been spending more time with us this week, which has been great. We're getting to know her better, and hearing more about what inspires her work and her plans with it.

• We also carved out some time for a little photoshoot to help build her profile, for the site and for a bit of PR too.

• It was her first shoot, and she absolutely smashed it. We found some awesome locations (definitely ones we’ll go back to), and we can’t wait to share the photos with you soon.

  

  

Zine Progress

• It’s been great to see more of the team jumping in with ideas and themes for the zine. Everyone’s bringing their own thoughts,and it’s shaping up to be something really unique.

• Our “Head Teaboy” (aka the director) is deep into the layout, working hard to build something that highlights the writing and finds visuals that really complement the vibe of each piece.

• This may be only our second zine, but already we’ve got a clearer idea of what works, both in terms of content and structure. We’re really excited to share it with you on the 22nd.