In 1986 the first Red Nose Day was launched to raise money for a range of causes. This annual event uses the concept of the telethon as originated in 1946 to generate widespread public engagement. Merging galvanising statistics with celebrity entertainment has made Red Nose Day a crucial event for charities seeking public support. Most recently this worked to raise £55,000,000 in 2021.
Each person should be paying attention to the global issues, fighting for a more equitable and just world, but the more pressing concern is ensuring your practice aligns with your action. Musta wants to offer 3 ways of incorporating your values into your burgeoning business.
1) Work with like-minded creatives
When building a creative brand, ensure that the people around you are committed to sustainable and humane practices. If there is a political divide hanging over your team it could negate your mission, especially if you aim to produce something on any kind of mass scale. Kind Of Ok Sk8 has earned a name for themselves as a brand running roller-skating discos while selling handmade crochet pieces. The online shop also sells T-shirts designed with skating emblems. However, the designers are careful to only buy these shirts from charity shops or second-hand shops to limit any harmful impact on the environment. This kind of care with product sourcing should be built into your design goals.
2) Ensure profits are secondary to quality
In an unfortunate slip up, Everything Everywhere All At Once’s producer Jonathan Wang tearfully proclaimed “no person is more important than profits” when accepting the award for Best Picture at the 2023 Oscars. It is a slight mistake that belies many people’s attitude to crafting art. Artists can succeed if they don’t value originality and remain preoccupied with sales (we live under capitalism after all!) But at a certain point, it will stop being art. Continue to practice your craft, with no one watching and for no salary. If you are an actor, go to an acting class; if you are a writer, continue to write in your journal. Art lives outside of the narrow confines of capital.
3) Lift up your fellow creatives
There are technically limited slots available for creative jobs (and this number continues to shrink under the cost of living crisis,) but there is no limitation on the art we can appreciate and explore. Find people whose work engages you and reach out, use your platform – however limited – to support them. There were 100 people who offered you the opportunities necessary to be where you are now, extend that grace to someone else.