Hello and welcome to the information page for the Archway, N19, Professional Creatives Network, founded by me, Susannah Fields, local professional freelance photographer and Florence Kettle, from the Creative Enterprise Zone, Archway, at Islington Council.
We want to welcome you to a BRAND NEW networking event, to meet local professional creatives. If you are self-employed, a freelancer, a small business, artist, or employed in the creative industry, and live, or work, around the Archway, N19 area; please come along for a drink, introduction and to get to know your creative neighbours…..
NEXT EVENT:
When? TUESDAY January 21st 2025
Where? St.John’s Tavern – Junction Road, Archway, N19 – Please also note, there is no accessibility access at this pub. So, if anyone has accessibility needs, please let us know so we can consider it for future events. This is in no way done without consideration, but unfortunately many venues/pubs are often in old buildings, which have no lifts.
Time? From 6pm until 9pm ish
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Email: Florence Kettle to be on the email list announcing the next event AND be included about creative news in the Archway area.
Join the Facebook Group run by me to communicate with others in the network and keep updated on the next event: https://www.facebook.com/groups/archwayprofessionalcreativenetwork
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AGENDA for JANUARY 2025 EVENT:
From 6pm – Welcome, catch up chats, etc – do NOT WORRY if you are alone, we are super friendly and will introduce you to people.
6.40pm ish – Intro about the network from Susie.
6.50pm ish – Intro by Florrie/Barry – about their role in the network, local creative news etc and any questions to them.
7.10pm – Any news members intro – facilitated by Susie.
7.25pm – NEW YEAR GOALS AND PLANS – Ice-Breaker Task – a chance for people to get to know some local Creatives – facilitated by Susie.
7.40pm – Ice-Breaker Task – feedback to group – facilitated by Susie.
8pm – (SWAP TABLES TO MEET NEW PEOPLE)
AND
We’re excited to announce that we have local artist Kika Pierides (pictured below at the Playroom Gallery in Archway in November last year) introducing herself and her work, which currently encompasses pieces made from abstract colourful collages. AND she is treating us to a short workshop, where we will all get the chance to take part in a fun activity so you can recompose your own mini-collages! – facilitated by Kika.
I only met Kika at the very FIRST network event in November, so that’s proof of how great it is to start meeting fellow, local CREATIVES.
8.30pm – GENERAL GROUP – chance for anyone to tell us about their new services, upcoming gig etc, any questions, ideas for FEBRUARY event etc – facilitated by Susie & Florrie/Barry.
END APROX 9pm.
After this – you may continue to chat upstairs (or downstairs, if venue ask us to vacate the room) and mingle with attendees. Free time to get to know each other.
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Please note, we know it’s January and some of you are watching money and/or alcohol consumption….
BUT St. John’s Tavern is voluntarily giving us their event room, which is lovely, for FREE.
So please, if you can, buy at least one drink, on your way upstairs, it doesn’t have to be alcoholic….but it helps us to host this network, which is otherwise free.
Please also note, there is no accessibility access at this pub. So, if anyone has accessibility needs, please let us know so we can consider it for future events. This is in no way done without consideration, but unfortunately, pubs are often in old buildings, which often have no lifts.
…..please share info with Creative Industry friends/colleagues/neighbours in the N19 (or nearish) area.
And if you want to join the FACEBOOK GROUP (Don’t forget, you MUST answer the questions to get in!) you can use this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/archwayprofessionalcreativenetwork
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Last Event:
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Why start this Network?
I have lived in Archway more years than I care to divulge and yet, although being a sole trader and freelancer who loves to mix with other creatives, I never met any in my local area. How crazy is that?
For a long time I thought it would so great if there was somewhere local where people, like me, could get to meet each other with a view to building long terms connections, sharing advice and knowledge, perhaps passing on work and collaborating on projects together and generally being supportive.
But, on my own that was not easy to figure out how to do. And then, through various circumstances, I got to meet Barry Causton, Local Economies – Archway, from Islington Council, who thought the idea was great and coincided brilliantly with some new creative initiatives the council was about to be working on….
I was subsequently introduced to Florence Kettle, whose mission it is to work with creatives of all kinds in Archway, to retain and grow the area’s identity as a creative hotspot. Archway has been designated a Creative Enterprise Zone by the Mayor of London, meaning that Florence and others at Islington Council are working on various initiatives to support creativity in the borough and promoting all the wonderful work that goes on in the area.
This network will be a great way to connect everyone with opportunities for business support, training, showcase events, space and more as well as a fun and social way to meet other likeminded people in our neighbourhood.
Who is this Archway Creative Network for?
We want to welcome professionals who work in the creative industries, whether self-employed, freelancers, small businesses, creatives employees or artists who live or work in and around the N19 area. We don’t mind if you are a sole trader, tiny start-up or actually a resident who works for someone else in the city, as long as your work is creative in nature – or part of the creative world – and you are ready to mingle, learn, network and engage with your local creative community.
Example of typical guests – professional freelance photographer (like me), small graphic design company, local printers who serve the creative market (like Absolute Print!), someone who works for a media company in Archway, an interior designer who works for a firm in London, but lives in Archway, an actor, a model, a dress designer, someone who runs festivals etc etc….
We want to attract and bring out those creatives living and/or working in Archway and surrounds, who’ve probably never met each other before, are not very engaged locally, but would like to be. We want the network to forge connections, community and potential opportunity. It is to be social, inclusive and fun!
And, finally, by building this network and community locally, we hope to engage people to utilise local services and forge lasting relationships that will stand to help each other in the future.
What will the format be of the networking event?
We want each networking event to be fairly relaxed BUT we also want it to be useful and interactive. So we are going to balance free networking and chat time with some formal elements.
We aim to have a small talk each time by an expert who can offer some advice, for example:
“How to use marketing materials to attract more clients, and some tips on the best time of year and print methods to execute this”, which will actually be January’s talk by Absolute Print – your local print experts.
Other talks could be from accountants on helping to manage money, a marketing expert on tips to build your pipeline or some advice from a social media expert on building your brand.
Please feel free to put yourself forward to do a talk at a future network – no more than 15 minutes required and you are absolutely welcome to give out your contact details to the group for potential future business.
And we will encourage one or two ‘show and tells’ each event – where creatives are invited to present their latest work or projects or products. So that could be your latest design work, a successful completed art project, some new fashion lines you created etc…
We will start with an event in November and, I imagine, build slowly and then by next year, we’ll have smoothed out a good format and shared some ideas of how this will run in future.
What if I’m by myself?
Florence and I are very friendly and intend to welcome you warmly. It can be awkward at first if you don’t know anyone, but most will be in that situation and we really do want everyone to get to know each other, so we will make sure to enable mingling and ‘look after’ anyone who is a little shy.
Can we keep in touch between events?
I’ve now set up a Facebook Group where we can all keep in touch and it will be a useful place to ask advice, share knowledge and upcoming projects and so on. Please join this group and use it to your advantage.
This is also great if you can’t make one or two of the networks, but still want to forge connections.
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/archwayprofessionalcreativenetwork
How do we know when the networking events will be and where?
Please bookmark this page, where the next networking event will be posted at the top as soon as we confirm dates, times and locations each month. We intend to run an event approximately every 6-8 weeks, depending on the seasons and, of course, our own schedules.
Occasionally we will have to change dates last minute due to unforeseen circumstances, so do please always double check before attending a network if the date is still the same.
Florence will also be compiling a list of your contact details so she can keep you updated. Please make sure to leave you name and email address at the door when you arrive for the event, for this purpose.
Can we offer feedback, ask to be part of the next months ‘show and tell’ or give an ‘experts talk’?
Absolutely – we WANT feedback, it’s useful to us. We are not Networking experts and in the spirit of community, this is to be your group too, so please let us know if you have any comments.
And yes, if you have something to show, share or talk about, just ask….
You can contact us via the Facebook Group or directly via email –
Susannah Fields and Florence Kettle.
Please note – I am NOT being paid to do this network, it’s entirely of my own making and, thankfully, Florence and her team as able to support this with their time and some small costs.