I see my creative process as shifting seasons. The process flows from practical doing to theoretical learning, and I’ve learnt that one must allow enough time for both to happen. After finishing my final major project, an art book, I knew that for me to start my next big making season, I’d have to give myself time to grow in my theoretical knowledge. To take in rather than put out. This is why I applied for London College of Fashion (LCF), UAL’s Global Pathways mobility programme.
I first came across LCF’s Global Pathways program a semester before my last but had missed the deadline. However, in my final year I received an email about it and reading it through realised that I could still apply, even as a final year student. The Global Pathways program is a funding scheme that students can apply to complete a short-term mobility activity in Europe. It can be used, as an example, to fund an educational program overseas. I traveled to Amsterdam and used my grant to fund a research trip into the Black Archives based in the Dutch capital.
I heard about the Amsterdam based Black Archives from friends and extended community of creatives. As the organisation's website states, it is “a unique historical archive for inspiring conversations, activities and literature from Black and other perspectives that are often overlooked elsewhere.” I developed a curiosity towards the historical archive because I hadn’t come across any similar collections of literature written and collected by black Europeans. By the time I received an email about the Global Pathways program, I knew exactly where I’d travel to if I was lucky enough to receive the grant. I applied to the program by proposing my desired travel destination, explaining how it would enrich my creative and academic pursuits.
My weeklong trip to Amsterdam took place in June 2024, just after I finished my final year project. I wanted to spend the week in Amsterdam studying and listening, rather than making. I spent my time engaging with the employees and volunteers at the Archives as well as studying and reading their unique collections of literature. I let my eye travel through the big bookshelves and picked up everything that caught my eye. One of the most interesting reads of my research trip was Cheikh Anta Diop’s “Precolonial Black Africa” that I’ve since referenced in pieces of academic writing. I had enlightening conversations with academic staff at LCF prior to my trip, and they encouraged me to spend my short time in Amsterdam soaking up the knowledge, literature, and people of the Archives. Creating work based on my learnings would happen later. This confirmed my idea of the creative process as seasons and rendered my experience more enjoyable, taking a lot of the time pressure off my shoulders.
The weather in Amsterdam was cloudy during my week there, but the clouds turned out to be a beautiful backdrop to the narrow and crooked houses of the city. I’d wander down the street, towards the central train station to grab my coffee in the morning before making my way towards Bijlmermeer, where the Black Archives is currently located. I often took a detour to the Archives to photograph all things I found interesting with my film camera, discovering new neighborhoods and visiting bookshops and cafes that my local friends had recommended. In the evenings, after my day’s reading was over, I’d repeat my slow and enjoyable journey back to Sint Olofssteeg where I was staying. I’d gather my thoughts and write down notes in bed before falling asleep, the entertaining street sounds of the Red-light district as my background sound.
Wandering down the canals of Amsterdam with a hot drink in my hand and then jumping onto the train to be surrounded by inspiring academics and community workers with my expenses covered, really reminded me of the uniqueness and privilege of being in such a position. Taking part in programs such as Global Pathways was for me, and could be for you as well, a way of connecting with my student experience in an intentional and heartfelt way. My time in Amsterdam made me feel a part of the global network of students and studentship to me has always symbolised light and hope for our collective future.