© Carola Kolbeck
Injection’s Editor looks back at 2024 and calls on all creatives to pursue their art in the New Year and unite for a better future in the creative industry.
As another year in a shaky and divided society comes to an end and many people look ambiguously towards 2025, just as many of us may be grateful to see the back of 12 months that gave us another stark reminder that there is a lot of work left for humanity to stop and repair damage caused by war, environmental destruction and the exploitation of the poorest in society. As for artists and creatives in the UK, government funding and support barely increased last year and are still at one of the lowest levels among European nations.
Whether it’s the 1st of January or the 31st of December - life as an artist in the UK, no matter your discipline, is hard. As a writer myself, who has actively been pursuing jobs, freelance work, and projects in the creative sector, yet without any major success, opening the pages of a blank calendar to a new year can seem bleak and disheartening. At times it feels a little like trying to grow an orchard in a desert or keeping dry in a torrential downpour without an umbrella. I often wonder whether I should relentlessly trudge on, keep knocking on those doors, write those pitches and send off those stories, or whether to throw in the towel and acknowledge that the terrain I find myself in is too hostile for someone like me, someone without the financial means or favourable connections.
However, 2024 was also a year in which I spoke to many incredible and inspiring creatives, heard their stories, ambitions, and dreams, and was allowed to document them in articles and features for Injection Mag. I had the privilege to attend music gigs, shows, and ballet performances that set my heart and soul on fire. Looking back, I am asking myself if the good outweighed the disappointments and if I moved forward or was just treading water.
Perhaps, for a creative person, the time frame of 365 days may be unhelpful in measuring progress and successes. Still, for some of us, taking a deep breath, closing that old diary, and seeing the possibilities of a new year stretching out ahead of us, all those blank days we can fill with creative play, may offer a boost of energy and joy that propels us into our next adventure.
So, is there a right or wrong way to go about New Year as an artist? Should we write our vision board and manifest our dreams, line up our crystals and journals, and read yet another book on tapping into your creative well? Or should we just throw out the New Year’s resolutions, together with the countless marketing hooks that promise artistic success and financial freedom, social media’s ever-changing algorithm that leaves us invisible to the right audiences, and all those rejection emails after you’ve spent hours filling out forms, perfecting your creative portfolio and curating unique cover letters?
Personally, I believe that simply being a creative person and an artist in this day and age is one of the bravest things you can be. It’s a revolutionary thing, an act of defiance, and equally the celebration of something that no science experiment could ever explain.
Sometimes just surviving as an artist, keeping the faith, and not giving up on yourself and your art is enough. You don't need huge and lofty goals to be credible. You don’t need to make a living from your art to be a real artist (even though you should get paid for all your art - but that’s another essay altogether). And you definitely shouldn’t feel inferior to those who are already paying the bills from their art. Ultimately, being successful as an artist is staying true to yourself, your art, and the reasons why you chose this path. It will look different from anyone else's, and that’s just fine.
© Carola Kolbeck
This year, fellow artists, continue to be brave, and fierce and take up creative space unapologetically. Take yourself seriously and don’t let others dim your light or knock your confidence. Above all, reach out to other artists, collaborate, and support one another. There’s strength in numbers, and if we want to change the creative industry, it’ll only happen if we stand together.
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