Our latest BLUP50 member is founder of both Visualise in Motion and Dolce Butter, whilst managing a full time job at Shubbak Festival, the incredible and wise go-getter, Fi!
// YOUR WORD FOR 2021
Action.
// WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN ONLINE/INSTAGRAM/TIKTOK/ TWITTER THAT HAS STOPPED YOU SCROLLING?
I recently started a food-based business and so I spend a lot of time looking at food accounts which has been great to look at, but equally just makes me hungry all the time!
// GIVE US A WHISTLE STOP TOUR OF YOUR CAREER TO DATE
- 2010 – Started off in content and publishing.
- 2012 – Moved into styling & fashion marketing.
- 2013 – Moved to Yorkshire to study Live Events Production at Backstage Academy.
- 2015 – 2020 – Started off as a Project Manager overseeing the design, manufacturing and install of bespoke staging for The xx, The 1975, Mark Ronson, Tomorrowland and The V&A, to name a few. Went on to more venue management and brand partnership stuff looking after the Central London brand space for Relentless Energy Drink and working with brands like Drambuie. Eventually ended up with the Printworks London team as Operations Manager for two rewarding seasons.
- 2020 – Present Day – Started a community interest company called Visualise in Motion that focuses on helping early-stage creatives navigate the industry. I also started Dolce Butter – a sweet, flavoured butter brand available in Vanilla, Honey, Ginger Honey and Lemon. All whilst also being General Manager at Shubbak Festival!
//WHAT DOES 24 HOURS IN YOUR LIFE LOOK LIKE?
I’m far from a morning person so I’ll be getting up as late as possible. I work a full-time job so most of my day is spent doing that, be it sat on Zoom calls, working on contracts, managing projects and staff, etc. In the evening I switch to my heart work (shout out Andre Anderson of Freedom and Balance for the phrase heart work) and try to do as much as I can without over doing it. That looks different from day to day. Some evenings it’s making products or testing new ones out, others it’s writing copy for the new Visualise in Motion programme.
// WHAT DO YOU DO TO SWITCH OFF OR CHILL?
Sundays tend to be the one day that I properly relax and these days that’s just me becoming one with my couch and binge watching something. It’s a no laptop screen day and my phone tends to stay on do not disturb. Add a hot bath and a good book and I’ve got myself the most perfect chill day!
// WHAT HAS BEEN ONE OF YOUR BEST CAREER HIGHLIGHTS?
There have been so many to be honest. With personal projects I’d say being invited to the GQ office for a sit down with Paul Solomon (Creative Director – British GQ) for a mentoring programme I ran in 2015 was amazing. Him taking a chance on me and allowing me to roll up with 4 of the mentees on the programme was such a great act of kindness that I didn’t expect. I emailed him thinking I wouldn’t even hear back from him so for us to get the access we did – it was really special. His story is actually incredible, and I hope he shares it one day, I constantly go back to the advice he gave that night. Work based, I’m incredibly proud of the work I did with the Printworks team, I’ll say it until the cows come home but that 2018 – 2020 team were some of the best people I’ve worked with! I didn’t appreciate what we had done and the impact we’d had until COVID was a thing but I’m really proud of that time.
// WHAT DO YOU SEE IN YOUR FUTURE?
This is such a loaded question! I’ve always been pretty curious about things and I tend to nerd out about things that interest me. I can never quite home in on what I actually want to do. In the last 2 years I’ve gone from working in events to starting a CIC (community interest company) delivering online programmes for early-stage creatives, to managing a charity, to starting a sweet butter business just because I thought it was interesting. I think whatever I’m doing, I’m always going to be trying and learning something new in the process.
// IF YOU COULD COLLABORATE WITH ONE CREATIVE/BRAND WHO WOULD IT BE?
There are so many to be honest but top of my list is Google. Perhaps it’s not the sexiest of brands for some, but in terms of their output, they are very sick! I’m thinking with my Visualise in Motion hat on, but I think it’s a really powerful thing to be the conduit of knowledge for a very large part of the world. Think about the amount of times you’ve told someone to just Google it!? I’m an information freak so I feel like they’d be my tribe and that they’d get my desire to democratise access to the information they distribute.
// WHO IS YOUR GREATEST INSPIRATION?
I don’t think I have just one. Pretty high up on my list though is Arlan Hamilton who just has this just do it spirit that I love. The story of how she went from sleeping in LAX Airport, to becoming a Venture Capitalist running Backstage Capital that supports women, people of colour and LGBTQ+ founders is really special. Outside of that, I would say that I do life with some really amazing individuals. It’s so easy to look externally for inspiration, but I count it as a real blessing to be able to look at people in my life who continue to graft and make things happen for themselves, as well as for those around them.
// YOUR FAVOURITE SONG OF 2021 SO FAR?
Jazmine Sullivan – Heaux Tales [Album] has had multiple reloads but nothing is topping my love for WizKid – Made in Lagos that came out late last year. I probably listen to this at least once a day!
// WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO SAY ABOUT YOU AT THE END OF YOUR CAREER?
That I wasn’t afraid to try. I’ve always been someone whose mind will already be at point Z when in actual fact, I’m still at point A. But you’re damn sure I’m going to try and arrive at point Z. I’ve failed at a lot of things, but certainly not for lack of trying and to be honest, that’s all I can really ask for. I’d also hope that people felt like I did for others as much as I did for myself. I’ve always believed that part of my purpose was to be of service to people. Whether that’s being able to share my experiences with people, or share opportunities, and most certainly at some point share the wealth.
// WHAT IS THE BIGGEST ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO NEW CREATIVES?
Try your hand at anything and everything. Especially right at the beginning when you’re still finding your feet. Even if it’s an area that is a little far removed from what you actually want to do, you’ll be surprised at what you might learn. Also, one thing that has served me well is building a reputation as someone who does their job well. Whether you’re interning, assisting, managing – whatever, just do it well. The industry is small, and your reputation is everything. Strive to be known as the person who is easy to work with, has a teachable spirit, and gets shit done.
// WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU IN YOUR WORLD RIGHT NOW?
Lifting up Black people is always going to be a priority. In the words of Issa Rae – I’m rooting for everybody Black. Also, democratising access to information whilst helping people actually use that information is always going to be important to me. It’s one thing for people to have access to information, but if you’re not teaching them how to use it for themselves, you’re doing them a disservice.
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