Creative Entrepreneur Society

💼 🎨 Who says creativity and business don’t mix? At UAL, we’re proving them wrong. 🌎 In today’s world, creativity is no longer confined to studios, galleries, or stages—it’s shaping industries, solving problems, and driving innovation. But here’s the catch: Many creatives overlook one powerful avenue to amplify their impact—entrepreneurship. At Creative Entrepreneur Society, we ask all creatives and our members to embrace their inner entrepreneur… Why? 🌟 Creative Thinking Fuels Innovation - You already excel at thinking differently. Entrepreneurship is about solving problems and innovating in ways others haven’t considered—skills you naturally bring to the table. 👉 We empowered this at our Goodnotes Give it a Go event. 💡 Turn Passion Into Impact- Your artistic vision and passion can be the foundation for ventures that inspire change, build communities, and create opportunities. Whether it's a product, service, or movement, entrepreneurship helps scale your creativity to reach more people. 👉 We empowered this at our Camden Council Changemakers event. 🚀 Stay Ahead in a Changing World- From freelance gigs to creative startups, the job market is shifting toward self-driven projects. Embracing entrepreneurship empowers you to take control of your career and future-proof your craft. 👉 We empowered this at our exclusive socials and panel discussions. So, creatives: Think big, take risks, and build something extraordinary. The world needs your ideas, not just in art, but in action. And you can start that journey with us today. 📣 Think art school is just about paint and design? Think again—entrepreneurs are thriving here.

In 67 days, our society did this! 💜✨ It’s time for the term 1 Wrap Up at Creative Entrepreneur Society, and what an incredible start! In 67 days we’ve achieved remarkable milestones… 🤝 Hosted 8 phenomenal events from socials to hackathons with amazing partners like the Arts Students' Union, Goodnotes, Notion, Camden Council, and more, including an on-stage feature at UAL's Future 50 Founders Awards. 🚀 Nearly doubled our Instagram following (+700 followers) and reached over 28,000 accounts, with viral videos racking up 30k+ views. Huge applause to our marketing team and our lovable mascot! 🗓️ All whilst preparing for upcoming bigger and better partnerships in 2025 (watch out!) This all happened thanks to an extraordinary team of 16 who made every milestone possible with creativity, grit, and passion. 🎓 Creativity isn’t limited to just classrooms and workshops. 🤝 Creativity is embedded in community, challenge and chasing. Check out the full journey on Instagram: @ual_ces We can't wait to see you in 2025!

“𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 has been happening, but it's 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 that drives action.” Last week, we had the honour of visiting Arup’s Foresight and Research team with UAL's Creative Entrepreneur Society to explore how they transform complex, future-focused research into compelling narratives that make possible futures relatable and actionable. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝟯 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁 🌟 1️⃣ 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. The Foresight team’s report on regenerative design begins with identifying macroeconomic contexts and emerging trends. What makes their approach unique is how they humanize this data—turning trends into speculative "day-in-a-life" scenarios through film. This helps stakeholders (and researchers) grasp the tangible impacts of abstract concepts and prompts deeper exploration. At which stage of the process do you say, “Let’s make a film?”—It’s all guided by strong intuition. 2️⃣ 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. ARUP, as an advisory service, brings together designers, engineers, planners, and technical experts to help companies and governments think differently. They use tools like “provocation cards” for water engineers to challenge conventional thinking and create tangible artifacts of the future—such as a smartwatch for air pollution. These small interventions provoke stakeholders to rethink their roles and unlock creative solutions. 3️⃣ 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. While deep research is critical, it’s ARUP’s ability to engage stakeholders and the public through design and storytelling that sets them apart. By crafting compelling narratives, they bridge the gap between public and private sectors, fostering long-term thinking and sparking tangible action. A heartfelt thank you to Tobias Revell and his coolest colleagues, Charlie Warwick, George Harrington, Malina Dabrowska, Efe Aydoğ, and Claudia Palcova, for generously giving us a behind-the-scenes look at their inspiring work on foresight strategies and regenerative design. This visit has left us in awe of the research, creativity, and critical thinking shaping the future. 💚

My recent visit to ARUP! Last week, I had an opportunity to visit Arup. I would like to share my impression of how the company fosters collaboration across diverse areas of expertise, ranging from designers, engineers and cross-technician experts, which is fostered at Arup University. A multidisciplinary team of experts allows them to draw a range of approaches and skill sets that respond to the future world. We visited the foresight and research department, committing to building a resilient future through sustainability and innovation from trend analysis, scenario planning, visioning & road-mapping and future-proofing. “No Future Facts” We often think the future will closely resemble today, but Arup expands perceptions in all directions. The highlight was talking about the design future with an introduction to regenerative design that focuses on the co-existence of people and planet. Considering the change of the future, people tend to stick with the stigma of the future and are likely to forget to think about political changes and social changes. We did a small activity at the beginning to think about True or False future scenarios in 2050, 1. Cash is no longer used 2. Extreme weather events are 8x as common With the trend of futuristic scenes of technology in my head, I had a chance to step back and carefully think about the insight of stakeholders in diverse contexts of social. As a design management student, our practice of design strategies is expected to work by collaborating with diverse fields to solve problems ranging from business to social to global challenges, and at the core of it — innovation, to make a positive change. This experience was truly inspiring and will significantly impact my final-year practice. A huge thank you to Creative Entrepreneur Society and guest speakers from Arup - Tobias Revell, George Harrington, Charlie Warwick, Malina Dabrowska, Efe Aydoğ, and Claudia Palcova for hosting and sharing such invaluable insights.

"𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀." Last week, I was incredibly honoured to speak at University of the Arts London's Future 50 Founders Award Ceremony. 🎤✨ As President of UAL’s Creative Entrepreneur Society, it was a proud moment to reflect on how far we’ve come in empowering creatives to embrace entrepreneurship and drive change. At CES, we believe entrepreneurship isn’t just about startups, pitching, or funding rounds. It’s about solving problems through creativity and humanity. It’s about unlocking value and scaling impact to reach greater communities. In just one year, CES has grown into a thriving community of 800+ members across UAL and reaching beyond. We’ve hosted 10+ sold-out events, engaged over 2000 students, and built partnerships with organizations like TikTok, Camden Council, Oditi fka PROSPECT 100, adidas, and Imperial Climate Entrepreneurs Pre-accelerator, alongside collaborations with university societies to foster interdisciplinary innovation. In just one year, CES has been recognized as UAL’s Best Society of the Year and a Future 50 Founders Award winner—thanks to our visionary founders Tiffany Ho and Barimah Asare, our dedicated founding team, and UAL Careers & Employability's unwavering support (Special thanks to Vicky Fabbri, Lucy Nicholson and Emma Thatcher). 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. At CES, we’re on a mission to show the world that creatives are more than logo makers or poster designers. We’re storytellers, decision-makers, and architects of a better world. - Let’s create the future together. Doors are always open for collab. - videography by @hayleyinvestigates Hayley Jones

Had the honour of attending the Creative Entrepreneur Society Cocktail Night, where I connected with incredible peers in the creative industry. The highlight of the evening? Exploring a variety of creative perspectives that were so different from my own. These conversations have truly reshaped how I view the role of design in the world today. It’s amazing how much inspiration can come from stepping outside your usual thought patterns. A huge thank-you to Jolyn Yin and the team for organising such a seamless event. Your dedication to fostering meaningful connections is invaluable! Events like this remind me of the power of collaboration. As someone working in innovation, building relationships like these is crucial—not just for professional growth but for reimagining what's possible when diverse creative minds come together. Wishing everyone I met all the best on their creative journeys, and I look forward to seeing where these new connections might lead.

Last week marked the culmination of months of my heart and soul being poured into this event, as I co-hosted "Camden Changemakers: A Social Innovation Hackathon" in partnership with Roda Aden from London Borough of Camden. Having attended my first CES hackathon just a year ago, it’s been an incredible journey learning the intricacies of event management and hosting. 🎉 The Creative Entrepreneur Society's first-of-its-kind two-day event combined design and social change, with participants brainstorming solutions to challenges like health, education, employment, and safety. The dedication and passion of our participants were truly energising, as they worked tirelessly to refine their ideas. Teams even requested to come in early and work on their Day 2 pitches! 💡 The winning team proposed a brilliant solution: building shelters for female rough sleepers using recycled materials, designed in collaboration with UAL students. It was an honour to host Tanya Popeau, whose workshop on Innovation and Sustainability was invaluable to the attendees' ideation processes and knowledge-building. There's so much to learn from your expertise, confidence, and humility. A very special shoutout to our very own ex-Head of Events, Sophie Yau, who delivered the most engaging and fun talk on networking and pitching (with the occasional cat meme, of course). A big big (huge!!) thanks to our brilliant judges, Eitan Senerman, Ghadah Alharthi, PhD, and Camille Jordan, for taking the time to provide their expert insights and feedback to our participants. We’re eager to continue learning and growing from you! 👏 I had the time of my life co-hosting with Sannidhi Khandelwal, working countless late nights together to make this event a success. I’m grateful to the CES team—Jolyn Yin, Nathaniel A., Akerke Imanzhanova, Shania Janine, Sarina Chen, Aritro Roy, and everyone else—for their support. Lastly, a heartfelt thanks to Tiffany Ho, whose trust in my ability from the beginning made this possible! 🫶🏻 This experience has provided me with crucial lessons on teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving, and I'm proud of what we've achieved in this journey! 🌟

🙌 An event for all those interested in social impact and scalable local innovation: 💥A first-of-its-kind social innovation challenge where YOU create the next positive change within London Borough of Camden. This 1.5 day event brings together a diverse cohort of young people to ideate and pitch their solutions centered around key challenges within the borough, with the winning ideas receiving funding and support to push their ideas into reality. 📝Applications are FREE and ZERO prior experience is required - just a strong passion for positive social change, a collaborative spirit, and a knack for creative problem-solving. We will be accepting applicants of various skill-sets and experience levels, so be sure to show us your unique perspective and let your personality shine through in your application. You don’t need to be a student to apply! For more info visit the link below - the Creative Entrepreneur Society and I can’t wait to see you there. 📍 Location: Crowndale Centre, 218 Eversholt St. London, NW1 1BD 🗓 Date and Timings: June 3rd (9:30 AM - 6:30 PM) and June 4th (9:30 AM - 12:30 PM) ⚠️ You must be 18-25 years old and either reside, study, or work in Camden to apply for this event. 🍽️ Lunch and light breakfast will be provided during the event. ⏳DEADLINE: May 25th 5PM Application link: https://lu.ma/n3t5m7yx

According to economist Marjorie Kelly, people fail to question the status quo of the dominant capitalist system due to three factors: ❌ Inability to articulate ❌ Inability to challenge ❌ And the absence of a feasible alternative narrative. Entrepreneurship has been typecast into a vessel which progresses these extractive structures. But it’s also the way out. Creative Entrepreneur Society and SEIZE Magazine have teamed up to discuss what an anti-capitalist future looks like - and how three inspiring individuals are creating spaces for a more sustainable future. The speakers are: 👚Tina Wetshi: Co-founder of Colèchi and Events Manager at DAZED Magazine 🗑️ Matthew Needham: Co-founder of Trash Club and lead Sustainaility Lecturer for Fashion Design for Central Saint Martins, University of The Arts London 📖 Siôn Whellens: Director at Calverts, a design and publishing cooperative Everyone can attend and tickets are free - do show up as we have a surprise event format planned! 🔗: https://lnkd.in/eJFh8jZf (P.S. I learned about the first paragraph through my amazing friend Kata Ovari, whose work with kreativ | kollektiv is actively transforming the way creative founders access funding! ⭐️ Definitely worth a follow.)

It's just over a week until our first fireside in partnership with Women Who Build 🪄 on May 9. You’ll join a curated group of ambitious female students based in the UK to hear from our cofounder Matt Clifford CBE, who sits on the board of Code First Girls, CEO of By Rotation, Eshita Kabra, and cofounder of Peppy, Dr Mridula Pore. We’ll explore how you can develop a founder’s mindset and take the first step towards building a startup - from ditching the status quo to finding the right idea. Link to apply in comments 👇