Background of TLC
The Loving Collaborative, aka TLC, was founded by Drew & Chichi, both multi-disciplinary artists. They started working together on social projects over a decade ago, interweaving their skills & collaborating with inspiring communities, universities, festivals, conservationists, bands & talents all over the world. They have now returned to the UK and are setting up TLC here in the UK & Europe.
TLC runs as a collaborative cooperative. Read here for more information. If you are interested in this kind of horizontal organization, then work experience with TLC may interest you. It is not a paid position with a salary; however, if any profits are made from a project you are involved in, it is divided amongst participants.
This program is for anyone above 18 years of age. At the end of the program participants will receive a letter of recommendation with a breakdown of roles accomplished, participation, experience acquired, attendance & reliability.
We also will have an opening for permanent members of The Loving Collaborative, which those completing the work experience with TLC can apply for.
What does TLC do?
TLC specializes in making the arts accessible to people of all ages & abilities. We do this through combining art, dance, music & folklore in multi-disciplinary workshops. Please see all our workshops here. We have developed many techniques over the years to make art, music & dance more inclusive, gender-neutral, and less intimidating to those who may not have considered it a choice in their lives for whatever reason. Our blog documents some of the projects we have completed, see here. We are mostly donation-based to not exclude those having financial difficulty.
How?
TLC has three main branches that we combine to create our workshops: art, music & dance/folklore.
TLC Art:
The art works is two ways: as a means to get funding through selling artwork; and creating art in mural workshops. Our murals are about inclusion, healing & bonding people to tackle issues that are affecting their community. Here are two examples where we use art to tackle environmental issues and social issues in South America.
TLC Dance/Folklore:
Drew & Chichi found dance at a later age thanks to the rich, inclusive & free cultural education programs in Argentina. It changed their lives and understanding of human needs. They now have created workshops with the aim of:
helping people of all ages & abilities have access to dance
making dance feel less intimidating through techniques in folklore, and
highlighting our physiological needs to move together.
TLC Music:
The music plays several roles: we use it for our workshops; and also a medium to collaborate, bond & tell stories that serve humans' learning. We have begun to record & upload music to Bandcamp to be able to raise funds. We have recently invested into high-spec recording equipment to be able to start a music cooperative. Our aims are:
to collaborate with talented musicians
record & upload the music, and
raise funds for collaborators as well as support TLC.
The Work Experience Role:
We believe that to find your calling you need to experiment, play, learn (& un-learn) in a variety of fields. The work experience we offer is flexible depending on where your interests lie. There is a structure of roles to fulfill within what we do, but they are only a basic foundation you can adapt to best suit you.
All roles begin with an introduction to who we all are.. get to know each other. Then Drew & Chichi explain what TLC does; a little of its history & evolution; TLC ethics & how to adhere to them during the program.
Duration: 3 months, with a mid-point review to ascertain position/role.
All work experience roles involve:
Expanding online presence & content.. this can include audio & visual
Uploading content online via various platforms & blogs
Attending weekly online meetings
Liaising with others in TLC to collaborate, streamline everything produced, & support each other in your TLC endeavors
Ability to take down meeting notes & summarize in concise document for team reference.
Below are aspects more specific to each department.
Work Experience in TLC Music Cooperative
Access to recording equipment
Learning to do basic high quality recordings
Researcher: finding music collaborators, festivals, organizations etc & finding ways to get funding
Generating ideas of possibilities/projects using the tools available in the TLC Music Co-op
Assisting in TLC workshops in festivals.
Work Experience in TLC Art
Understanding the role of art to tangibly impact social & environmental issues
Researching & generating ideas of possibilities/projects using the artwork available
Assisting in TLC workshops in festivals
Work Experience in TLC Dance Workshops
Understanding the history of dance in our species & our human heritage, & how to use this to impact social & environmental issues through the workshops
Researcher: finding collaborators; spaces to conduct workshops; funding etc
Assisting in TLC workshops in festivals: capturing content; assisting participants; setting up space
If you have a movement/dance background we are also open to you conducting and creating your own workshop, as long as it adheres to our ethical code at TLC.
Visual Content
We are also looking for people interested in capturing what we do through film & photography, if you are interested in boosting a Visual Arts portfolio.
Non-artistic Roles:
If you are interested in more administrative roles, we welcome volunteers to help us further our goals & outreach.
What kind of person is TLC Looking for?
No previous skills or experience in the Arts is required
Any age above 18
Punctual
Self-disciplined
Enjoys working in a team & on their own
Can manage online meeting platforms or is willing to learn them fluently to attend meetings
Has 2 days free a week from mid-March & flexibility to attend festivals if needs be from May
Interested in working in a cooperative, and in becoming a member in future
Interested in being a positive impact on the world & environment
Problem-solver that likes to connect the dots
Eager to learn new skills & share their talents & perspicacity
..we love a grafter
If you are interested in work experience with us, please contact elizabethqc@gmail.com
Please state your name & a paragraph about why you are interested; you can attach a CV if you wish. We will contact you with a questionnaire and if you feel we are what you are looking for we will arrange a time for an online interview. Interviews will commence on 16th of March and the program begins a week later. It lasts 3 months.