BEHIND THE SCENES: IN FOCUS – CONTENT & SOCIAL MEDIA (FUNDED BY ESF & SKILLS FOR GROWTH)

You may have seen across our socials that we’ve had a busy couple months here at Reform, with a number of participants coming into the space twice a week for our In Focus Content & Social Media course.

Kindly funded by ESF & Skills For Growth, In Focus Content and Social Media is a 7-week course that is designed to upskill people in all things marketing, social media and content creation. All participants have a chance to create an exclusive social media campaign for a Manchester based creative, brand or an organisation. This time round, participants worked with the likes of Yemi Bolatiwa, Studio 88 and Gravy Mag.

We caught up with Dara, who worked on Yemi Bolatiwa’s campaign, to find out more about her time on the course and where she’s heading next.

Introduce yourself (name, pronouns, and what you’re up to at the moment/hobbies etc)

I’m Dara Jackson, I use she/her pronouns and I’m currently graduating from a Masters of research in Neuroscience. My hobbies include watching anime, dancing, singing, painting, and curating digital art on Pinterest.

How would your friends describe you in 3 words?

Joyful, driven and loving.

If you could create any piece of content for yourself/a brand/an artist, what would it be? And who would you want to work with?

I really want to work for Selena Gomez’s brand, Rare Beauty, as a mental health content creator. I’d also love to work for Iris Van Herpen, Gucci or Zimmerman as a fashion or mental health content creator. Rosalia is another musician I’d love to work for too because she inspires me all the time to stay true to my roots.

What prompted you to get involved with In Focus: Content & Social Media?

I am seeking a career in content creation or the creative industries as I feel happiest doing that so this would be a great first step to getting there.

Did you have much experience in content/marketing before? If so, what’s your favourite aspect of it?

I think my favourite part is the idea generation. I like thinking of ways to get in touch with people’s humanity and remind them that everything is ok. Art can remind you of your humanity to fail, to be stagnant and to pause and re-centre. I think I just enjoy making people feel seen.

Where do you find inspiration for your creative content work?

From so much! My relationship with Christ has had a significant impact on the framework I navigate the world with. I think the compassion I experienced from my God is my first filter: compassion and grace. I get inspiration from my mum, dad, brother and sister because they’ve all had lives that speak of struggle, overcoming and making beauty out of ashes. I get inspiration from Greek, Japanese, Trinbagonian, African and Norse Mythology. I get inspiration from Islam, Hinduism and Confucianism. Also I am inspired greatly by my heritage – I’m of African, Indian, Spanish and Irish descent. I am inspired by both digital and traditional art, music like trance, alternative and noir. I pull from anime, Astronomy, nature, my own struggles – I think that’s about it!

Let’s throw it back to your first day at Reform versus now, tell me a bit about your first impressions/feelings/emotions in comparison to how you feel now. What has changed?

I felt safe and like I was somewhere I belonged straight away and that hasn’t changed at all. I think the course taught me to relax and enjoy the process. Reform really knows how to make people feel like they can do anything, no matter what level you are. 

What will you take from the In Focus course moving forward & what are your plans from here onwards? 

Definitely editing if we’re talking technical. I was so scared of using Premiere Pro before! I also hope to take my understanding of how small details in concepts can make a huge difference in perception, and also my value of teamwork.

My plan moving forward is to work in the creative industries. Creative work is the only work that makes me truly happy now and using art to help people find peace and freedom would be a great legacy to have. We’ll see how it goes! 

Come join us at our future courses!If you’d like to get involved or find out more about any of our projects, please drop us an email at projects@reformradio.co.uk.