Our first blog post - hooray! This feels like it’s been a long time coming, and it’s certainly been a journey of many ups and downs to get to this point. EMPOWER is entering its fourth “season” and it’s three years since we first viewed the Anthony Burgess Foundation and put down the deposit for EMPOWER 2022, with no money in the bank and no one to play to or speak, just an idea and the hope that things would work themselves out. 

And they have. That actually feels really good to say, and I speak for both Hannah and I in saying that we are in a really good place with EMPOWER at the moment, which anyone who runs their “thing” like this, isn’t always the case. Like 99% of the population, we only show the highlights on our social media, which we now call “a community of positivity”. That’s not wholly intentional, but more like I’m just not a reactionary person and never bring my reactions online, however we are trying to show more of the process of running EMPOWER on our socials going forward.

I thought that for our first blog post, and because launching our incredible new website (love you Showcase!) feels like a huge step, now seems like the right time to reflect on some takeaways of things we’ve learned over the past three years. 

1.You never know where something will lead 

When we put on our first EMPOWER event, I genuinely didn’t know if anyone would come. But they did, and they keep coming back. Providing other people with opportunities is an amazing feeling, and it’s led us to meet so many incredible people, and I don’t know where it will lead us to in our own individual careers. If you have an idea for something, give it a go, worst comes to worst you learned a lot and it was a funny story - we certainly have enough of those too! 

2.Trust your gut 

You are always right and you know you best! EMPOWER is our baby, we know it better than anyone else, and you can look for all the advice in the world, but you don’t always have to take it. I don’t mean this in a negative or sassy way, and we have been so fortunate to have had incredible advice along the way, but if you’re unsure about something, don’t act on it if it doesn’t feel right. 

3.A dumb priest never got a parish 

Just ask! This has taken a long time to learn, and I’m still learning, but more recently I’ve been getting good at just asking people for stuff. The worst thing someone will say is no. And they will most likely say no in a nice way if you’ve written them a thought out email. We have asked organisations for financial support before and they’ve come back saying no, but also with helpful feedback on what we’ve provided them with, so it doesn’t feel like a negative thing then suddenly. People want to help young creatives, but won’t stand outside their door with a sign saying that, you need to go and knock on their door. 

4.You can’t make everyone happy 

Same principles as with friends, not everyone will like you and what you’re doing, and that’s ok. I’d be lying if I said I’m ok with this all the time, and sometimes it can feel personal because you’ve put so much work into it, but at the end of the day you’ve done your best and just have to hope that our work is reaching the right people. 

5.Own your space 

This again, is definitely one that I’m firmly still on a journey with, and maybe I’ll write about more. Be confident in what you are doing, and be assured that you are leading it because you are the right person to (I probably need to hear this more than you do though). 

I don’t know where we will go next with EMPOWER, or what the 2025 events may lead to, however I do know that we will make a load more mistakes, be rejected for many more funding bids, and get a lot more grey hairs in the process (just me, Hannah is blessed), but that’s ok. These things are completely outweighed by our passion, enthusiasm and motivated attitude, which is kept alive by the support of others. 

I hope that this is a space where we can connect on a “real” level, as ultimately connection signifies the power of music, of words, and of community. As always, feedback is always welcome on how to make the most of this page, and thank you for being on this journey with us❤️

Mind yourself 

Sinéad x