My very own Just People t-shirt dropped through my postbox yesterday. My wardrobe had long been crying out for a simple white tee to keep me cool - so this morning, when it hit 19 degrees celsius at 9.30am, I decided to embody Together Culture’s third value (EXPERIMENT), and play around with some outfit options.

The New Brighton Street Art exhibitions are a daily reminder that everyone here is a creative (whether they work as an artist or an accountant) and they’re shifting the course of travel of their seaside town.

“For me the pandemic made me realise that I’m really not in the business of creativity for my love of creativity, I’m in it for the community and connecting with people. What originally attracted me to creativity is no longer my main driver.”

Stories have been told by people, largely women, over weaving cloth, which was so deeply important to day to day life, for thousands of years. Stories are not stories unless they are told and shared, they are inherently creative, and require at least one other person to receive them.

The party that was the Brits was a big martini glass in which the cocktail of cultures - which when shaken or stirred become British - was at play.

Three months into the pandemic, my friend Giulia found out she was pregnant. For her, those first months were ‘unprecedented’ in more ways than one. She measured time by lockdown restrictions and trimesters; we met up for brisk walks down Mill Road as her belly grew.

As leaves transform sunlight, we transform our emotions - anger, fear, resentment - into creative energy and fire; compassion becomes support and care, frustration an agent for change making - and all on a level beyond the individual.

As a species, we arguably have a lot to address in terms of our culture; many if not most of us want to actively shift our current culture(s), want them to change, and want to actively participate in this change. Most people (everyone?!) cares deeply about their immediate communities, the environment and the wellbeing of not only themselves but of others. Most people want to make change, be happy and live in resilient thriving communities, but don’t know how.

If all this talk about principles is making you think that community building takes effort, you’d be right. But with an intentional approach, you cultivate enriching soil for a strong community to root and grow. Community is SO powerful. It’s how we’ll make a difference in Cambridge.

Looking back through the lens of community, I can see that what united the Animal Club was our shared values. But to root something long-term, that’s not enough.

This isn’t meant to (only) be an ode to my Grandad. For me, this answers the question, what IS Together Culture? Much of the time, and I can understand why, folks want me to immediately explain our products and services. But, here’s the thing, they are tools that help us achieve our purpose and why and how comes before what when we’re talking about creativity, culture, and togetherness.