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Inclusivity & Creativity with FreeAgent: Meet the FreeAngels!

Inclusivity & Creativity with FreeAgent: Meet the FreeAngels!

April’s #CMInclusive themed event is a very special one with our friends and sponsors over at FreeAgent! Each year, the FreeAgent team raises awareness and funds for selected charities. With CCLASP being one of their charity partners for 2019, it's extra special to have the charity's founder, Valerie Simpson, speak to all of us at the CreativeMornings/EDI community! All of their charity collaborations are organised by the FreeAgent FreeAngels - a group of FreeAgent team members, dedicating some of their work hours to fundraising events and activities. Each of them combining creativity and a passion for inclusivity - in the workplace, and wider communities. 

It’s a pleasure, then, to introduce Stuart McEwan. A support accountant at FreeAgent, he’s a dedicated member of the FreeAngels group; described by co-workers as: 

“ ...an unfailing champion of FreeAgent's FreeAngels team, who organises these events for us to get together, have some fun and raise money for our charities.  He is also great at encouraging people to use their volunteering day to help out all sorts of worthy causes.”

  Making events, fundraising, and charity sponsorship activities happen must take a whole lot of passion and creativity. Can you tell us a little bit about what this work entails for your team?

It involves creativity, conversation, and elbow grease. Effective fundraising starts with imagination, and develops arms and legs through research on similar ideas, and the creative minds of those who involve themselves in the task. Following the dream, comes the sharing. For an event to be successful, it needs people to both shout about it, and to get involved in it. The communication and teamwork around this middle stage is paramount to its success. Lastly comes the hard graft. Even the simplest of fundraising takes time, and more hard work than was originally planned for.

What attracted you to this work? And, what’s the special story behind how you came to be in the role?

After leaving university, I went straight into becoming a pre-school teacher and realised how rewarding giving back to society and helping others was. I managed to rope in (read: guilt trip) another 7 of my fellow graduates into joining me in running the Edinburgh Marathon in 2010. We raised £8,000 for Alzheimer Scotland and I took charge of organising the fundraising - and that was me hooked! When I joined FreeAgent in 2017 and found that we put forward charity runners for the marathon, I quickly offered my fundraising experience over the prior 7 years.

Stuart and his team, at the end of the 2018 Edinburgh Marathon 🏃

What aspects of these initiatives do you find the most fulfilling, and inspiring?

I think that the sense of fulfilment and inspiration comes in two main ways. The first is being able to help support people in a meaningful and significant way. Everyone has the ability to help others, and I get real satisfaction from knowing that I can directly change people's lives.

The second is watching the FreeAgent community come together. We're lucky to have an incredibly diverse workplace of staff, and when fundraising activities such as our bi-annual scavenger hunt are run, it's amazing to see individuals across different departments, genders, races, ages, disabilities, and nationalities, and their partners, come together to help raise money and awareness for the same cause.

When planning and creating these initiatives, events, and partnerships, where/what/who do you find yourself looking to for new ideas?

I genuinely believe that inspiration is everywhere, and that the more you look, the more you see. I try to explore every avenue, and never rule out anything. The internet is the greatest help, as the chances are, that if you have a good idea, it's probably been done in some way before. I'll either create an idea myself, or take inspiration from one i've seen or heard about, and then bounce it off of family, friends, and colleagues until it becomes something else. Being in regular contact with charities always helps, as they're able to provide insight into prior events that you can't know unless you've been directly involved it in.

FreeAngel’s Fundraising: Fancy Dress 💃🏽 and Halloween Bake Sale 🎃 

Is there anything, or things, that make FreeAgent a special place/team/organisation to do this work in/with?

Absolutely. The diversity and inclusiveness of FreeAgent is special. Working with people from every walk of life, and from all corners of the world, enriches both the community feel, and the life experience of mixing with large numbers of people who have a completely different story to you. We're also a very forward-thinking and enterprising company, so topics such as charity and sustainability, and empowerment and equality, are always very high on the agenda.

Can you tell us about any unique/inspiring/special moments that stand out in your memory from your time doing this work with FreeAgent?

There was a moment after the 2018 Edinburgh Marathon had finished, that the FreeAgent charity runners all came together for a collective photo, and for congratulations between ourselves. It was an occasion of success and gratification. Each one of us had overcome a real challenge, and in doing so, was helping to make the world a better place. You can't buy moments like that.

The FreeAgent Team Charity Fundraising Xmas Jumper Day 🎄 

Our motto at CreativeMornings - both local and global - is “Everyone is Creative, Everyone is Welcome!”. With this in mind, what inspirational words and/or advice would you give to the CreativeMornings community, and how they can also nurture their creativity?

I'm sure that there are many useful ways to nurture creativity, but the one I'd like to recommend that gets overlooked so often is volunteering. The benefits of volunteering are almost endless, and they're all likely to directly or indirectly help to improve creativity. It engages you with a wider community, opens up new potential avenues to explore, reduces stress levels, develops new physical and interpersonal skills, and broadens the human experience of being around, and helping, others.

Stuart McEwan - FreeAgent Angel, and #CMInclusive Champion 😊

One last question! Our theme this month is ‘Inclusive’. What does this word mean to you, in your life, work, and creative pursuits?

Inclusivity to me, is realising and making true the fact that we can make a better 'we', by bringing together lots of different 'mes'.

My advice to anyone on this would be to surround yourself with as many people as you can that are different to you. You can't make soup when you only have water.

Cheers! 

Thank you so much Stuart for giving us this wonderful glimpse into life as a FreeAgent FreeAngel, and all you do. What a healthy dose of inspiration - applying and nurturing our creativity really can be done anywhere, and include everyone!  

We can’t wait to see you all our next CreativeMornings/EDI event! Make sure you head on over and say hi to our friends from the FreeAgent team while you’re with us this Friday morning. They really are the nicest of folks, ready and raring to conversate! 

[creativemorningsedinburgh]

#CMEDI SPEAKER CATCH-UP: John Jackson 🧔

Back in December 2018, we got to meet the founder and director of Braw Beards, John Jackson. A mighty fellow, who found inspiration in his experience of rehabilitation for extreme sports injuries. The result? A world leading beard care brand, that’s attracted the love and attention from those of all genders, crafts, and interests around the world. 

Last month we got the chance to catch up with John, and find out a little bit more about his time up on the CMEdi stage, and becoming a member of our fab creative community! 

Photography by Ellie Morag 

What was the preparation for your talk like? Were you nervous about what to expect?

I was a little nervous in the build up to the talk. Myself and the CMEdi team sat down and discussed how to structure the talk so that definitely helped keep me focused. There is so much to the Braw Beard story and timeline it was tricky to fit into a 20min talk but CMEdi helped condense it nicely.

 How did you feel up on the stage, in front of our CMEdi community? Did you find yourself easing into it once you got going?

I was nervous walking to the stage, but once the first sentence was out I started to relax. After I got the first laugh from the crowd, it reminded me I was in good company.

Were there any special responses and/or interactions before, during, or after your talk which stood out in your memory?

After the talk there were a lot of people thanking me for the talk and saying it was inspirational, which is always nice to hear. If someone takes just a little bit of inspiration from the talk, it’s a good feeling. I remember someone asking a question along the lines of  “How many employees do you have?” and they were stunned when I said none haha. I’m ALWAYS busy, that question opened my eyes, maybe I need to get some staff to help out!

 We have loved having you as a speaker; but, also as a community member – you are now part of the family! Related to that... 

Would you recommend taking part in the CMEdi community and events, as a speaker and/or attendee?

100% yes. To be honest, I wasn’t too sure what to expect so I went along to the talk previous to mine to get an idea. Again everyone was friendly and there’s a relaxed atmosphere. Plus you’ll always learn something new. If you get the opportunity to do a talk at Creative Mornings, DO IT.

What aspects of both experiences stand out as particularly special/important?

As an attendee - the relaxed atmosphere and wealth of knowledge in the room. There’s a good chance there will be someone in the room in a similar position to yourself.

As a speaker - the preparation and promotion from the CMEdi team. They care about you and want to see you do well so they’re willing to help with any advice you need.

What positive things have resulted from your experiences, and connections made at CreativeMornings Edinburgh? Collaborations, projects, or simply an increased sense of optimism… they all count!

After doing the talk, it has made me keen to do more. I really didn’t enjoy speaking in public before but after doing a few talks (CMEdi being the most recent), the response from the audience has always been welcoming and enthusiastic.

Head on over to the Braw Beard Oils website, scroll to the bottom of the page, and get yourself signed up to their newsletter! With fun events, blogs, and general updates on the go, you’ll be glad to stay in touch!  Plus, check out the Braw Beard Championships film - a promo for the epic event held every year... could you be the 2020 Braw Beard champ?! 

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Early morning in town heading to Creative Mornings today. BRING ME DA COFFEE!

[creativemorningsedinburgh]

"You are not your work" says our next speaker Rohan Gunatillake at 99U conference