Here at Culture Vulture Sheffield HQ change is in the air, I won’t be sticking my beak into quite so many cultural activities over the next few months as we’ve got a baby on the way. So while I’m doing some nesting, I thought I’d let you lovely lot know and sound out who might be interested in continuing some culture vulturing for Sheffield along side our current band of bloggers.
You might already be a closet culture vulture; a film, theatre, music, family events, food or visual arts buff; a writer, blogger or tweeter; a cultural debater, agitator, shaker or stirrer or simply someone who enjoys dipping into the creative happenings in Sheffield. If you want to know more about the Culture Vulture and whether it’s for you, we’re meeting up for a Sheffield bloggers coffee and catch up 6:30pm, next Friday 2 September at the Showroom Cinema Bar. DM or email so we can get an idea of numbers – details below.
In the meantime, here are five things I’ve discovered during a fabulous year winging my way round the Sheffield scene:
1. Fearless blogging
The Culture Vulture was my first foray into the world of blogging. Understanding the basic functionality was pretty straightforward. What has been more challenging is fearless blogging ie balancing relationships with the cultural organisations I’ve been writing about with the need to retain a credible and authentic voice with our culture vulture audience. All I can say is write about what you know, be truthful and don’t be afraid to rattle a few cages. Juicy comments are a measure of a juicy, thought-provoking theme. Fellow editor, Phil Kirby introduced me to the concept of fearless blogging and his is definitely a gladiatorial approach.
2. Go with your own flow
Although we love to champion the latest cultural activities in the region and free tickets are often a fab currency, the Culture Vulture isn’t a what’s on guide. In fact some of my favourite articles to write have been driven by raging cultural debate, inspirational Sheffield characters or themes that randomly captured my imagination. There have been some unexpected results too, for example an impromptu article I wrote, Land of Milk and Honey, led to my involvement in the creation of Sheffield Food, a tasty campaign to support artisan Sheffield food producers.
3. It’s a voyage of discovery
The other day I heard twitter being described as the online equivalent of public toilet graffiti. However, bringing the online offline and the offline online has definitely helped me connect with like-minded culture vultures. From Cultural Conversations to BYOJ (Bring your own jelly aka Culture Vulture’s second birthday), it’s also opened doors to some utterly unique events – well worth the trek between Sheffield and Leeds.
4. Don’t be precious
I’ve also learnt that editing and proofing can be as demanding as writing an article from scratch. How do you maintain the integrity of another blogger’s article while guaranteeing an accurate, easy or rip-roaring read? Also, there’s a skill to writing punchy, impactful copy and in most cases less is definitely more.
5. You can cross boundaries
I find in Sheffield that we tend not to shout about our success, we just get on with it. Featuring the city on a wider, regional platform has helped me to understand and value Sheffield’s creative and cultural offer. The icing on the cake was then being asked to compile Sheffield’s summer arts calendar for the Guardian. Most importantly the Culture Vulture gets people exchanging ideas, debating and talking about the city, which can only be a good thing.
If you want to help continue that conversation, come and join us 6:30pm, next Friday 2 September at the Showroom Cinema. Drop me line to confirm:
DM: @luharper
Or
Email: harperlucy@hotmail.com