Interview: Louisa Jones, SisterWorks

SisterWorks is a collective made up of over 60 Bristol-based women, with the aim of encouraging more women of all ages and backgrounds into the creative industries, particularly music. With some big names already on board, including Eva Lazarus and Liz Horseman, for a day-long event on January 13 2018, we spoke to founder Louisa Jones about the project.

Why did you think it was important and relevant to set up SisterWorks?

SisterWorks has been in my mind for about 15 years. I still see far fewer women achieving high level positions in music and creative industries, especially within the music industry, which is where my heart lies.

When I was younger, I wanted to be a DJ, but I looked around and didn’t see many women in line-ups. I found it hard to find friends through it too, because no other women seemed to be interested at the time. So I set things up for myself, and part of that was planning a day that has now become SisterWorks’ first event.

15 years ago I was in a different place, mentally, and I didn’t think I could pull it together. Now, I’m in more of a position to make this happen, partly because I think I’m a lot more outward-thinking these days, and partly because of the cultural context: there are so many more girls on decks and in the limelight, so it just feels more possible.

Louisa Jones forged her way into the music scene when few other women were involved

Who is involved in the project?

I posted on Facebook that I’d had this idea, and so many people came out of the woodwork and said they were up for it. We started having meetings, and we said from the beginning that it was open to anyone, so friends of friends started tagging along, and now we’ve got new people arriving all the time – just anyone with the skills or an interest in the project. Virtually all the women in the group hold down a main job but do bits on the side, and they are involved in a few different strands of the creative industries.

Amongst others, we’ve got Beth Sheldrick, photographer, DJ and owner of oneonesevenblog, fashion blogger and Bristol24/7 Fashion Editor Emma Gorton-Ellicott, DJ and music producers Alice Gordon AKA Kiia, and Beth Izzard of Bzzar fashion and The Fashion Front who also works in the wider music industry.

Then we’ve also got people involved like Eva Lazarus, who has this massive career going on and is currently in Australia, but who wants to be part of it and do what she can. Just to get her opinions and insights is an honour. The women involved are all busy doing things, so we’re working as a co-operative, and getting everyone involved in some way. It’s all really valuable and democratic.

Is Bristol a good place to set up a project like this?

I think Bristol is right for it. We’ve got a great music scene here already – people move here for it – but I don’t want us to rest on our laurels. I really want us to get out into the wider South West, and particularly into more rural areas – Gloucestershire, Swindon, Cheltenham – and get people down here. There’s sitting talent in all sorts of places just waiting to be nurtured, and given an opportunity like we have in Bristol.

SisterWorks DJs Kiia and Ellie Stokes

What will the first SisterWorks event look like?

We’ve got a full day planned for January, with morning workshops offering one-hour taster sessions in a  lot of different types of things, but generally with a strong focus on music: DJing, MCing, music production, artist management, promotion, how to get paid for what you do, and also just people talking about how they got into the scene.

Then, there’ll be a structured networking lunch to get people together and talk, and to create friendships. The afternoon workshops are longer, and so they are a chance for people to get their teeth into something that they are really interested in. We’ll also have a panel discussion, concentrating on uplifting on women in these industries, and looking at ways to make a difference in the future.

We’ve got some really great people involved to run the workshops – Hannah Williams who was recently sampled by Jay-Z on a track, local DJs like QueenB and Lizz E. who was part of the 90s Bristol Sound crowd, and Liz Horsman who is one of the most accomplished producers in UK – she’s worked with people like Emeli Sandé and John Newman.

It’s been easier than I thought to get them involved: when you’re doing something like this for a reason, and you’re all moved to do it, it becomes clear that something like this needs to happen, it makes sense and it’ll make a difference.

What do you hope that SisterWorks will achieve?

It’s already a success in my mind. I see the women involved in it gaining so much from coming together. If we’ve got needs in our lives or need help with a task, we share skills. We’re all committed to doing what we’re good at and finding out more about new things, so it’s all about empowering ourselves, and it’s great to be in a sharing network like this.

And as for the event on January 13, it will bring even more people together, so that will feel like an achievement to me. If just one girl comes out and thinks ‘I want to be a music producer’ because of the people they’ve talked to or the experience they’ve had of seeing other women who’ve made it in the industry, that’ll make a difference to the world.

SisterWorks are currently crowdfunding to ensure they can put on their event in January. A pledge of £20 will grant entry to the day-long event on January 13 2018, taking place at dBs Music‘s studios on St Thomas Street. To find out more or buy tickets, visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/sisterworks.