As artists, we often toil away in the privacy of our studios, pouring untold amounts of emotional, mental, and physical energy into the production of works that mean the world to us, yet unfortunately, never seem to reach the world outside us. We set up websites and social media pages that our friends and family check out, and while some will be lucky enough to break out of that bubble, for the rest of us this tends to be the extent of our audience, and we never get to share our hearts and souls on a wider stage, or page. Nevertheless, the work we create, whether it be a painting, a photograph, a poem or a play, bears the unique stamp of our voice, and the world would be well-served to hear it!
Founded in 2017, InkBeat is an arts organization that works to promote the artistic voices of students age 14 to 19 through various programs, workshops and a quarterly literary journal, the eighth of which will be celebrated with a launch party this Thursday, November 21 at The Tree (Floor 2, Building 28, Yard 6 Jingshun Dongjie, Chaoyang) from 6-7.30pm.
The event, which will feature readings, live jazz music, snacks, and drinks, is entirely free and open to the public. If you’re not familiar with InkBeat, but want to submit your work to future issues or get involved, it’s a great opportunity to meet the folks behind the project, as well as fellow artists.
Aside from the eponymous literary journal, InkBeat also works with students to set up Student Leadership Committees at their own high school, which oversees the work of their school’s InkBeat Collective, a boots-on-the-ground approach to arts advocacy and the empowerment of young peoples’ artistic voices. There’s currently around eight high schools who are participating in the initiative, which provides them with the resources and guidance necessary to build a “ thriving community of young writers and artists in every school that organizes workshops and readings, gets hand-on editing experience, and contributes to a China-wide initiative to empower students’ creativity.
We asked InkBeat administrators Lulu and Helen to tell us a little bit more about their organization’s mission, and why it’s important for young people to express themselves artistically. This is what they had to say:
“Everyone is born a poet and artist. This is what we do: we tell stories and the stories help us see the world anew and help us feel whole and connected with the world around us. When someone asks about their work, ‘Is it OK?’ they are asking ‘Have you heard me?’ This is what Oprah Winfrey says in her speech at Harvard. Here at Inkbeat we give young people the chance to be heard in their own unique and personal ways, online, in print and in person. We bring together a community of young creatives and give them a platform for their work and the opportunity to progress through experimentation, collaboration and workshops. Our new online platform is a collaboration with our writers and artists which develops organically with input from both our students and editors. We have a student committee which meets termly with us so that we can develop our website ideas in tune with the desires and motivations of tomorrow’s movers and shakers in the Arts. Inkbeat aims to foster both freedom and form, like yin and yang, in creative young people in China and abroad. We publish work in English and Mandarin.”
To register for the InkBeat Issue 8 Launch Party, click here.
To learn more about InkBeat, and find out how you can get involved, click here.
Photos: Courtesy of InkBeat
