Spotlight Spaces Interview with the OCS Newsletter
OCS: What are Twitter safe spaces of the spotlight?
Spotlight Chleo: Spotlight Safe Spaces are spaces to welcome all artists. Spotlight is a place where anyone, beginner or pro artists can sand under the spotlight and be able to show off their talent.
This spaces will be able to bring artists closer together, to be able to form a community where everyone can help everyone. Give advice, critics, and ideas to one another.
Spotlight Victoria: And when we say artists we don’t just mean writers, musicians, actors - the world is full of different kinds of art - anyone can be an artist, anything can be art.
OCS: Is there an official name/account handle?
Spotlight: The official name is SPOTLIGHT ( OUT OF SPACE, SPACES). For now, the only official account is on Twitter (@Spotlight_Space), very soon an Instagram account will be open also. And hopefully soon Spotlight will be found even on Spotify.
OCS: Names/Twitter handles of the people involved in this project? And anything you want to include about yourselves.
Spotlight: The people behind Spotlight are @ismotherlandswechess (Chleo) and @lone.wolf011 (Victoria).
Chleo: Am A 24 years old artist. My biggest love has always been writing, and acting. I am a still learning screenwriter and director. Even though I took a different path in uni time, where I graduated as a fashion designer, my biggest love has always been Cinematography. And thanks to this amazing fandom, I was able to share my talent by writing a “spin-off” of what season 3 may have reserved for us. I started to write the story on Wattpad a few months, and thankfully I was able to meet amazing people.
Victoria: Still a bit of a naive dreamer and artist. Writing and music have always been one of my biggest passions, but I got a bit lost in life. The WN fandom has helped me get back on track and start doing the things I love the most again. As a kid I dreamed of 3 things - being a member of a rock band, a vet and a host on a radio show (all at once of course), and of course - none if it came to be. Whenever I can I escape into the endless world of writing, sounds, or the mountains - hiking is another big passion of mine.
OCS: How did the idea come about?
Spotlight Chleo: Well the idea had been in our mind for some time, but we decided it would be great to create a platform where a new artists can get together and be able to share their talent when we had our first conversation with Ames. She gave us the final push to bring Spotlight to life.
Spotlight’s idea came even out of necessity, being a new artist in such a big and competitive industry and not having a start line can be difficult. So we relied on one another, pushing us to share this concept with others. To be able to meet the amazing artist and help them as much as we can.
Spotlight Victoria: The fight for WN season 3 has brought to life such a wonderful community, a family, of so many different talented people from all around the world. Being part of this community has also been an inspiration for starting this project.
OCS: Why do you feel this project is important?
Spotlight Chleo: This project is created by artists for artists. And the importance we think this platform will have is pretty big. It will make artists all over the world connect with one another, it will make it easy to get feedback for your art. Spotlight wants to create a community where we help one another, and the bigger it becomes the more we are able to help.
Spotlight Victoria: Many beginning artists are afraid to share their art with the world because the industry is tough, demanding and competitive. We want to create a safe space for all artists - a place where they can be free and comfortable with sharing their world with other people, without fear of being judged, criticized, undermined, rejected, which sadly is common in the industry if you don’t fit certain standards and norms.
OCS: What is the goal? Is it for established artists? Do you need more help?
Spotlight Chleo: The goal is to have as many resources as we can and to put under the spotlight on as many artists as possible. To create a safe space for all kinds of art, no matter what it is and no matter where you are.
Spotlight is both for established artists and beginner artists. And absolutely we would love some help from anyone who can. We need the fans to spread the word of Spotlight, to get it to grow. And we can't wait to grow side by side with our artists.
Spotlight Victoria: Spotlight Spaces are actually the first project of this kind we have ever embarked on so it’s both really exciting and stressful - but good stress - like we feel this is something that we all need. The idea again is to build a safe, welcoming, friendly and supportive community for everyone who needs it, for anybody who wants to be heard.
OCS: What is your first project?
Spotlight: Our first project will be to spread the word about Spotlight and to get as many talented artists a place under the spotlight.
OCS: What can people expect from your space? (Rundown logistics, will it be recorded for playback for people that miss the event)
Spotlight: Our spaces will be recorded so you won't miss a thing. The schedule for the future episode is flexible. But the plan is to have one or two episodes each week, with new artists that will be called “Talent under Spotlight”.
Once a week we will have episodes about one particular art such as writing, singing, etc. In these episodes, people that will join the spaces will have the possibility to talk to one another or through our hosts, to give advice, share stories and help one another.
And then we will have special episodes, where we will have special guests from different art industries.
