Introducing our 2023 Platform Project Co-Ordinators!
Dumfries Music Collective are very pleased to be welcoming Abby Gray, Benji Haynes, Josh Haynes and Morgan Love to the team! We have been working with these four since January and we already have some exciting projects in the works. Find out who they are, what they get up too, why they applied for the role, what they are hoping to achieve and what they hope their future holds.
My name is Abby Gray, I'm 21 and I am currently living in Glasgow, although I am from Kirkcowan in Dumfries and Galloway.
When I'm not working for Dumfries Music Collective, I have just started another job as a project assistant with Clothworks Glasgow, and spend my free time knitting, hanging out with my dog and eating toast. I also paint famous people on leather jackets.
I applied for the Platform Project because I love music and I think that just because you live in a rural area doesn't mean you should miss out on having the opportunity to be part of a music scene. I was really inspired by what Dumfries Music Collective were already doing and wanted to be involved.
I'm really looking forward to connecting with other local young people who are in the creative industries and hopefully making something amazing that shows off the talent within Dumfries and Galloway.
I have no idea where my career will take me - I would love to continue to be creative within my work, but I'm not entirely sure what that will mean yet.
Hi! My name is Benji, I’m a 22 year old musician and producer based in Dumfries, where I have lived all of my life.
When I am not working at the Dumfries Music Collective I work as a chef and when I’m not doing either of these things I will either be at Jellybone Records or at home making music.
What made me apply for the role of Platform Project Co-ordinator was for the most part the broad scope of opportunity I saw from DMC when deciding what my project could give to me. Their sky’s the limit attitude was in equal parts inspiring and empowering.
Within my time at Platform I am most looking forward to seeing what connections I can make for myself, what I can learn about the music industry and trying to tap into some of the region's untapped musical potential.
Looking to the future I hope to find a full time career in the music industry and I believe that my time at DMC will prove instrumental in getting to where I’d like to be.
My name is Joshua Haynes, and I’m 20 years old and live in Dumfries. Although I have lived in Dumfries for 19 years, I am originally from the Midlands and moved to Scotland when I was around one year old.
When I’m not working for DMC, I’m usually playing the guitar and writing music with my partner for our band, The High Priestess. In addition to this, I very much like to listen to music, visiting art galleries, and watching films. I am also part of an ongoing project with Upland Arts called ROAM, where we are looking at creating artist spaces for young people in the Dumfries and Galloway area.
The reason why I applied for the Platform Project Co-ordinator role is because I was really interested in using it as an opportunity to learn how a project is created from start to finish, with the hope of being able to confidently create my own projects independently in the future.
What I’m most looking forward to as a Platform Project Co-ordinator is using my project to bring something new and refreshing to the Dumfries creative landscape, and to hopefully inspire more young people to think outside of the box, and take advantage of the fantastic opportunities that Dumfries has to offer.
Personally, I’d like to achieve a greater knowledge in the production of a project, so as to be more confident in creating projects of my own in the future. I’d also like to leave this role with an even better knowledge of the creative community in Dumfries and Galloway, and hopefully have opened up more opportunities to work with young creatives in the area.
I hope to be able to have a future where I can do what I love everyday, whether that be with music or art, and to always be collaborating with other creatives. For me, I don’t feel as if I ever want to be one thing but I feel like whatever I do, I want it to be a form of expression or communication, and to be able to share my ideas with others.
My name is Morgan, I’m 23 and I’m a born and bred Doonhamer working in the creative industries in Dumfries.
I’ve recently finished a 10-month position with the Stove Network’s Creative Spaces program. This was my first foray into working in the creative industries and it has led me into wanting to explore a career in the sector. Currently, I’m working on the Creative Caerlaverock project with Historic Environment Scotland, The Stove Network and The Imaginarium. This project has allowed me to explore the significance of heritage, the art of community engagement, and has given me experience in event production in both Glencaple and Kirkcudbright. I’m also about to start a position with LIFT (Lochside is Families Together) working on community engagement through oral history and their community garden project which aims to combat poverty. I will also be working with their youth group and on the marketing of the organisation.
I’ve always been aware of DMC through engaging with their events, so when the Platform Project Co-ordinator role presented itself, I knew I wanted to have a go at being a part of another arts organisation operating within the region. I feel like this role will allow me to build on and expand on the skills I have developed over the last year and is a good opportunity for me to get my teeth into something fresh.
I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into my personal project. I’m going to be carrying out a region wide case study on the barriers to accessing music for young people in Dumfries and Galloway. I hope that this piece will be informative for both DMC and organisations wider region when considering how to engage with young people.
Overall, I’d like to be able to expand on the skills I have been working on over the last year, including community engagement, production, marketing and research. I hope through the project that I become a more confident and innovative practitioner.
I’m also currently on a year out from studying Business and Marketing at university, however I have really enjoyed the last year of learning on the job in the arts and culture sector, so I’m unsure what path I’ll take at the moment, which is, in my opinion, a really exciting position to be in.