When Lucia Aide describes her Creative Access internship as ‘aligned, insightful and encouraging’, it’s clear she’s found her stride. Her journey to this point hasn’t been straightforward – shaped by loss, reflection, and a renewed sense of purpose – but it’s led her to a career rooted in creativity, connection and community.
From starting her own platform, theConn3ct at 21, to bringing fresh ideas to Creative Access working across our career development programmes Springboard and Thrive, Lucia is full of ambition. We spoke about her path so far, the power of pausing, and what it means to take up space as your authentic self in this latest instalment of Diary of a CA Intern.
CA: How would you describe your internship so far in three words?
Lucia: Aligned, insightful and encouraging.
You really stood out in your interview for being sure of how this internship will fit into your career goals. How did you get to that point?
It’s so interesting that was felt! I’ve experienced a lot of loss, which has had a big impact on me and my career too. This year, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on what I’ve done and the skills I have, and figuring out where they could be applied. That process really helped me understand what I want and where I could go next.
I also was able to connect with a mentor through the Creative Mentor Network this year. That helped me do some deep thinking about what I value when it comes to a job.
Sorry to hear you’ve experienced a lot of loss and it affected so much of your life and career at that point. Do you think that you made you more aware of how useful career development is?
Yeah, I’m very invested in the idea of being a part of people’s journeys and helping them realise the greatness that lives within them.
And I do think because of my experiences, I have a perspective on what’s needed for people in these spaces. I know as a young person, people sometimes misguidedly make programmes that don’t serve the community they are trying to, because of a lack of understanding. Then that doesn’t make the intended impact.
So, I do think having lived experience is valuable, as well as just being passionate about helping people.
Creative Access holds very closely the ethos: ‘By under-represented people, for under-represented people’. Are you bursting with ideas for how Creative Access can improve or develop its work with people like ourselves now you’ve been here a little while?
One thing, I’ve realised is that I enjoy developing things. I’m always thinking about how we can improve or make an even bigger impact.
Creative Access is doing really amazing work. Even the first week I was like, ‘Wow. If I wasn’t working here, I would want to be able to get onto the Thrive or Springboard programme.’ I can see how access is being created.
I also think there’s always room for improvement and that’s why it’s important that there’s a role like mine that can bring in people with fresh ideas from various backgrounds. Whether it’s who they are, what they’ve done or the experiences that they’ve had, I feel those are the things that really shape businesses like this.
You’ve squeezed in going to university, setting up your own platform, theConn3ct, and getting this internship into a pretty short amount of time… I think the CA community would love to know about how you did it?
A lot of the things that I’ve done have stemmed from poetry. I discovered George the Poet through my English teacher when I was young and I thought wow – he was speaking about important topics, but he sounded like my brothers or my cousins that used to rap. Then I started writing, and it gave me a way to express myself.
So, when I was 15, I started a platform and we did events in London that consisted of speakers, poets, musicians, and panel discussions. I was running it with my friends and negotiating with venues. I was just passionate about gathering people!
But then a loss in 2019 forced me to pause. I took some time out of university after my first year. When I went back to university a year later, I found the courage to get back up again.
I came up with an idea that would get creatives connecting – theConn3ct. It’s a platform that’s dedicated to curating experiences and creative projects that are rooted in community, connection and creativity.
In 2023, we had our first event that was funded in Kent at my university, and then we did our first event in London. From there we’ve been curating these creative spaces with people who just value community and connection.
I truly believe that no matter who you are or what you do, you’re going to need us creatives. Whether it’s a photographer, or your heart just needs that music to your ears, you’re going to need us.
You said you found the courage to pick yourself back up again after something terrible happened. What advice you would give to someone who has gone through something painful and is trying to get their creative momentum back?
I’m very big on sharing my story because I think about the times where I’ve wanted to hear someone open up about something that they’ve gone through just so that I wouldn’t feel alone.
Having to take time to pause has been important for me. Sometimes we think that if we pause, everyone else is going to keep moving and we’re just going to stay still, but pausing is probably going to have an important effect on how you move forward. So, don’t be scared to just take time.
The second thing I’d say is ask for help. One thing that I made use of at university was anything offered to me to do with well-being.
Because of the taboos related to mental health, it’s scary to tap into that kind of support, but whoever you feel safe with, I encourage you to talk to them.
Our life experiences, especially the difficult ones that you’re discussing, can be so relevant to who we are, and even sometimes where our strengths come from. How closely do you feel these challenges are part of who you are as a professional?
It’s hard to know me and understand my strengths and my skills, without a certain understanding of my story – that’s just how I work. So, I may not tell you the whole spiel but theConn3ct isn’t theConn3ct without you understanding the person that’s behind it.
That doesn’t mean I don’t feel embarrassed sometimes, thinking “Maybe I shouldn’t have said that!” But I know that all I’ve gone through has made me who I am, and I can’t run away from it.
We take inspiration from your confidence! Where does it comes from?
Growing up as a kid, I was a very shy but when I started performing and singing it built my confidence.
Self-doubt has lived with me for a while, but I do the inner work – reminding myself that I am a gifted person and I am deserving of being in the spaces that I want to be and desire to be.
One of my goals coming into this traineeship was that I wanted to take up space and I wanted to use my voice. If I have something to say, I want to say it, if I don’t, I won’t.
I think coming from an under-represented background, one of my fears has been like – whatever space I’m going into – I might be too much or I might not be enough, or the way I speak isn’t professional enough or who I am isn’t a professional enough. I think over the years, life has taught me that is better to stay you. Yes, be professional. Yes, be this this or be that, but do it in your way. It’s gotten me to where I am.
What was it about the thrive traineeship at Creative Access that caught your eye?
That it was a 12-month contract and a ‘let’s see how much you can develop in this time’. I’ve never been in a position where people have said ‘Let’s see how we can support these natural gifts things you have and help you develop’.
Working with the community and partnerships manager was also exciting to me because I’m passionate about relationship building. Through Conn3ct events, I’ve been able to gain some experience but there’s room for development. I have my way of doing things without anyone telling me to, which I’ve winged it up until now! But I wanted to know how Creative Access produces events from the concept to the end goal.
I think the values that Creative Access hold are very dear to me, and it’s what I’ve always been passionate about; creating access for creatives and to each other and to opportunities. Those are things that really get me going.
Another big passion of mine is my identity and this idea of belonging; letting people know that no matter where you’re from or how you identify, you deserve to be in the spaces you want to be in and you can belong. Also, employers need to create safe spaces for people to feel like they can belong and that their identity matters.
Sometimes landing a CA internship can make you feel like a fish out of water at first! How has the adjustment been and what do you wish employers knew?
Being an intern is hard, and doing the Springboard induction really showed me that it’s hard to go into anything when you haven’t had that much experience. You’re entry level and no one’s really taught you how to navigate these spaces and you come from a background where you don’t even know people who would have even ever gotten this type of opportunity. It’s so difficult but it’s also really rewarding, because I did this. I got to this point. I brought myself to the table.
However, a message I have for employers is: really ensure that there’s great structures [in place for interns]. I think Creative Access is doing a great job at trying to ensure that trainees and interns are getting a smooth onboarding process.
What can we expect from you after you complete your traineeship?
I’m excited to look back at where I was now and think that I showed up, did my best, made an impact on others as well as on myself.
I also look forward to tapping more into my creative side! I’m passionate about storytelling and there’s pictures that I’ve taken over the years as I’ve travelled back to Uganda which I plan to tie that into an essay about identity and belonging.
Thank you so much for your time, we can’t wait to see what you do next!
Stay in touch with Lucia and follow her work on:
- Lucia’s LinkedIn 🔗
- The Conn3ct’s Instagram 🔗
