SHAUN JILLIANS
Throughout the last 8 years, I have worked extensively both on creating my own original works and assisting and facilitating others in creating theirs.
I’ve worked across a variety of mediums from music and visual arts to film and even food.
When I’m not working on my own projects, I have facilitated others in theirs. I have run classes in creative practice, overseen funding and community projects, marketed other artists their projects and works, put on events and managed venues.
I believe that the best creations come from collaboration taking on board a variety of influences, working with other artists and being open to other ideas, approaches and mediums.
Read more about some of my most recent and notable projects below.
MUSIC
I’ve been passionate about music from a young age, writing and performing for many years both solo and as part of various bands most notably alt-folk indie duo AfterKnights and Indie Psychedelic band Persephone in the Underworld.
Check out some of our most popular releases below.
Along with creating original music I have written and performed or recorded soundtracks for both short films and live productions. Most notably I single-handedly wrote and performed the soundtrack of a 4 day production of Romeo and Juliet. Utilising a looper pedal I created a live soundscape and 9 original pieces for the modern day interpretation working closely with the Director and crew to curate a work that aligned with the themes and messages of the play.
WRITING
In addition to my passion for music, I also do a great deal of writing, be it narrative, pieces for film or performance or even as part of a comic book. I’ve recently finished a series of short stories and pieces which you can check out below.
CULINARY WORK
Running parallel to my passion for the arts has always been my passion for service. Throughout the years I have worked extensively in the hospitality sector working primarily as a chef in a variety of different restaurants, bars and venues.
Although not traditionally an art form recognised by arts communities and funders, I believe that cuisine is as legitimate an artistic pursuit as any other and should be viewed as such. Equal to the likes of filmmaking, visual arts and any other, mastering cuisine takes training, practice, a mastery of practice and techniques.
Much of my ethos and approach to the wider artistic fields stems from this belief and my approach to artist practice feeds directly from what I’ve learnt in kitchens, an emphasis on collaboration, mentorship, teamwork and order.
From this vision stemmed my idea to curate a series of catered dinner party events called the Treehouse Cafe. Although still in its infancy, in our debut events I worked alongside mixologists and event planners to curate an immersive tailored experience for guests. With further events on a larger scale coming soon stay tuned for more!
FACILITATION
Alongside creating works of my own, I’ve worked extensively with other talented artists and local communities to facilitate works and empower new audiences to engage with the arts. 0Centre
WYCOMBE ARTS CENTRE
During my time at Wycombe Arts Centre, I oversaw Sales and Marketing of the venue, scheduling and facilitating the program of activities and outreached to the local community.
I organised and promoted external and internal events, classes and workshops, generated funding and new business, and co-ordinated the day to day activity of the venue in alignment with our long term vision for community and artistic development.
DESBOROUGH CARNIVAL
I worked closely with neighbouring community and arts organisations to create a unified approach to development of the arts, both oversaw and collaborated on a variety of projects and built a community of supporters for the Arts Centre both with direct engagement and through outreach activities. Most notably I worked with High Wycombe BIDCo to deliver a large scale town carnival.
All this experience gave me a holistic understanding of the whole process in which community and artistic projects are conceived, developed, funded, marketed, delivered and evaluated along every step in a variety of mediums and different scales. I was able to utilise this experience to facilitate and deliver a variety of other projects since, both single handedly and in partnership with other organisations.
PIC EVENTS
In addition to my work at Wycombe Arts Centre I established my own events promotion company. Working with a number of local musicians and artists I hosted a series of events in a number of venues.
With an emphasis on empowering and giving opportunity to young or disadvantaged up and coming performers locally I hosted a series of introducing nights and festivals giving new talent the opportunity to shine.
MY MARKETING COMPANY
Utilising my experience I’ve also worked with a number of corporate clients on freelance basis, from startup and small business coaches to skate brands, helping them establish their brand, grow their business, sales and clientele. This experience has given me a wider opportunity to develop my skills in an alternative corporate setting useful for my works in the arts.
FACILITATING AND MANAGING PROJECTS
Utilising the experience I gained from my work at Wycombe Arts Centre, my expertise in marketing from my freelance work and my experience coordinating and delivering projects from my event management company PIC Music Events I have overseen and delivered a number of both short term and long term community arts projects.
Most notably, I worked alongside partner organisations Tuneful Tutors and Archive Studios to found TAP Creative, a community interest company aiming to engage young socioeconomically disadvantaged young people into music performance, production, and recording.
During my time at TAP Creative, recently rebranded as Underworld Studios, I generated over £90k in funding from a combination of community funders, crowdsourcing, and corporate sponsorship. We used this funding to build and fit a community recording studio and creative hub in High Wycombe custom built to deliver classes on songwriting, recording, production and more.
From there I recruited for and designed a course for 100 young people of varying abilities, ages, and experience levels with a variety of extra curricular needs with tutorials, workshops and classes on a variety of topics.
In addition to this I have advised and helped several partner organisations in the creation and design of projects and helped them generate and pursue funding. I have led and participated in a number of other smaller local community and creative projects including facilitating a Birmingham based campaign showcasing a selection of artists work on bus shelters across the city to promote the opening of a new gallery, marketing a UK tour of a Sign Language Theatre Company’s show and more.
TEACHING
Whether it’s music, visual arts or cooking I feel it's a duty and an honour for creatives to share our expertise with others.
I’ve worked as a teacher both privately and alongside several tuition companies including the Rock Project and the Fine Art Club both on a 1 to 1 basis and as part of larger group workshops. I attempt to incorporate this passion for mentorship and encouraging others to engage in new artistic experiences and activities into all the projects I design.