I sat at work an extra half-hour to watch a gold envelope open to read the word “Coventry”. I jumped straight on Twitter to join in with the celebrations and show my support to the bid team behind @Coventry2021 and #ThisisCoventry.
I then went home, elated that Coventry will have this time in the limelight and that, in with thousands of others, are a dozen of my creative ideas. One of which now has a chance to happen in 2021.
I spent the evening going talking through the great things that will come from this bid – I believe it will be a game-changer for the city and I cannot wait to see how it all unfolds.
Why not?
It was also, for me, a mini victory.
You see, I like set myself what I call “why not?” goals. Goals that I would like to do but are out of my reach at the time, maybe more like dreams than goals. They are, most of the time, not easy to achieve but they are something I aim for anyway.
The one I set back in 2012 was to “develop a piece of art in Coventry”, it was only after the City of Culture bid had I set a date for that art – “by 2021”.
Why art when I am not an artist? That was easy to answer: I needed to feed my creative side and I enjoy the thought of creating something real and meaningful. Something I can 
look back on and say “I was a part of that”. I enjoy developing ideas, trying out new things and seeing what can be achieved – it seemed a good goal to aim for, wherever it took me and however long it took.
It came about in 2012 because Coventry City Council asked for ideas to replace the Olympic rings that had once stood on a roundabout in the city. The call-out inspired ideas that I used to talk with friends about in “wouldn’t it be good if…” way.
I submitted my ideas to the council with no idea what, if anything, would happen and I was surprised and pleased to hear that the councillors would like to meet with me to discuss them. This was back in 2012… fast forward to 2016 and there was now a whole bid team asking for ideas. My meetings with a few people turned to workshops with a ton of people – all like-minded and all wanting a creative and cultural moment and legacy for Coventry.
What started on a “why not?” whim had found a team of people ready and able to take my ideas and throw them into a pot with others. All mixed together in what, I completely believe, will be a fantastic year in 2021.
I am still pushing towards my “developing a piece of artwork in Coventry” goal – how my ideas will evolve with the bid are anyone’s guess but one thing for sure, I am a lot closer now than I’ve ever been and the thought that after all these years I have a chance of being part of something real, positive and lasting for the city that raised me is a mini-victory.
Some Writing Space 