The District NOW: Become a True Collaborator with Indicoe
What does it mean to live life as a professional artist? This is a question that Kemi Adegoroye and Claire Ryberg chose to answer for curious minds from all creative disciplines in the form of their collaboration company called Indicoe.
“We’ve both experienced being in those shoes of ‘I want to get involved, where do I start?’” Ryberg said.
The pair met in boarding school and were roommates for one year, (read more on that). When life took them away to college and beyond, they kept in touch and when asked how long it took them to create the idea of Indicoe, both answered “gradually.”
“It’s such a needed area because I know a lot of people who do independent works and they can’t find the people that they need,” Ryberg added.
“I came up with the idea four years ago based on my experience working in the arts and then not having that community after,” Adegoroye said about connecting with other artists. “If you’re lucky, you’ve mastered all the disciplines, but by-and-large that isn’t the case.”
A fun fact is they also created the Indicoe concept while spending more time apart collaborating from different cities and even different countries. This included a long distance working relationship between the U.S. and France, and soon between DC and The Netherlands.
“We’re really testing out the tools that people will need. You really can collaborate with different people and in different countries!” Adegoroye said referring to the programs they use to facilitate working together such as Slack and WhatsApp.
Together they want to provide emerging and experienced artists from all over the globe the resources they need to make it in their creative field or choice. However, for now, they want to provide this without making artists pay for any membership fees to get Indicoe off the ground and moving.
“We want to provide you with tips and tools and resources without penalizing you if you don’t have the money,” Adegoroye explained. “We really do see it expanding into something big for artists all over the world.”
Until then, the duo said that people can stay updated by following them on social media – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – and by joining their mailing list via their website where you can also read their blog packed full of useful advice for all artists and interviews with individuals like Courtney Reed of Broadway’s Aladdin.
Their next goal is to coordinate networking events with partners in the community, which now includes connections with La Ti Do Productions and Producing the District. They are also looking for people to reach out to them and get involved, whether it is by volunteering or pointing out new subject matter for the blog.
Jump on the Indicoe train today because the idea is gaining momentum and the possibilities of new projects and new connections is endless! (Photos by Rebekah Barlas)
