The Sustainable Creative: Amplifying Creativity
Rachael Hales is a North East musician and composer who has recently taken an exciting step in sharing her creative world more widely by launching her own YouTube channel. With support from PNE and The Sustainable Creative programme, Rachael has built a dedicated online space where she can showcase her work, guide people toward her audio compositions, and begin forming a growing community around her music.
Rachael’s approach to online content is intentionally open, friendly, and reflective. She plans to share a mix of updates on her audiovisual projects, honest reflections on her artistic journey, and behind‑the‑scenes glimpses into how she composes and promotes her work. Her goal is to make her audience feel connected, invited, and part of the process.
Her first major project on the channel is an audiovisual composition created for a performance at the Victoria Tunnel, inspired by research into the Ballast Hills Burial Ground. By posting her progress along the way, Rachael is giving her viewers a rare chance to follow the evolution of a piece from early ideas to final performance, a view that many audiences never get to see.
Rachael describes her musical style using the Venn diagram below, showing how her work brings together Electroacoustic Composition, Soundscape Composition, and Folk Music.
Rachael’s unique style of music has become a real source of comfort and joy for her. She discovered it almost by accident during her university years, when a Creative Music Technologies module sparked an interest that eventually led her to specialising in Electroacoustic Composition. From there, she went on to complete a master’ funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and even began a PhD, building a strong foundation for the work she creates today.
Gaining the confidence to share her music publicly has been a gradual journey. Rachael explains that it took around three years before she felt ready to book a public event. One of her biggest challenges has been adjusting to life outside of university, where she no longer has access to the same equipment, spaces, or regular feedback from lecturers. Navigating her creative ideas with fewer resources has required resilience and determination.
Rachael engaged with the Sustainable Creative programme to feel less isolated and reconnect with a creative community. Being surrounded by fellow creatives, taking part in group sessions and workshops, and having support from PNE Advisor Natasha Purser on the technical side has made a big difference giving her encouragement, connection, and a sense of belonging as she continues to grow her practice.
“It's been helpful to meet other creatives who have different creative ideas. All the different perspectives from the other creatives have helped me understand how my ideas will fit in the real world, and it was great to get continuous feedback. As well as learning new things that I could apply to my creative business.”
Looking ahead, Rachael hopes to build a strong portfolio of work over the next five years, enough to showcase her achievements and apply for larger-scale funding opportunities as a composer. Her long-term ambition is to grow this creative practice into a sustainable, larger business venture. She’s also planning to keep her YouTube channel active with regular updates, giving her audience an ongoing look into her creative journey.
“Seek help and support and find a community that can help you develop your ideas and give you support, especially in confidence-building. It’s much, much harder to go at it alone, but there's no need to, as there are so many organisations out there that have resources to help you with your business idea.”
The Sustainable Creative
The Sustainable Creative's programme is supported by Creative Central NCL, funded by the North East Combined Authority and Newcastle City Council.
The programme provides a comprehensive package of support including access to creative themed workshops, networking events and 1-to-1 support from our team of dedicated business advisors, to help creatives set-up exciting and sustainable creative businesses.
The Sustainable Creative is open to residents of Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland who are aged 18-24 or those of all ages who are new to a creative industry.
Applications to the Sustainable Creative are now open! To register your interest, please click here
