our methodology
The way we work is distinctive, and we call it the CG Mix.
It runs through everything we do, from our work out in the world to our internal decision-making and governance.
At the heart of the CG Mix is a single aim: creative collective action.
We believe that when people create together, they build the confidence, relationships and power to shape their own lives and the places they live. That is what we work to grow across Gloucestershire.
The CG Mix rests on three pillars
We come back to them in every project, and every partnership.
Equity of voice
We continually ask: who else needs to be heard? We create space for different voices, of people and of nature, to rebalance power in conversations and decision-making.
Curiosity
Through deep listening, thoughtful enquiry and a willingness to test ideas, we uncover new possibilities and respectfully challenge the status quo.
Creative collaboration
Strong relationships are the foundation of meaningful change. The best solutions grow through collaboration rather than competition.
How it works
These three pillars shape our five strands of work. Each grows creative collective action in a different part of the county's life, and the CG Mix connects them into a joined-up whole.
Create Local
Neighbourhood creative alliances, and funds held and decided locally.
Visit Create Local →Create Talent
Routes into creative careers for young people across Gloucestershire.
Visit Create Talent →Our work is part of Gloucestershire's wider cultural ecosystem, and it reaches into health, education and other sectors. All of it works towards the same purpose: access to arts and culture for everyone.
They run through every strand and shape…
They shape how the work is made, who leads it, and what we do with what we learn.
Care for nature and the environment
Shapes how our work is made.
Equity and living experience
Guides who leads, and what knowledge informs our work.
Learning, data and impact
We capture what we find and share it generously, so good ideas can take root beyond their origins.
Connecting the grassroots and the wider ecosystem
A big part of how we work is connecting the grassroots and the wider ecosystem. Because we keep a county-wide view and listen closely on the ground, we notice where the gaps and opportunities are, and who is quietly building alternative routes to the future.
We help connect those people to the wider sector and to the decisions they want to influence, giving them the confidence, courage and connections to do it.
None of this works without connective infrastructure
Four kinds work sit underneath every strand. This is the quieter work that feeds the wider ecosystem across Gloucestershire, and a good deal of our energy goes into it.
Spaces, resourcing and governance
With the producer support that lets creative collective action actually happen.
Networks and gatherings
The occasions and connections that bring people together across the county.
Cross-sector partnerships
The relationships we build in health, education and beyond.
Representing arts and culture
Speaking for the sector, and for creativity, across Gloucestershire.
In practice
What does this look like in the real world?
You can find out more about what the CG Mix looks like on the ground, in the projects and partnerships it shapes.