How To: Utilise Your Identity In Your Creative Practice… Without Going Crazy

This week, the BRICKS team speaks to social, sound & moving image artist Sippin’ T about how they integrate their queer identity into their creative practice while safeguarding it and their mental health.

Navigating the creative industry as a queer artist comes with its unique set of challenges. Tokenism is a significant issue, with many brands and institutions eager to appear inclusive without genuinely supporting the communities they showcase.

Sound & moving image artist Sippin’ T (Si apre in una nuova finestra) – whose work’s impact spans from London, England to Kingston, Jamaica – has faced these issues head-on, learning to discern between meaningful collaborations and those that merely seek to exploit their identity. It's a delicate balance, requiring vigilance to ensure their work isn't reduced to a mere checkbox for diversity.

Their sound captures the vibrancy of Black house music, celebrating its roots and embracing its modern evolution. At the heart of their artistry is a commitment to uplifting queer womxn, trans, and non-binary people of Black ancestry, creating spaces where warm fellowship, sound, and visuals converge to offer a sense of home.

Read below as we delve into how Sippin’ T's queer identity organically integrates into their creative practice, their approach to evaluating brand partnerships, self-advocacy, and the strategies they use to safeguard their mental health and identity in professional collaborations.