“We knew things were going to be a lot more difficult when we moved to Somerset,” Ryan says. “However, we thought we’d done a thorough job in weighing up the pros and cons before we moved – career compromises, cost of living, cultural trade-offs. But what caught us off guard were the less obvious provisions and hidden infrastructures we hadn’t realised we relied on in London. It was the lack of creative recruitment agencies or Facebook groups for set designers to sell and share props. It was the reduced word-of-mouth opportunities, or the lack of apps, magazines and influencers keeping you up to date with every exhibition, opening or event. It was the accumulation of these smaller, more invisible gaps that felt the hardest to acclimate to. Only after we moved did we realise how essential those things had been to our creative practices.”
Setting up Makers’ Yard helped in this process a lot. “We didn’t know anyone when we moved to Frome, but the building quickly became a hub for local creatives. The conversations, connections and collaborations that have unfolded in the space have been personally and professionally significant for us. Without those impromptu introductions and serendipitous chats, the transition would have been much harder.” Makers’ Yard became a testament to the power of a concentrated community space – but not everyone can take on a Victorian warehouse renovation. Soon, Ryan saw fellow city-ditchers grapple with the same issues they had faced, whether it was about jobs, events or selling kit. That’s how Ryan and Emma spotted an opportunity for a digital version of what they had created with Makers’ Yard – an alternative type of social network, one that was hyperlocal to Frome and nearby towns, and dedicated to the creative industry there.
The result is M.Y Local Network, a localised social network for creatives. For a £25 annual subscription fee, members gain access to a closed Discord community for Frome and its surrounding area (currently at around 150 members, including organisations and individuals). From there, you’ll find specific groups serving different needs: a jobs board, a professional sell-and-swap, peer advice and recommendations, local events, workplace listings, a library of member-recommended digital tools and online resources (podcasts, funding resources, etc.), as well as a collective Google map.