CULTURE
EMC's first online toolkit provides 'Foundations for DIY Creatives'
The Gadigal Land/Sydney-based organisation deepens its commitment to the uplifting of local scenes.
EMC, primarily based on Gadigal Land/Sydney, is an organisation dedicated to collaboration, community, creativity, club culture, cultivation, and much more within electronic music, not only within its city but across the APAC region.
EMC has been involved in numerous community and DIY-focused projects over the past few years. EMC has released a series of podcasts focused on Australia’s festival culture, the shrinking music media landscape, and championing DIY craft. The organisation has also collaborated with numerous artists, both domestically and internationally, to develop their skills.
The organisation’s most recent addition to this growing portfolio is its ‘Digital Toolkits for Electronic Music Creatives’ series, developed in collaboration with OPN. They're designed to be an ongoing and comprehensive resource to support emerging electronic music artists, producers, and professionals across various fields.
The toolkits represent EMC’s commitment to facilitating a more accessible landscape for creatives within electronic music.
Toolkit number one, ‘Foundations for DIY Creatives’, is a guide for anyone aspiring to experiment, create and contribute to culture outside of commercial spaces. Drawing insights from EMC’s podcast with Jamz Supernova last year, as well as their hosting of Elijah’s debut Australian speaking tour, this is a guide to actionable strategies for any lighting designer, promoter, writer, artist, and so much more.
We’ve highlighted a few key learnings from the resource to give you an idea of what to expect. They include:
Step 1. Define Your Identity: Trust the Process
Your creative identity is the foundation of your career. Take the time to reflect on your inspirations, define your style, and embrace growth as an ongoing process. Jamz Supernova recalls:
“In 2019, I was a little bit lost, but the pandemic allowed me to pause, experiment, and figure out the artist I wanted to be.”
Similarly, Elijah encourages experimentation:
“We often seek certainty in our projects, but the most interesting outcomes come from admitting, ‘I don’t know, but let’s try."
These reflections remind us that artistic evolution takes time and is often shaped by exploration.
Step 3. Build Community: Connect and Grow
Community is the foundation for authentic growth.
“Our scene wasn’t thinking globally; we were focused on serving the people in front of us, our community.” Elijah
Building connections locally and nurturing them authentically creates a strong support system that naturally expands over time.
“I realised the value of talking directly to my audience rather than waiting for external platforms to validate me," said Jamz Supernova.
Step 5. Embrace Feedback: Learn and Refine
Feedback from your community and peers helps refine your work and keeps you connected.
Elijah describes his process..
"My work is a constant feedback loop, taking in ideas from conversations, DMs, and experiences and turning them into something new.”
Feedback isn’t criticism; it’s a chance to grow.
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The toolkit is available, entirely for free, via EMC’s website. Keep up to date with EMC and the toolkits to come via their Instagram.
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Jack Colquhoun is Mixmag ANZ's Managing Editor, find him on Instagram.
