Ten years ago, Veronica D'Souza visited a women's prison in Kenya and realised that almost all of the inmates were mothers and had been charged with poverty-related offences such as theft or prostitution. She then founded the fashion label Carcel with the aim of enabling imprisoned women in Peru and Thailand to find work with fair pay. We caught up with D'Souza at the German Creative Economy Summit in March 2024 to talk about creative passion and sensemaking.
Veronica, let’s start off with a simple question: The world is changing at a rapid pace – is it a good time to be a creative today?
Absolutely. The call for creatives has never been louder than now. We need creative forces and the most magnificent ideas to change our broken systems into regenerative ones, into something desirable and beautiful, into something we want. Creativity can help us build a culture that is attractive for a new set of values and to go to the next version of what our society should be.
With your background as a social entrepreneur focusing on sustainability and female empowerment: Tell us, how can creatives take that step from envisioning something to implementing it?
Looking back I can say: I never had a master plan. If I had known everything needed for the businesses, I probably wouldn't have done it. It's just a lot! So, whether it’s a podcast, film or design done in a different way, you need to take that first step and not overthink it. Instead try to learn as you go along. Allow yourself to be a bit naive and dare to dream and believe in your project.