Creative Lives in Leeds: a guide to the city’s creative scene
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Affordable artists’ studios, a creative hub in a disused petrol station and the headquarters of Channel 4: these are all things that can be found in Leeds. As a cornerstone of the North's creative industries and arts scene, the city offers a welcoming community alongside plenty of opportunities. Artist, designer and writer Liv Collins shares her insider tips for navigating the city.
What kind of creative city is Leeds?
Leeds is a fab place to build a creative career, especially if you're interested in community-focused opportunities, music, TV, production and collaborating with kind people who are doing cool things. Plus, it's a city that's actually affordable for emerging creatives.
Advice for getting started
Put yourself in new rooms, spaces and places. You can be scared and still be brave. I've been pretty anxious before most of the events I've gone to in Leeds, but it's part of being a creative in a new city. Everyone feels it at some point. Show up scared and see what happens – it gets easier, I promise.
One thing to do in your first month:
Head to Left Bank in Burley, a jaw-dropping creative and community space and cafe housed in a former church. Expect cheap drinks, plenty of space for working and chilling, and creative events almost every other day. Volunteering at their community garden sessions is a great way to meet lovely local creatives. Don’t miss their little book swap tucked away by the entrance.
Places to meet people
Being a creative can be lonely, but Leeds is a welcoming, arty and community-driven city. There are so many places to find new friends and projects that will genuinely fill up your cup.
The New Monday
A free monthly networking event for creatives, sponsored by Channel 4. Creatives chat and enjoy free coffee, tea and pastries at 10am on a Tuesday. An informal and lovely way to meet fellow freelancers, get leads for new clients and connect with creatives across the city.
Assembly House
A radical, artist-led studio and events space, housing over 80 artists. There's something happening here every week, from exhibition openings to clothes swaps, freelance panels and volunteer days – all great ways to meet other creatives. Subscribe to their newsletter to get involved and find out when new studios are up for grabs.
Hyde Park Book Club
One of Leeds ’ main creative hubs, combining music & arts venue, cafe, comedy hive and bookshop. Connect with fellow creatives at socials like Hyde Park Stitch Club, regular zine launches, exhibitions or poetry readings.
The Attic
A creative and community-focused hub in Leeds that puts on all sorts of events, from live music to clothes mending workshops. A great place to connect with local artists.
Communities to join
If you’re trying to build connections in the city, these are some of the communities and events worth knowing about.
Northern Queer Creatives
A community of LGBTQIA+ legends based in Yorkshire with monthly creative workshops and a members' WhatsApp group. Monthly memberships cost £3.50–£6.50 and include free tickets to events and meetups, alongside inclusion in their website directory, where potential clients can find (and hire) you.
Creative Boom IRL
What started as an indie online magazine has grown into a whole creative ecosystem with free, regular, IRL meetups in Leeds across a ton of industries. Their private community The Studio (also free) is a safe space for creatives to chat, share opportunities and support one another away from social media.
DesignHer
Hosted by Yorkshire-based creative studio Buttercrumble, this is an inclusive community supporting and championing women and gender diverse creatives. DesignHer comes together for networking, mentoring and connection, with free and informal events and tailored career resources.
All in. Leeds.
A free directory for creatives based in Leeds. They also do regular free meet-ups, where agency leaders and freelancers alike can chat and connect.
East Street Arts
Supports artists with resources, opportunities and subsidised studio spaces, turning vacant buildings into artist studios.
Studios to know
Leeds has a strong presence in the media, film and digital industries, and is home to Channel 4's national headquarters. Here are a few of the city's most exciting studios to get on your radar.
Studio Foundry
Foundry is an independent brand design studio building brands across the hospitality, retail, fashion and beauty, technology, food and drink and public services sectors. Clients include Channel 4, York Barbican and home lifestyle brand Takk.
Analogue
Expressing themselves through illustration, brand and motion, Analogue is a studio that seeks to deliver diverse experiences to a global client base. They’ve worked with partners including Coca-Cola, Lego and Universal Pictures.
Bark&Bite
Driven by curiosity and finding new ways to engage audiences from the screen, Bark&Bite is a motion design studio specialising in the creation of moving content for advertising, broadcast, entertainment and social channels – clients include Swatch, Cartoon Network and New Balance.
Studio.Build
Communicating ideas through graphic design, art direction, image making, moving image, typography and writing, creative agency Studio.Build specialises in producing visual communications for forward-thinking clients in design-led sectors. Their clients have included Nike, Design Museum London and Map Project Office.
Cost of living: the reality
You can live happily in Leeds as an early-career creative. There are lots of inexpensive cafes (like the Left Bank), affordable studio spaces and free creative and networking events. I'm currently renting a studio at Assembly House for £145 a month including bills – a fab price for a good-sized space that also comes with support and resources.
A common mistake to avoid:
There are lots of inflated rent prices for creative co-working spaces in Leeds – avoid these and look for affordable studios like Assembly House, East Street Arts or The Other Studios. Alternatively, work in libraries or cafes (Left Bank, Chunk, Flamingos) to get out of the house and explore the city.
Like any city, there are more expensive areas and cheaper areas to live in. Lots of creatives live in Burley, Armley and Kirkstall, where you can find a room in a flat share from £350 a month (without bills), or a 1 or 2 bed apartment for roughly £750-£1,200 a month. Rent is definitely increasing across the city and the cost of living has gone up, but there's still plenty of affordable housing options to be found.
Some Leeds creatives have full-time jobs and mould their creative practices around their work. Some are freelance. Others work part-time in creative, teaching or hospitality jobs and then dedicate the rest of their time to personal projects. Creatives might receive grants to support their work, like DYCP from Arts Council England, or get support from Universal Credit. There's no 'right' way to be a creative.
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