Anchored on a narrative that seeks to inspire creative women entrepreneurs and freelancers, co-founder of Bloom, strategist and curator Nandi Dlepu believes driving the right types of conversations to help women find growth in their business is key to elevating their chances in the creative space.

“Founding Bloom came from a personal need. About five years ago I was looking to leave advertising and I wanted to start my own business. I was looking for a platform that will kind of inspire and empower me on my journey. Although I found amazing female-led platforms, what was continuously missing, according to me, was that they focus on traditional careers quite often.

“The need for funding for a creative business is different compared to a traditional business. And, that’s actually how Bloom started,” Dlepu said. “It was like, I’m looking for this ‘thing ’. I can’t find it! Then I thought: ‘I’m going to host a get together where women are going to talk about their journey, where we’d have some creative entrepreneurs come and talk about their journey’. “I then urged people to sign up and we were over capacity – I noticed that that need was mirrored by other women who were looking for the same kind of assistance for their business in the creative space.”

Creating experiences to inspire creative females through conversations of “diversity of thought” and “women in leadership in the creative industry” was the order of the recent Women in Bloom event.

An intimate group of like-minded women gathered at a farmhouse in Krugersdorp to engage in thought-provoking panel discussions to expand their creative business knowledge hosted by Bloom in partnership with M&C Saatchi Group South Africa.

Speaking on the importance and the reason for topics of diversity and inclusion especially for the 2021 woman, head of strategy for M&C Saatchi Abel Johannesburg and keynote speaker Makosha Maja-Rasethaba said diversity of thought is a creative necessity that brings different points of view.

“Sometimes we misunderstand what diversity of thought is. For me personally, it’s not only racial transformation although it is critical, but ‘diversity of thought’ means when you surround yourself with people that are the same as you, who think like you, you can’t actually put out a creative fact because all you are is stuck in a mental chamber. But when you surround yourself with people from many different cultural backgrounds and walks of life, I believe then you can come with a creative rich product.”

Dlepu said: “Women in Bloom specifically speaks to the ‘inspired’ touchpoint, it’s about ‘motivating ’, and fuelling women. Something quite magical happens when you bring together the aspiring in the same space as the inspiring.

“Bloom is a platform for women who are undeniably in bloom, women who are becoming. It’s not women who have arrived but rather women who are on a journey of becoming,” she said.