Throughout March we are celebrating Women in the Arts with a connection to the Isle of Man. The aim of this series is to highlight the challenges that women face in the creative industry, share some advice to younger creatives and also to celebrate these women in their achievements.
Isla Callister is a Manx musician and Gaelic speaker working as a freelance musician between Glasgow and the Isle of Man. Isla is a fiddle player raised on the rich culture and music from the island, and has developed her own unique sound that reflects her strong connection to her native language, music and home.
What is your professional background in the arts?
In 2016, I moved from the Isle of Man to Scotland to study Traditional Music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. I graduated last summer with a First-Class Honours degree in Traditional Music with an Endorsement in Music Education and over the last few years, I have been working as a freelance musician; performing and recording, mainly with my band ‘TRIP’, and teaching.
What inspired you to pursue a career as a musician?
I grew up going to inter-celtic festivals such as ‘Yn Chruinnaght’ and ‘Shennaghys jiu’ on the island, where I watched incredible musicians from all over the world come together and celebrate their music and culture. There would be gigs, sessions, ceilidhs and workshops and it was just so much fun. I just remember thinking one night at the centenary centre in Peel, “I wish I could be up there doing that”! I was also lucky enough to have been taught by some incredible people like Katie Lawrence. She’d teach me tunes from all over the place and was one of the first people to really get me excited about music. I had lots of folk who encouraged and supported me from a young age which really led me on to study music, and pursue a professional career in music.
What are the current challenges for women in your creative industry?
Gender-equality, sexual harassment and assault.
What progress have you seen for women in your field?
We are now, thanks to organisations like ‘The BIT Collective’ in Scotland and ‘Fair Plé’ in Ireland, beginning to have conversations about representation in traditional music and the challenges women face in the industry.
Because of these conversations there are now; ways in which women who have faced sexual harassment and abuse can reach out to other members of their community and receive proper help and support; events and gigs that platform women in trad; a number of resources available like the ‘Charter of Good Practice’ for festival organisers/bookers and a database of women-identifying practitioners.
Whilst we’ve still got a long way to go, especially regarding representation of people of colour and those of minority genders, we are heading in the right direction.
Share a women’s empowerment moment that inspired you.
The #MiseFosta movement (#MeToo in Irish) that called for a change in the culture of abuse and harassment within the Irish traditional music & dance scene. They shone a light on the issue by sharing a number of women’s experiences on their social media platform. Whilst it was incredible harrowing to read at times, they gave
women a space to speak about their experiences and this in turn empowered women in the wider traditional music community to speak out about their own experiences.
What do you think is the biggest issue today facing women of your age?
Sexual harassment — 97% of women my age have been sexually harassed, and the saddest thing of all, is that it doesn’t come as a surprise to me.
How important is it for women to lift each other up and what does that mean to you?
Ta mraane pooaral, cur pooar da mraane — Empowered women, empower women! When I see women supporting women I am filled with joy. The patriarchy has pitted women against each other for centuries and the stereotype is, is that women don’t and shouldn’t support other women. This idea (which only serves the patriarchy!), can be so internalised, and it’s so important that we unpick and unlearn this. Wonderful things happen when women support each other, work together and unite! Lifting other women up means celebrating and supporting their work and bringing other women a long with you - there is space for us all! As a white cis-gendered woman, this also means recognising my own privilege and supporting and highlighting the work of women of colour and those of minority genders.
In the wake of International Women’s Day, what is the most important message you want to send out to young women thinking about a career in the arts?
Believe in yourself!
What have you been up to recently?
If you’d like to find out a little bit more, hear some music or get in touch, you can head to my new website - www.islacallister.com or find me on social media at ‘Isla Callister Music’!
