London For Creatives
Chloe shares her go-to places in London that creatives will love spending time in
I've always known London for its famed arts scene - the best high fashion, contemporary artists, poets, musicians, and storytellers always seem to be based here. What I hadn’t anticipated, though, was how artistically curated even the average Londoner was. Artsy market-goers who looked like they walked straight out of a Pinterest board, my work friends casually bringing up publishing a magazine or being a verified Spotify artist as a side hobby, and even my uni tutor whose poetry I stumbled across on an ad in the underground - there’s just something about everyone you meet in London that tells you they grew up surrounded by art.
London is a city moulded by artists, for artists. There’s something creative at every corner, far more representative of the city than the touristy sights and shops you see on travel sites. If you’re planning a trip to London for the first time, here’s my list of must-sees for creatives, to meet the side of London I fell in love with.
Since I stumbled across this cafe-bookshop-bar hybrid in my first year, Reference Point has been my go-to place to chill and get inspired between classes. Besides a collection of rare books and magazines on design, radical art, architecture, and fashion that I've yet to find anywhere else in town, they're also an independent publishing house, supporting local creatives via photography indexes and monthly poetry zines. If being surrounded by like-minded artists with a cup of tea in a modern library of creativity wasn't enough to seal the deal, their space transforms into a bar-slash-event venue by night, hosting poetry readings, chess nights, and jazz performances a few times a month.
Amidst towering skyscrapers and classical stone cathedrals, the brutalist architecture of the Barbican Centre stands out as one of the most unique spots for photographers of London. An actual residential estate connected to a performing arts centre, the Barbican holds an art gallery, theatres and cinemas, a concert hall, and a gift shop with an extensive collection of posters, prints, and concept art books. Walking through the hushed estate, I always feel as if I'm exploring an old arthouse film set, or even the abandoned ruins of a zombie apocalypse movie. The real star of the show, though, is undoubtedly the Barbican Conservatory - a peaceful, otherworldly glasshouse situated within the arts centre. This high-ceiling brutalist structure canopied with exotic flora and fauna is most breathtaking during sunset, as the light catches the glass windows in the silence of a post-apocalyptic garden.
A paragraph is hardly enough to describe one of London's most vibrant hubs for art and fashion. Brick Lane Market is almost oversaturated with history, culture, and creativity, from art markets and gigs at Truman Brewery, to underground album launches at Rough Trade East record store. Every now and then when I'm feeling uninspired, I take a street art walk to just take in the graffiti murals and tags all along the neighbourhood - what I find really cool about street art districts is that you never see the same version twice, as old pieces are constantly covered with new ones. If you're into the thrifting scene, be prepared to lose an entire afternoon to Brick Lane's vintage market, a stylish, buzzing bazaar of stalls piled with 1920s to 1990s fashion, accessories, and trinkets. My personal favourites that I visit every time I'm in Brick Lane are Atika, an old furniture factory turned vintage department store with the best affordable accessories; as well as Vintage Basement, with an incredible bargain section of killer pieces for £10 each.
One of London's biggest bookstore chains, Waterstones hardly demands an introduction. The real best-kept secret that lands the bookshop on this list, however, is one easily overlooked branch whose magic can only be fully understood via an in-person visit. Tucked away in the heart of literary Bloomsbury, Waterstones Gower Street is a cosy, golden haven of knowledge and inspiration. Its main attraction, five storeys of every title and genre you can think of, is adorned with the lesser-known Dillon's Coffee, a warm, homely cafe connected to the bookshop. Nestle into a seat with hot chocolate and a book for a solo trip, or if you're going with friends, head to the back of the cafe to find a hidden vintage photo booth for the perfect keepsake.
Offprint London at Tate Modern
Open only 3 days a year, this is one of those London gems that's worth shifting your itinerary around to accommodate. Hosted at the Tate Modern's Turbine Hall, Offprint London is a book and zine fair gathering more than a hundred independent publishers, whose work surrounds visual culture, graphic design, experimental art, and photography. Think vast brutalist architecture, high dystopian ceilings, cool art school students in accessorised streetwear, and stalls upon stalls of cutting-edge prints and magazines in a bustling celebration of urban art. I've always found book fairs boring, but Offprint truly is something else. Each stall has a story - speaking with the stallholders, you'll find that each piece of work is a reflection of the artist's soul, inspired by their hometown, identity, or life experiences. I've visited the fair two years in a row, and every time I leave exhausted, with the feeling of having walked through a hundred stories through art.
Written by
Chloe S
Local at GoSoLocal
