I always knew I wanted to work in the creative arts industry. Growing up, I enjoyed going out with my mates, but what I enjoyed most was seeing how music actually brought us together. It has a way of creating shared experiences and happiness, and that feeling was only reinforced by growing up in a big Punjabi family, where music is part of every religious and cultural event. Between the two, it felt unquestionable that I wanted to work in the music industry. So I started out doing a few odd projects here and there during university, and I loved being part of artist events from creation right through to execution.

I'd moved to a new city alone in 2018 for university, with no connections and no one who really knew how to help me. Over the years, I struggled to find a support system that actually worked for me, which is part of why it took me a little longer to find my way here. After finishing my masters in 2022, I made an intentional choice to move into festivals and therefore, actively started to look for opportunities to make it happen. Finding work was near impossible at first, but after working Shindig and Pride last year (once I'd finally found my in!) I knew even more that this was where I wanted to be.

In January this year, my New Year's resolution was to work one more festival than the year before. I'd finally made a start the year prior, and I didn't want to let that momentum go, so setting that goal was my way of visually tracking my progress. I didn't know exactly what the year would hold, but on the back of the Muti course and the support of Big Team, I was given a platform to work towards my goals. I didn't know exactly how I'd get there, you never do, but I knew I had to find a way and make every move count. If I were to describe my progress since engaging with Big Team in three words, it would be: hope, opportunity, and support.

Big Team has been a massive contributing factor in helping me get on the road. Big Team came into my Muti sessions open and honest; they weren't promising the moon, but they were willing to give everyone at least one shot, and it was up to us what we made of it. That one shot was all I needed to push myself and show what I was capable of; a platform and a real opportunity to say "this is what I can do," and they were open and honest with me the whole way through.

Working with Big Team now has been truly great. Their values align closely with mine, and I think that's played a huge part in how my relationship with each member of the team has developed.

The Big Team crew all have different skill sets, which is why their support works so well. With Lucy, I have someone I can lean on and ask for help and guidance. With Javeon, I have someone who checks in with me and makes sure I'm okay, not just at work but outside of it too. With Jazpa, I have someone I can talk to about shared experiences - the hardships and the journey that Black and brown people face. With all of them, I feel like I have what I need, and more!

There's a particular feeling when something you'd quietly start to let go of, comes back into focus, not because it changed, but because the right moment finally arrived to let it. That's what working with Big Team, has felt like for me. They didn't create the drive I already had, but they gave it somewhere to go, and that's made all the difference. What stands out most is how consistent they've been, the way they show up for people isn't just for the good moments, it's there in the everyday too. That's what makes it feel real rather than a nice thing they say. 

When Big Team says they're here to support people, it's not just a PR line. They stay true to their values and ethos, and they try to give every individual at least one shot, what we do with it is entirely up to us. Because of the way they operate and what they stand for, I firmly believe Big Team is a catalyst for change in the festival industry. They hold themselves accountable to that.

I want to keep working in festivals, and I want to become more involved on the events management and production side of things; moving further into the planning and delivery side rather than just on-site execution. Alongside that, I'm building out my own freelance brand, Nav A-live, and want to keep developing that as a space for content creation and documenting the work I do across events.

Off-season, I'd like to take on freelance projects that let me put my skills to use in new settings; I've already started putting myself forward for roles like project and events management positions outside of the festival calendar, and I want to keep pushing in that direction. Long term, I want to build a career where the festival work, the production side, and my own brand all feed into each other.

I want to say thank you to everyone at Big Team, for making me feel like I truly matter, like my voice matters, and like my representation matters. I know I'm a dreamer, and a little delusional with it, but I knew I had to make this happen, and I wanted to make it happen. So I believed in myself, and they believed in me too. Thank you for being the support system I'd been searching for.