Proving that a global pandemic is no match for the can’t-stop-won’t-stop talents of the Dazed 100, the 2020 edition has been our biggest and best yet. Though IRL meet-ups are still very much off the cards, four of the list’s top creative talents came together on Zoom for the first-ever Dazed 100 Academy, four days of workshops, panel discussions, and even a dance class. This is what went down.

JOY CROOKES DISCUSSED STARTING OUT IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

South London musician Joy Crookes kicked off the series on Monday with ‘Foot In’, a panel discussion offering advice and guidance for young people of colour wanting to start a career in the creative industries. Hosted by the effervescent Lil C, a DJ, Broadcaster and A&R, Joy was joined by make-up artist (and 2019 Dazed 100 name) Mata Marielle, and Sony fashion and partnerships product manager Pedro Powell. The discussion ranged from experiences of doing the most with the least (Mata didn’t even own make-up brushes when she created 14 looks for Joy’s first music video), to handling yourself in an industry that might try to pigeonhole you (aka Joy refraining from throwing hands at a BBC Asian Network event), to Pedro’s reflection that you’ve ‘made it’ in an industry when you can bring others through with you.

BEABADOOBEE TAUGHT US HOW TO WRITE A SONG

Tuesday saw Beabadoobee’s Church of Rock ‘n’ Roll take over the Zoomwaves, with special guest Joy Crookes for session one, and then Sabrina Fuentes, lead singer and bassist of New York rock band Pretty Sick, for session two. Joined live on the call by a selection of Dazed readers around the world (who submitted great questions ahead of time), the sessions covered nuts and bolts stuff like creating custom guitar tunings and writing and finishing a song from scratch, to where artists can find inspiration, how to keep your confidence up, and what to do about creative block (literally anything you can!)

DANIKA MAGDELENA GAVE ADVICE FOR STAYING SAFE AND SANE IN LOCKDOWN

Day three brought a much needed intervention on staying safe and staying sane from photographer Danika Magdelena (aka Sirius Film) under the banner of her mental health-focused Girls Don’t Cry project. Hosted by gal-dem Features Editor Kemi Alemoru, the session was also blessed by the calming presence of Rosa Kim, founder of the mental health platform Aware Online. Clocking the productivity-shaming that characterised some early responses to the pandemic (from those “dinner-with-Jay-Z types”, as Kemi immortally put it), the panel assured us that it’s really OK to take a break during a global pandemic. Rosa explained how to use creativity to keep your mood up, and Danika let us in on how reinventing her processes brought exciting and unexpected new ways of working during lockdown.

DEBA DISCUSSED USING YOUR VOICE IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Shutting down the Academy on Thursday with a Jukebox Collective dance class, model Deba also brought together an insightful panel of activists and artists to discuss how to use your voice to advocate for positive change via social media. Hosted by Dazed Beauty’s very own Dominic Cadogan, Deba’s call collected wisdom from artist Syd Falls, musician Djenaba and the stylist and anti-FGM, anti-forced marriage campaigner Payzee Malika. Discussing what activism means to them, the group spoke about how social media has diversified our information streams, allowing ordinary people to broadcast the news as it happens to them, and noted how important this has been in amplifying the voices of the Black Lives Matter movement this summer. Taking in the proliferation of fake news, the phenomenon of performative allyship (black and white selfies that were not in solidarity with Turkish women, we’re looking at you) and the limiting effects of activism-policing, the discussion was both enlightening and galvanising, equipping us with the skills to do more and do better to care for one another online.

Explore the full 2020 Dazed 100 list, and get to know a few of this generation’s talent in our manifesto film, below.