Hello, I’m Jenni Ventura, musician and activist.

I have a lot to say about arts and culture, and I have a lot to say about society, and I have even more to say about the combination of these two things.

These are my musings on a mixed up world.

Many people would say the arts exist to make the world a better place, to make us happier and healthier, to improve our quality of life. And I would agree wholeheartedly.

The arts can heal and connect, and patch up the wounds of society.

But they can also exclude, alienate, discriminate and harm.

I’m on a lifelong mission to make the arts a safe place, where art is created by everyone, for everyone. Because we are ALL creative, no matter how hard they tried to crush it out of us in primary school.

During my career I have had the privilege to make music with people from all walks of life – from babies exploring their first sounds, to adults in high security supported accommodation, to people living with dementia. From virtuoso classical musicians to bedroom producers to families singing in their local community centre. I have seen and heard and felt the barriers faced by all of these people, and I’ve faced my own barriers too.

In my work I’ve had to have the difficult conversations, ask the difficult questions, face the taboos head on and fight the fight to improve access in the arts.

In this blog I’ll tell these stories, share my vulnerabilities, tackle some thorny issues in society, kick up some controversy and invite you to stop and think about some things differently. I’ll scrutinise places where I see inequality, hypocrisy or a crunchy issue that’s worth talking about, and I’ll celebrate places where I see joy and connection. I hope that my musings will resonate with some of you, and I accept that they will jar with others. And ideally we can agree that this is part of what makes life interesting.

I also write music. (Mainly with women, but that’s another story)

Check it out if you’re interested 😉