This month Creative Review features a piece on Creative Communities. I was asked to offer my thoughts on the creative community we belong to, that is of Digbeth and the Custard Factory.

I outlined how the city of Birmingham and the Custard Factory were key factors in establishing us as a company, and we've stayed loyal through thick and thin over these past five years as others have moved on.

However the piece did focus on more my negatives than my positives. So to extend that article I've decided to post what I originally wrote to give a more balanced opinion of creativity around this neck of the woods.

We set TAK! up in Birmingham in 2004 primarily because incentives Birmingham offered. For a start it was (and still is) relatively cheap compared to other cities like Manchester and London. Unlike like those cities at the time, Birmingham had a fairly compact design scene. Our introduction to the local scene was fairly straightforward (considering we were new to Birmingham) with assistance of a Creative Space grant (mis-quoted in the CR article as the 'locate Birmingham initiative') from the council and Business Link WM — essentially that grant paid for our first years studio space which was a massive help. This buffer of a years rent enabled us to find out feet and more importantly find our clients.

Having said that, with the advent of Broadband internet our client base didn't need to be in the same city (or country) as us. Birmingham is fairly central however so visiting clients across the country is a fairly simple task — another key reason to move here.

However the main reason for moving to Birmingham was The Custard Factory complex. I was first made aware of The Custard Factory back in 1995 when a group of university friends went to visit the place and they came back highly enthused about the vibrancy and creative energy within the complex. Situated in Digbeth and allegedly bought for £1, The Custard Factory is a dizzy mixture of studios, bars, restaurants, clubs and independent shops. It's without doubt the pulse of Birmingham and the five years we've been here have been fun, exciting and inspiring. Our rent is fairly cheap all things considered and the building is large, quirky and raw. A bit like the Truman Brewery around 2001 when that started to get redeveloped. I think you can currently get a 3m x 3m basic painting space for about £30 a week.

Digbeth is a bit like Shoreditch in 1996, tatty, noisy and full of underground secrets. The area has some big plans abound from a vast extension to The Custard Factory to a park and various retail amenities. To be honest, it needs it but I hope it doesn't lose it's soul and become full of twats… like Shoreditch.

This combination of low cost, inspiring location and interesting people has allowed us to develop our company in the way we wanted — slowly and steadily. The low overheads meant we were never forced into churning out work to simply stay afloat. I'd say that was the single most important aspect to why Birmingham, Digbeth and The Custard Factory has helped us — it gave us time to develop ourselves.

The grants we received really helped us (and other companies in this area) get started. We got a 2nd grant after about 2 years to create promotional materials to attract new business. Right now we're discussing funding to help us work with a lead generation agency to attract new business from further afield. Creative company support is very well covered in the West Midlands.

But it's by no means perfect. The community aspects to the complex have slowly eroded over the 5 years we've been here. Before we arrived there would be quirky bars, skate ramps in nightclubs, barbecues for tenants every Friday in the summer and generally a stronger creative vibe. Over the 5 years it would seem that the remit for tenants to only come from the creative industry has slackened and I'm sure it's this that's killed the vibe quite a bit.

It could also be the state of the building — I know many companies as they have gotten bigger have moved out because the building is a bit shabby - don't mention the toilets. Often there's no heating and being above a nightclub does mean you have a noisy neighbour but personally I don't mind the noise or the events — those were one of the reasons we moved here, and still are here.

Front of house can be a bit sloppy at times and the local cafe / bar has all but given up on itself. Also I feel many Brummies are too blinded by the bling of the Bullring to even consider venturing down to the Custard Factory for some alternative shopping and culture. I've seen some great independent shops come and go over the my time here and it's sad to see such a quick turnover.

Maybe it's the area? Digbeth is a very unwelcoming part of town and at night the lack of people and lights can make it feel very dangerous — even though I've never had any trouble myself — I know some people don't feel safe at night here. Aside from some new build flats the area hasn't changed at all since we've been here even though much has been promised. There's a ton of factories, car dealers and a giant dual carriage way running right through it. Hardly inspiring. There's no cash points, no Post Office, no supermarket or any other essentials required for a creative community to thrive.

The Custard Factory complex is the jewel in a tatty crown.

If Birmingham City Council do something to address this the whole experience could be transformed dramatically. Key is to bring people to the quirky places that actually exist in this side of the city.

The Custard Factory is (slowly) sorting itself out; there's a popular Flea Market on Saturdays bringing in new crowds and Ideal skateboard shop now lives here with an indoor ramp that brings in a good new crowd. There's also a new venue called Space2 which hosts gigs, parties and even exhibitions. All positive additions.

A meeting with the building managers have confirmed change and there is currently a massive redevelopment happening at the front of the Custard Factory with a new wing being built.

I'm sure this this will be the start of the next wave.

By publishing this in full, I'm hoping it offers a balanced opinion of Birmingham's creative community centered around Digbeth & the Custard Factory. I would highly recommend any creatives to set up here as there is great potential for even better things and there is a lot of support to help you get started.