Introducing: The Edinburgh Multilingual Cultural Guide for Artists and Creatives

The idea was simple but powerful: to consult with artists who have recently made Edinburgh their home. These artists come from across the world - China, Finland, South Africa, Yemen, Palestine, Ukraine, India, Australia, Colombia, France, Poland- and each speaks a different language and brings a unique perspective on what it means to be an artist in this city.

We hosted three paid consultation sessions with 13 invited artists, exploring their lived experiences as newcomers to Edinburgh. We asked about the barriers they’ve faced, the support that’s helped them thrive, and the advice they would offer to others who are just arriving and looking to build a creative life here.

From these rich conversations, we developed the Edinburgh Multilingual Cultural Guide for Artists and Creatives - an accessible and practical resource that’s now available in over 80 languages on the City of Edinburgh Council website.

On 9 July, Creative Edinburgh hosted the official launch of the guide. It was a proud and emotional moment, not only for the wider cultural community but also for our team. None of us at Creative Edinburgh are originally from Edinburgh, or even from Scotland. We’ve all chosen to call this city home, and each of us has a different story of finding our place here and building a sense of belonging.

We hope this guide becomes a valuable resource for artists who are moving to Edinburgh, those who’ve arrived in recent years, and even for local residents who want to better understand the city’s creative and cultural fabric. It’s for everyone, and best of all, it’s truly accessible.

To celebrate the launch of our new guide, we're offering 25 Creative Edinburgh Premium Memberships on a first-come, first-served basis. This is exclusively available to creatives who are new to Scotland, providing them with access to a supportive community, resources and opportunities to grow their creative careers.