“If everyone’s painting the same mural, who’s breaking the wall?”
That’s the quote that electrified the room during this Melbourne shoot of Quasar Spectrum.
This episode brings together ten creatives from across Melbourne — filmmakers, drag performers, street artists, NFT illustrators, and more — each with a different voice, vision, and cultural lens. Together, they grapple with some of the hardest creative questions in 2025: Is all art political? Is selling out still real? Is authenticity a privilege?
Filmed in a warehouse in Collingwood, this episode is the second of a two-part series confronting a provocative but essential question:
Do All Melbourne Creatives Think the Same?
🎯 What This Episode Aims to Do
Melbourne’s reputation as Australia’s creative capital isn’t just branding — it’s backed by numbers. The creative sector here employs over 225,000 people, contributing more than $23 billion annually to the Victorian economy. But behind the street art, fashion shows, and music festivals lies a more personal question:
Who actually gets to create? And at what cost?
This episode of Spectrum, produced by Quasar Central, doesn’t just scratch the surface. It hands the mic to those navigating the real trenches of the creative grind — often without recognition, funding, or safety nets.
🧠 Art vs Audience: “Do You Create for Yourself, or for the Algorithm?”
The first tension to emerge: the trap of virality.
“I didn’t study art to make Reels,” one participant said bluntly.
But another countered: “If you want to eat, you better learn to dance with the algorithm.”
From TikTok’s 3-second hooks to Instagram’s aesthetic trends, creatives today are stuck between vision and viability. What’s more dangerous — making what sells, or starving for what you believe in?
This segment surfaces the new creative paradox:
Authenticity is monetizable — but only if it’s trending.
🧬 Identity & Origin: “I Don’t Want to Be the ‘Diversity’ in Your Project”
Diversity in the arts isn’t new. But real inclusion still is.
Participants shared experiences of being tokenized, exoticized, and hypervisible — but never really seen.
“I’m tired of being ‘the migrant story’ in your grant proposal.”
“I’m queer, black, and broke. But I’m also funny. Where’s that version of me?”
These were not complaints. They were truth bombs, laid bare in a city that prides itself on progressivism — yet often keeps its funding doors locked for outsiders.
📰 Funding & Gatekeeping: “The Arts Are Supposed to Be Free — But You Need a CV to Apply”
Another flashpoint: who gets funded, and why?
Several panelists admitted to writing grant applications in ‘white voice’ to fit what funders expect. One said:
“I left my culture out of my proposal because I didn’t want to be seen as ‘another refugee project.’”
Others discussed navigating institutions that praise radical ideas — but only if they’re familiar enough to feel safe. The discussion raised uncomfortable but vital questions about gatekeeping, cultural safety, and what kinds of art are truly valued.
🎭 Creative Classism: “You Can’t Be Broke and Experimental”
A quieter but resonant theme was creative classism.
“If your parents can’t fund your passion, you’re not allowed to fail.”
That single line got nods all around.
Many creatives shared that they couldn’t afford internships, residencies, or even unpaid collaborations — a reality that filters entire voices out of the scene before they start.
The group called for more structural changes — not just gallery space, but free tools, paid trials, and new entry points for working-class artists.
❤️ Culture & Dating: “Love Is an Art Form — But So Is Survival”
One of the most unexpected turns in this episode?
A debate about dating — and whether creatives should “date inside the scene.”
Some argued that shared experience fosters deeper understanding.
Others warned of the emotional toll of dating people whose careers mirror your own chaos.
It’s less about romance, and more about resilience. How do you maintain a personal identity when your creative world — and partner — demand the same energy?
🇦🇺 Australia & Racism in the Arts: “I Made My Own Platform Because No One Would Book Me”
A sobering truth surfaced: many of Melbourne’s most original voices are self-taught because the system locked them out.
“I was told my accent wouldn’t work for screenwriting.”
“I was told to tone it down for the gallery crowd.”
“I just started my own YouTube because I got tired of waiting.”
This is where Quasar Central steps in — not as a savior, but as a platform for voices already doing the work.
💬 Final Reflections from the Panel
The episode closes with a powerful roundtable prompt:
“What would you say to your younger self just starting out?”
“You don’t need their permission to be great.”
“Your weirdness is currency. Spend it.”
“Rejection doesn’t mean you’re wrong — it means you’re early.”
What started as a thought experiment ends as a manifesto. One by one, the cast steps back from debate into solidarity. It’s not about whether they agree — it’s about whether they were heard.
🌍 Why This Episode Matters
This episode is more than a conversation about Melbourne’s creative scene. It’s a reflection of global creative friction: between visibility and authenticity, hustle and healing, identity and imagination.
As AI tools continue to blur the lines between art and automation, human storytelling becomes even more urgent.
And platforms like Quasar Central aren’t just media brands. They’re digital mirrors — letting creators see themselves outside of industry filters.
🎥 More Episodes from Quasar Central Spectrum
- Do All Aboriginal People Think the Same?
- Do All White Australians Think the Same?
- Blind Dating Based on Glow Ups
- Do All Asians Think the Same?
Each Spectrum episode is more than social commentary — it’s a timestamp for culture as it evolves.
📝 Final Thought
“We’re not just content creators. We’re culture witnesses.”
Do All Melbourne Creatives Think the Same? (Part 2) doesn’t answer the question definitively — because it’s not meant to. What it does is invite everyone to ask better ones.
📺 Watch the full episode now on Quasar Central
💬 Tag a Melbourne creative who needs to be in the next one.