The creative industries are big business, and business skills – from writing a business plan, to networking, to generating income, or setting your prices – are vital for regional creatives.
Arts OutWest invites artists, creative freelancers and arts organisations and businesses of all types to join then in four free workshops at the end of March in Lithgow and Bathurst. People can attend as many of the workshops as they like.
Monica Davidson from Creative Plus Business will run the workshops and is known for her fun, informative presentation style and wealth of industry knowledge. Presented in partnership with Arts OutWest, these workshops are funded by the NSW Government through BusinessConnect.
The ‘Business Planning for Creatives’ workshop helps creative people and organisations create a much-needed business plan. The two-hour workshop will be held Thursday 23 March, 5.30pm at Lithgow Transformation Hub.
For those who hate networking ‘Networking tips for creatives’ (Friday 24 March, 4.30pm at Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre) is for you.
“This in-person workshop is a surprisingly fun event designed to encourage creative people to get to know each other, while acknowledging the horror of networking, and sharing a few tips,” Arts OutWest executive director Kylie Shead said. “While networking is such a vital skill in the creative industries, many practitioners consider it to be the stuff of nightmares – we promise this one won’t be!”
The final two workshops are on topics Arts OutWest knows creatives, makers and artists struggle with often: How to price your time and your work, and how to diversify your creative income.
‘Pricing for Creatives’ (Saturday 25 March 10.30am-12.30 at BMEC) is a practical workshop that covers the basics of figuring out the price point for creative work – be it time or products – including calculating costs and understanding what the market can bear.
“Working out what to charge for creative products and services can be a colossal challenge,” Ms Shead said. “The ‘Pricing for Creatives’ workshop is for anyone struggling to understand the value of their own work, and how to share that value with others.”
‘Diversify your creative income’ (Saturday 25 March 1.30-.3.30pmm BMEC) discusses the various ways that creatives can make money – including services, goods and passive income – and includes practical exercises to help brainstorm those ideas. This workshop is tailored specifically to individuals and creative businesses who are (or want to be) self-employed, and the tips shared are relevant no matter what your profession – filmmakers, writers, musicians, designers, visual artists, performers – all are welcome.
All workshops are free but bookings are required. Book directly via BusinessConnect. Details at: www.artsoutwest.org.au
Arts OutWest is the regional arts development organisation for the NSW Central West.
Creative Plus Business is an educational organisation with a focus on helping creative practitioners and arts organisations to develop and improve their entrepreneurial abilities, with a focus on small business, financial literacy, and marketing skills.
