Creative North

2020 sees the launch of walking trails across the region in celebration of the Northern Saints. The theme is being used as a destination development and marketing initiative to attract visitors as well as creating new leisure opportunities for residents.

The project is set within the context of the region’s considerable Christian heritage but will appeal to those of other faiths and to those simply looking for their own personal spirituality, peace and tranquility. Durham Cathedral will be at the centre of the trails recognising its role as a destination for pilgrims. The trails will appeal to those who like the challenge of long distance walking, others may wish to dip in and out of shorter sections visiting attractions, enjoying landscapes and sampling hospitality en route.

Culture Durham’s Events Forum is holding a free half-day session where attendees can learn more about the project and the opportunities it represents for partnership working, creative thinking and new ideas. Whether you’re a sole practitioner, a community group or a professional arts/cultural organisation there will be ways of being involved.

If you would like to take part in this event, which will include presentations, workshops  and networking opportunities, please book here.

The enthusiasm that creative people have for sharing and showing their work sometimes means that the financial decisions they make leaves them out of pocket.

A handful of key financial ideas can ensure that you don’t fall into this trap and we’ll explore:

• setting a daily or hourly rate, using your own work as the starting point
• unravel the knotty issue of how to value your artworks for sale
• the unit costs of making goods and running workshops
• creating budgets for funding applications
• measures of profit

We’ll assume no prior knowledge in building your understanding of key financial concepts to the point where you’ll feel confident of your ability to manage your resources, measure your profits, and use financial information to inform your decision making.

Facilitator Jane Shaw has years of experience of costing and pricing and will show examples of successful financial pitches for arts funding and commissions.

This workshop is FREE but places are limited so book early to avoid disappointment.

If a friend came to you with a bright idea for a creative business and asked you to invest your time, money and energy into it, what questions would you ask before getting involved?

In this workshop we will identify the various elements of the business planning process that will clarify our ideas and prove invaluable in taking them forward.

We’ll take a look at contents and structure of a range of model business plans and explore how creative entrepreneurs use the process to make the most of their talents, exploit opportunities and achieve commercial success. Using self-assessment profiling tools, you will explore your own potential to be enterprising and at look at how your existing skills can be harnessed and developed to put your ideas into action.

If a friend came to you with a bright idea for a creative business and asked you to invest your time, money and energy into it, what questions would you ask before getting involved?

In this workshop we will identify the various elements of the business planning process that will clarify our ideas and prove invaluable in taking them forward.

We’ll take a look at contents and structure of a range of model business plans and explore how creative entrepreneurs use the process to make the most of their talents, exploit opportunities and achieve commercial success. Using self-assessment profiling tools, you will explore your own potential to be enterprising and at look at how your existing skills can be harnessed and developed to put your ideas into action.

Artists, makers, performers – all need to people who will pay for their work if they are to sustain their practice.

The market for creative work is diverse and so trying to sell to everybody is bad business practice: some customers are more valuable than others and, in this workshop, you’ll develop strategies to find them, including those that you may not have recognised before.

Meeting customer needs is the key to generating sales and we’ll put you into their shoes to help you see the benefits you offer from their perspective. We’ll look at:

• the dos and don’ts of selling
• defining your unique selling proposition
• developing your advertising campaign
• product and service placement
• the principles and techniques of visual merchandising
• pricing your work
• routes to market
• what people are really buying when they make a purchase!

This workshop is FREE but places are limited so book early to avoid disappointment.