Flourish: Continuing Professional Development for craftspeople’ at Craft in the Bay.

Below are the details of the final 3 professional development workshops and seminars for crafts that I've organised for Craft in the Bay, Cardiff. Hope to see you at one (or more) of the events....


Make craft pay! Jules Mallory Skinner

30^th May 2012, 11-4.30pm

Jules Mallory Skinner will present a one day workshop covering all aspects of managing a sustainable craft business. He will present ideas and methodologies for creating a sales package; creating sales platforms and relationships; market research; targeting key customers; pitching via the phone or in person; pricing; closing deals and getting paid; range building; and online sales as well as in person sales.  Be prepared for an energetic and inspiring day which will ask you the hard questions about your business and leave you full of ideas for moving forward.

Jules Mallory Skinner has been actively engaged in the Cultural Industries as a creative practitioner and entrepreneur since 1977 and as a creative industries educator and mentor since 1983 when he started an innovative advisory service for musicians and creative entrepreneurs in London. He set up Creative Enterprise Consulting in 1994 becoming an independent advisor to creative businesses, universities, colleges, professional associations and industry initiatives working in this capacity alongside his own creative and business projects to the present day.

Jules will also be joined by Tom Beardshaw who is a social media expert and who owns Native HQ based in Cardiff.

Cost: £55 for non members, £49.50 for members and friends of the Makers Guild in Wales

NB: lunch is not included, but there is an on-site cafe where you can buy food and drinks should you wish. 

 To book, please phone Craft in the Bay on 02920 484 611

‘Thinking Big – exploring the opportunities for craft in public art’

15^th June 2012, 1-5.15pm

Are you curious to find out more about how you could scale up your craft practice to work to commission in the public art arena? Need some inspiration / information / confidence to apply for large scale projects that could stretch your practice into exciting new areas both in terms of scale and concept?

Five high-profile speakers will make inspirational presentations about the various facets of craft in public art.

·         Sue Lawty is an internationally renowned tapestry artist who also works with lead, stone and other materials. She will discuss the many and varied public art projects she has undertaken, as well her major residency at the Victoria and Albert Museum.  (NB Sue will be running a 2-day tapestry master class at Craft in the Bay on the 16-17^th June – please see the Craft in the Bay website for further details.)

·         Brigid Howarth is an established art strategy consultant with extensive experience across the cultural industries. Brigid will discuss her role as the Co-Project Director of the Museumaker programme managing a £1 million programme connecting contemporary crafts with museums and heritage centres across England resulting in 18 major craft public art commissions. Brigid will discuss the diverse Museumaker projects in detail along with the associated community engagement events. She will also highlight what makes a good application for commissions such as Museumaker.

·         Rodney Bender, iGP (Innovative Glass Products) has produced inventive architectural glass artworks and interventions to major buildings and sites across the UK and further afield. iGP also offers a unique service working with artists and other developers to realise their designs in glass. Rodney will discuss his own practice in the public art and architectural field alongside the services and processes he can offer to makers to help them realise their own projects.

·         Nathalie Camus, is the Senior Officer for Applied Arts with the Arts Council Wales (ACW). Following a major strategic review of the Arts Council of Wales, Nathalie will present the new public art strategy for Wales highlighting its key priorities, partnerships and the opportunities for makers based in Wales.

 Cost: £35 for non members, £31.50 for members and friends of the Makers Guild in Wales

 To book, please phone Craft in the Bay on 02920 484 611

Internet Strategy, Pete Moseley

12^th July 2012, 11-4.30pm

Want to learn how to take advantage of the internet to promote you and your business using no-cost or low-cost options?  Are you somewhat bewildered by Twitter, Facebook, Blogging, RSS Feeds, Flickr, LinkedIn, etc?  This workshop will demystify these topics in clear and accessible language, examining the various pros and cons, and how these online tools can be put into practice as part of your marketing strategy.

·            Arts websites – the good, the bad and the ugly!

·            The use of directory and ‘aggregator’ sites – how the ‘long tail’ works

·            Blogging – and how Blogs and websites work together synergistically

·            RSS and  social bookmarking

·            The use of Google Analytics to measure traffic

·            Keyword testing techniques

·            Getting visible on Google and other search engines.

·            Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and social sharing

·            Flickr, YouTube, Behance, Pinterest – and other useful social sites.

·            Email applications e.g. Constant Contact and MailChimp

·            How to set up an email database and use it effectively

·            A/B email testing, subject lines and CTA’s (calls to action)

·            Email etiquette

Pete Mosley works exclusively with artists and arts organisations. His primary focus is providing bespoke coaching and mentoring to artists and makers, either face to face or through training sessions and seminars.

Pete is a strong advocate of the internet as a powerful tool for artists and makers to market their work using traditional media such as websites and email newsletters or through social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

Pete is also Business Editor for craft&design magazine, writing regular articles and features for the printed magazine, website and e-newsletters. He also maintains the magazine’s Facebook and Twitter presence and has grown the Twitter fanbase to over 4000 in the space of 12 months.

What to bring: a laptop, although it is fine to share one with another delegate.  Pete will bring the workshop presentation on a CD which you can take home with you.  This will enable you to follow up elements of the workshop on your own computer.  Also bring a pen and paper to make any further notes. 

Cost: £55 for non members, £49.50 for members and friends of the Makers Guild in Wales

 NB: lunch is not included, but there is an on-site cafe where you can buy food and drinks should you wish. 

 To book, please phone Craft in the Bay on 02920 484 611

‘Flourish: Continuing Professional Development for Craftspeople' at Craft in the Bay

Got my CPD Coordinator hat on today......

In case you don't already know, I organise 'Continuing Professional Development' workshops, seminars and talks for The Makers Guild in Wales at Craft in the Bay in Cardiff. These sessions cover various aspects of business and professional development specifically for those working in the craft sector.

Got two brilliant sessions coming up in June which still have some places available. Details as follows:


Develop A Marketing Strategy That Works & Select The Right Tools!



Kelly Monroe from The Concept Club

Date: Thursday 2nd June 2011

Time: 10am to 2.30pm


Aimed specifically at craftspeople, designer-makers and other creative businesses, this workshop will introduce you to the basic elements of creating a manageable marketing strategy for your business and to select with confidence marketing tools that will bring a return on investment or objective for your business.

You will be encouraged to think about the specific goals you want to achieve for your personal marketing strategy, whether it be to increase sales, develop a new service or launch a new craft retail space. The seminar will give you a structure and framework to use day in day out to ensure you turn your plans into reality thus demystifying the art of marketing.

During the seminar we will also look at the variety of marketing tools you can use to develop your profile from traditional print media through to online social marketing websites. The seminar will give you an over view of the array of tools you can utilise and how to select the right tools.
Kelly Monroe is an experienced business & marketing consultant and training professional with over 10 years industry experience. Kelly has spent many years supporting SMEs in Wales to become productive and profitable. Kelly has trained with seasoned professionals and believes in inspiring people with confidence.

What to bring: notebook & pen.

What to think about before the seminar: your marketing goals.

Cost: £35 for non members, £31.50 for members and friends of the Makers Guild in Wales

To book, please phone Craft in the Bay on 02920 484 611.

Venue address: Craft in the Bay, Lloyd George Avenue, Cardiff Bay CF10 4QH

 
 
 
The Art of Effective Presentation and Communication


Noleen Mathias and Erin Martin

Date: Saturday 18th of June 2011

Time: 10am to 4.30pm


This is a one day seminar forming part of the M+M ‘Professional Development for Artist Programme “The Art of Success Making Creativity Pay” designed to enhance your communication and presentation skills.

Effective communication and presentation of your work, and of yourself as an artist, are key elements in developing a successful career.

The aims of the day are two-fold: to increase your skills and self-confidence in the areas of presenting your work, and self-presentation, in a variety of contexts.

We will cover the practical issues of CV, Artist Profile, business cards and websites as well as the most effective ways of making applications, attending interviews, and using various styles of communication to suit different audiences.

The scope of the day includes an analysis of how we can become confident communicators, using verbal and non-verbal language to help achieve positive outcomes. We will also examine the importance of self-image in effective communication.

The course will encourage and allow time for interaction between participants and facilitators.


M + M Professional Development for Artists is a collaboration between Noleen Mathias and Erin Martin.

Noleen Mathias has over twenty years experience in Arts and Business Management. Prior to setting up the Mathias Agency, Noleen was Co-Director of Artworks Wales the National Organisation for Public Art in Wales and Director of Finance and Operations for Public Art Agency, Safle. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Trustee of the National Federation of Artist Studio Providers (NFASP).

Erin Martin is an experienced education professional and an Accredited Personal and Business Coach with many years experience of coaching for success in a wide variety of contexts. She has a particular interest in Creativity Coaching and in the issues of aspiration, motivation and self-belief as they relate to artists and writers. Erin recently returned from China where she was an education adviser with VSO.

Cost: £45 for non members, £40.50 for members and friends of the Makers Guild in Wales

To book, please phone Craft in the Bay on 02920 484 611.

Venue address: Craft in the Bay, Lloyd George Avenue, Cardiff Bay CF10 4QH