Originating from Spain and meaning “painting quickly”, Pintar Rapido is a one-day painting festival on the streets of London, open to professional and amateur artists followed by an exhibition and sale of pictures to the public the next day.

Artists choose their own location anywhere in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and paint all day to capture the spirit of the borough. Using their own materials they work in any medium they like and any size they want. The borough is a wonderful location to paint. Parks, historic buildings, the River Thames, industrial sites, busy streets and modern architecture all come together in K&C to offer artists an exhilarating urban backdrop to inspire them to paint in a day.

After painting all day on Saturday all artists will have their work hung in a selling exhibition the next day at Chelsea Old Town Hall on the King’s Road.

Pintar Rapido Painting Day 
Saturday 13th July 2013
Artists can register here

Exhibition and Sale to the Public 
Sunday 14th July 2013
Chelsea Old Town Hall, King’s Road, London SW3 5EE . Want to visit the exhibition? Buy a ticket

The Pintar Prize sponsored by sofa.com
The picture we believe best captures the spirit of the day will win £1,000.

“Pintar Rapido is going to be a celebration of art and the city backdrop that inspires artists of all styles to create a painting in a day. I want them to capture the spirit of city – from its parks to its architecture, industrial locations to a river scene. The chaos and the calm and the people who breathe life into it. But most of all I want it to be a fun and exciting event for all those who take part.”

School for Creative Startups has opened its doors to a new wave of budding entrepreneurs ready to be put through their paces.

Named “MBA for creatives” by British Vogue, S4CS is an interactive, hands-on course delivering all the business know-how that creative people need to build sustainable startups, without all the technical gibberish.

It’s just the stuff you need to know to grow your own successful startup, taught the way you like to learn it.

Applications are now open until July 1st, class begins on September 23rd. Successful applicants will have access to a team of expert educators, including a unique network of Industry professionals that support students on their journey, comprised of everyone from Lloyd Grossman and Anya Hindmarch through to Not On The High Street founder Sophie Cornish and Rosie Wolfenden of Tatty Devine.

The course, founded by Dragon’s Den investor Doug Richard is a one-year part time programme that covers a range of intensive workshops, bootcamps and online support, that equips aspiring entrepreneurs with the skills needed to grow and sell their products and services effectively.

You can apply and find out more about the course on the S4CS website <http://schoolforcreativestartups.com> or ask the team any questions on the @CreativeS4S Twitter feed.

Offering four businesses the opportunity to develop innovative commercial prototypes that meet the broad objectives that have been set out, together with industry partners BOXPARK, Holition, the London College of Fashion’s Centre for Fashion Enterprise (CFE) and Designer-Manufacturer Innovation Support Centre (DISC), and Bauer Media/Grazia.

This contest is offering four awards of up to £25K to develop innovative commercial prototypes that meet the following challenges:

• Mass personalisation and customisation, supported by  London College of Fashion – DISC & CFE
• Intelligent clothing and accessories, supported by Holition
• The mall of the future, supported by BOXPARK
• Creating a communal and responsive experience through mobile technology, supported by Bauer Media/ Grazia

The contest is open to any company or developer; it is not necessary to have an existing app or service to apply, or to be currently active in the challenge sector. Applications will be judged on the level of innovation of the proposed prototype, which should meet the specific category challenge and show wider commercial potential and applicability. The applicants must also have a clear idea of the revenue earning potential/business model of their proposed solution.

In addition to the funding, winners of the ‘Digital Innovation Contest – Fashion’ will retain their intellectual property and benefit from the valuable opportunity to establish an early customer for their new technology, by running a minimum three-month trial with the relevant contest partner.

Deadline for submissions to the contest is 12 noon, Wednesday 12 July.

Full contest and application details are available here.

We will be running a briefing event in London on Thrusday 23 May, find out more and registerhere. 

Discover and book short term retail space around the UK.

The Digital Shoreditch Festival is a large annual celebration which connects thousands of top tier brands, agencies, entrepreneurs and creatives from East London’s Tech City and beyond. We also run year round workshops, meetups, contests, networking events and a comprehensive business directory. We’re here to strengthen, promote and grow the value of our vibrant community. The global collective has pulled together one of the most extraordinary lineups of up and coming digital and tech creatives, innovators, strategists, scientists, artists, developers, policy makers, and entrepreneurs ever! Pound for pound you’ll get more inspiration and connections than any other event this year in London. For less than the cost of a packet of crisps per session, you’ll get access to some of the most innovative, fresh thinking and disruptive movers and shakers in the digital and tech space.

500+ Speakers . 10 days of content . 20 Interactive Rooms . 30 Venues
Make & Do, Career Faire, Parties, Dinners and so much more!

https://tickets.digitalshoreditch.com/?ap_id=capitalenterprise

BAFTA are now accepting applications for the BAFTA Scholarship Programme, which helps talented people in need of financial support to study a post-graduate course in film, television or games.

Each scholarship will provide up to £10,000 to cover one year’s course fees, an industry mentor, and free access to BAFTA events around the UK for a year.

Three successful scholarship recipients will receive the new Prince William Scholarships in Film, Television and Games, supported by BAFTA and Warner Bros., which also include a funded work placement within the Warner Bros. group of companies.

For more information, and to submit an application, go to:http://bit.ly/BAFTAScholarships. The deadline for submissions isMonday 17 June.

One Thing I Know compiles hard-earned insights from creative entrepreneurs in a series of articles aimed at passing their experience down to the next generation.

Members of the list from the Creative Sector number so highly that they were the third largest group (of 14  Industry sectors!)

In my experience with successful business entrepreneurs, they are the most successful when they set about to enjoy or have fun with the work they do. This is especially true in the Creative Sector.

I’m not suggesting you should start your business to lose money, I am stating if you are not starting your business for a passionate reason the money will not flow as easily.

It just like at University or College –the subjects you like most are the ones you are best at, and the ones you are best at are usually the ones you like the most!

If you love the concept, you will have a vision for the concept, if you have a vision, you have a pathway.

Whilst the business may or may not go on to make you millions, if you are passionate about it you will:

1 –Have fun. Creative and Digital Media Sector businesses are meant to bring you happiness!

2 – Increase the chances exponentially of greater support and a greater financial pay off.

Don’t obsess over the business model, focus on what you love doing and work on how to get it into the hands of people who want it or need it!

The change in psychology makes a big difference to the ultimate success of the business!

 Michael Jacobsen is an Author, Entertainment  entrepreneur and Angel investor

www.michaeljacobsen.org

Date: Wednesday 15 May 2013
Location: Cecil Sharp House, home of the English Folk Dance and Song Society
Booking: Early bird tickets are on sale now for £25, with full-price tickets at £40. Attendance includes lunch and refreshments.

This conference attempts to untangle and consider how issues such as education, money, collectivism, status and community impact on an artist’s practice and influence their goals. A day-long event, it will look at how artists control and shape the context they work within, asking whether it is still relevant to say that we do it ‘for the love of it’.

It aims to:

• Contextualise ‘professionalism’ in visual arts practice in a recent historical context.
• Open practical debates about how money impacts on independent arts practice – how earning it changes practice.
• Consider independent arts practice as a combination of professional and amateur elements.
• Showcase projects and opinions that provide alternative thinking about a holistic artistic practice.

Keynote speakers

• Professor Lynda Morris, Chair of Curation and Art History Norwich University College of the Arts. Lynda Morris is best known for her work with over 500 British and International Artists as the founder and curator of EASTinternational  1990-2009 and as curator of the Norwich Gallery 1980 to 2009 at NUA in Norwich.
• Sonia Boyce came to prominence in the early 1980s as a key figure in the burgeoning black British art-scene of that time – becoming one of the youngest artists of her generation to have her work purchased by the Tate Gallery, with paintings that spoke about racial identity and gender in Britain.

Find out more here.

Source: Artquest

Collective supports creative people into employment and in setting up their own businesses. They provide incubator hubs and pop up shops to support and showcase innovation.

http://camdencollective.co.uk/

1. The crafter’s guide to taking great photos by Heidi Adnum: one of our absolute favourite books for inspiration and technical tips!
2. Blogging for creatives by Robin Houghton: a great resource book full of inspiration and technical advice if you are thinking about creating or commissioning a new website or blog.
3. The Design Trust’s 5 favourite books on business planning for creatives: a selection of our favourites
4. The essential guide to business for artists & designers by Alison Branagan: one of the most thorough business, finance and legal books for creatives
5. A pocket business guide for artists & designers by Alison Branagan: 100 creative business questions with 100 answers
6. Creative Inc by designers Meg Mateo Ilasco and Joy Deangdeelert Cho: a beautifully designed and practical business book for a wide range of creative freelancers
7. Design Create Sell by Alison Lewy of Fashion Angel: ideal for fashion and accessories designers
8. Fashion Designer’s Resource Book by  fashion designer Samata Angel for people thinking about a career in fashion or who want to start their own fashion label
9. Setting up a jewellery business by jeweller Angie Boothroyd: a great business book for new and established jewellers
10. Get Clients Now! by C.J.Hayden: one of our favourite marketing books
11. How to sell to retailers by Clare Rayner: if you want to sell to larger retailers such as John Lewis or Liberty’s
12. Breakthrough! Overcome creative block & spark your imagination by Alex Cornell if you need to kick start your creativity when you feel blocked
13. Batch by Andrew Tanner: a great coffee table book with inspirational pictures and quotes from designers across the world
14. Contemporary Tableware by Linda Bloomfield: a beautiful book full of inspirational images and an introduction into design and production methods for various tableware products

Setting up as a freelancer or sole trader can be really daunting.  There are so many things that you need to know about, so many business skills to learn.  And as a creative you prefer to spend as much time as possible on making and creating.  You don’t have the time, money or inclination to read through boring business books. So, this guide gives you lots of practical info and tips about all aspects of starting and running your own small craft business.

http://www.thedesigntrust.co.uk/the-design-trust-guide-to-start-run-a-successful-craft-business/

E-Book, £6.50

NESTA has now opened applications for the Spring 2013 programme for anyone who has a registered company in the UK and has been trading for a minimum of 2 years, has a turnover of a minimum of £200k for the most recent full financial year and is an established company within one or more of these sectors: Advertising, Film, TV, Digital Media, Games.

The Network gives creative companies the rare opportunity of one-to-one mentoring with some of the most successful business people in the creative sector.

The Mentors are passionate about the sector and volunteer their time as a way of giving something back.  They share practical advice on overcoming the challenges of running and growing a creative business and have helped a variety of creative companies build business success.

The Network is now in its third year and we have found business mentoring can benefit creative companies in a number of ways:

• improve business planning
• encourage better communication
• improve financial management
• improve decision making
• increase confidence
• identify new markets

VIDEO

Source: Artquest

This is where you submit your innovative idea for a business that will breathe life back into your town centre. These ideas will go before our expert panel of judges after the 3rd May 2013. The 10 best ideas will be given a £1,000 grant and four weeks of support to help develop their ideas to bring them to TestTown. The winner of this national competition will be decided during TestTown week, with the winner picking up the £10,000 prize. For more detailed information please read our FAQ’s.

How it works

1. Register on this website.
2. Create or join a group to contribute a great idea.
3. Complete your group’s page by 3rd May for a chance to win £10,000.

Challenge your thinking through workshops, skills sessions, talks and games; collaborating to design, prototype and test your ideas.

Fuselab 1
1-5 July 2013

Fuselab 2
5-9 July 2013

Applications for both sessions are open now and close on Wednesday 8 May.  40 participants will be selected per session. We welcome applications from the UK and overseas.

Fuselab is completely free of charge, with accommodation, meals and refreshments provided.

Please note:

Fuselab is a residential project and participants must be available to take part in the whole programme. Places are not transferable between sessions.

The project will be based at Edinburgh’s newest creative arts and science hub, Summerhall. Some events and activities may take place at other venues around the city and transport will be provided where appropriate.

Four nights’ single accomodation with shared bathroom will be provided atEdinburgh First, Pollock Halls.

Participants will be eligible for a bursary of up to £200 per person to cover travel to and from Edinburgh.

Click here for full terms and conditions.

Please email me on luka@nacue.com if you would like to apply.

Dates
Monday 17 June to Friday 5 July 2013

Venue
Across the colleges of University of the Arts London

Last year, students and graduates attended over 40 talks and workshops to develop practical skills to help them get started in their chosen field.

Find out more here

Time: 4:00-5:00pm

Location:
Room 303, UAL, 272 High Holborn, WC1V 7EY

Event details:
If you are taking a product or prototype to a trade show, you should be thinking about protecting and exploiting your intellectual property in your brand or product.
In this session you’ll learn about how to identify, protect and exploit your rights to benefit from partnerships with potential clients, commissioners, manufacturers, retailers or distributors. You find out what’s involved in preparing for a trade show from deciding what and how to show it to negotiating with potential clients and ultimately entering into licensing contracts.
Topics covered include:
-    Introduction to copyright/design right/trade mark/patents
-    The role of confidentiality when negotiating with potential partners or clients
-    Key clauses in licensing agreements

This workshop will be delivered by Silvia Baumgart, Programme Manager of Own-it.

Booking: 18 place(s) of 45 available

Find out more and book here

Image Source: scientificamerican

Cretu explains, “Although it is something that requires attention to detail, I have to move fast and cut precisely. The raw material dehydrates rapidly and if I waste too much time I risk losing the beauty of shape and colors.”

You can see more work by Dan Cretu here.

The OK Go Saatchi & Saatchi Music Video Challenge 2013 is in partnership with global creative platform Talenthouse, and renowned music video curators BUG, and is the 3rd in a series of successful Saatchi & Saatchi competitions aimed at giving young filmmakers the opportunity to create a video for a high profile musician or band: in 2011 Saatchi & Saatchi collaborated with international recording artist Moby, and in 2012 with the Estate of James Brown, and are thrilled to be partnering with OK Go in 2013.

This incredible opportunity to create groundbreaking pieces of work for a global band allows artists to take the opportunity to an entirely new level and excel in their chosen career. Furthermore OK Go has won a total of 7 Lions at the 2012 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, including 3 gold and 1 silver Lion for the music video All Is Not Lost, and 2 bronze Lions for the music video Needing/Getting. Needing/Getting debuted during last year’s Super Bowl, and to date has more than 24.5 million hits on YouTube. So, no pressure.

A specially chosen judging panel headed up by OK Go’s lead singer Damian Kulash – himself an award-winning film director as well as high profile musician – will comprise members of the Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide Creative Board and BUG. First, from all eligible submissions received, 10 finalists will be selected by the judging panel, and announced on the Talenthouse site at the end of May.From the 10 finalists, the judges will select the Grand Prize Winner. The Grand Prize Winner will be invited to a full week at Cannes Lions in June this year, where the winner’s film will be screened and winner announced at the Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors’ Showcase.

There will also be a People’s Choice Winner, based on the highest voted by public votes. The highest voted filmmaker will enjoy promotion and recognition across the Talenthouse site as well as on OK Go’s own website, and will also receive a special gift from the band.

Participate and find out more about the competition here.

Sources: Talenthouse, Creativeboom

On April 18th & 19th, over 400 delegates will learn about the future of the European startup scene in London.

Now in its second year, NACUE’s Startup Career Launchpad will welcome over 300 guests to connect with the European startup community. The two-day event focuses on giving visitors an incredible experience with a mix of world-leading speakers, buzzing exhibitions and effective, deal-making networking opportunities.  If you’ve ever wandered what it’s like to work for a startup, this is the perfect opportunity. In 2012, some of the most exciting names in enterprise were there, with Facebook backers, ACCEL Partners; Seatwave Founder, Joe Cohen; and the likes of DueDil, GoCardless and Smarkets all speaking and running workshops.

2013’s event will be bigger and better with more than 60 speakers over two days. Speakers include MindCandy founder, Michael Acton-Smith, and lastmintue.com co-founder, Martha Lane Fox.

Day one (April 18) will see some of the biggest names in tech and enterprise tackle the global startup agenda. Day two (April 19) will allow delegates to get to grips with what working for a startup is really like!

The 2013 Startup Career Launchpad will be one of the city’s largest and most exciting startup focussed events. You’ll meet some of the world’s most interesting startups and investors.

What to expect…

• Unparalleled insight on the world of startups – including: trends, opportunities, and companies to watch.
• Some of the biggest names in enterprise, including Michael Acton-Smith, and lastmintue.com co-founder, Martha Lane Fox.
• Two days of fantastic startup focussed networking.

Who’s it for?

• Anyone with an interest in startups and entrepreneurship
• Those looking for their next career opportunity

Where’s it happening?

The Light (The Light E1 Restaurant and Bar, 233 Shoreditch High St, London, E1 6PJ)

How much does it cost?

Single day tickets can be purchased for £25 each. Two day passes are also available at £45.

Tickets and more information available at:

www.startupcareerlaunchpad.com

And this article ain’t one of them.

I really tried to stick to the program. I looked up and down the list repeatedly, searching for some topic that I could get excited about. “What was I thinking?” I kept asking myself. “Who cares about this? What do I know about that?”

I gamely started article after article. I have an entire Dropbox folder of shame filled with scraps of articles, quotes, sentence fragments, and witty first lines. I squirmed and procrastinated. I made videos. I practiced guitar. I went running (to “clear my head”). And I kept coming back the list, feeling more and more frustrated and blocked.

Then it hit me: The list of articles was the thing getting in my way. I was trying to buffer myself into a productive and predictable future.

The Buffer Strategy
Buffering, in the positive sense (the negative sense being hypnotized by the revolving gears in front of a slow loading video), means building up a supply of something in advance of need.

If you have a pantry filled with canned food, you’re buffering. If you make seven videos on Monday and drip them daily onto YouTube for a week, you’re buffering. If you buy a 196-pack of toilet paper every three years, you’re buffering.

In these examples, buffering may make good sense. It can increase flow, as in having to set up and take down your video studio once rather than seven times. It can ensure against an unexpected spike in need, as in the full pantry. And it can save you frustration, as in always having plenty of toilet paper on hand (when you need it, you need it).

Buffering ensures against future scarcity. But that’s precisely why a list of article titles ended up stifling my creativity.

Buffering Against Presence
By creating this list, I was essentially telling my future self, “I’m not sure you’re going to have any ideas this good.” And my future self began fulfilling this prophecy by withholding good ideas from the list itself. I suddenly felt like an unmotivated employee given a task he hadn’t asked for by a boss (that would be myself) who didn’t trust him.

Whatever we do, we do now. We literally have no other option. And how well we do it depends, mostly, on how present we are in this moment.

My friend Peter Bregman confided that he also had a folder with article ideas and snippets, just in case his creative well ran dry as a deadline approached. At one point his folder consisted of 57 articles that had been there for months, as moribund as the DMV line in hell.

When he realized that he always had something new and fresh to say–that in fact, having something new and fresh to say was his impetus to write in the first place–he deleted the folder and trusted the future.

Which is to say, he trusted himself to become full each time the environment required it of him.

Deadlines Are Acts of Faith
Being on deadline means always facing the possibility of being empty, of having nothing to offer. For me, each deadline raises the fear: “Will I be enough?”

When I go for that bait, I move right out of presence, of being here now, and into a cascade of worry about something that I can’t predict and can’t control.

What I need to remind myself on a regular basis is that each deadline that I agree to (and I agree to all of them, whether I admit it or not) represents my faith that I will always become full enough, clear enough, and generous enough to share something important with the world.

No Amount of Preparation is Enough
Preparation is a common form of buffering. And I’m a big believer in preparation: I believe that it exists, and that I might try it some day. (Note to clients and prospects: That is a joke.)

But even people who prepare like crazy–especially, perhaps, people who prepare like crazy–never feel prepared enough. Many people I know drive themselves nuts because of this. Whenever they stop preparing, they feel like they’re sabotaging their future. Their sacraments of success include Red Bull and coffee and self-deprivation.

But the truth is, it’s impossible to be fully prepared for anything. At best, preparation creates a framework in which we can be fully expressive in the moment, in the face of the freshly unfolding present. When our preparation crosses a line and starts to hinder that expression, it renders us dull, distant, and dead. Even when we’re in the room, we’re “dialing it in” from the past.

I never have everything I need when I sit down to write an article. But when I open myself up to the present moment, stuff comes in.

I never have everything I need when I get up to give a speech, or a workshop. My finest, most impactful, most honest moments are never scripted, never prepared, never expected.

My strongest performance anxiety occurs not in public speaking (thanks to those unplanned yodels during my Bar Mitzvah that lowered the bar far beyond anything that could happen now), but in private coaching and consulting. My client is paying big bucks. The stakes for their business are high. And I’m supposed to be clever and wise. Yikes!

Yes, I prepare. I research before I write. I create presentations and handouts before I present. And I study my clients’ situations before I meet with them. But all that preparation does not and cannot serve to excuse me from being present in that moment. And the only way I know to be present is to let go of all my preparation and simply face this moment as it is, right now.

At this point, it’s no longer faith in myself. It’s faith in whatever source of creativity and generosity flows through me when I let it: When I release the fear of not being enough. The fear of the well drying up. The fear of entering this moment with nothing to offer.

What About Long-Term Projects?
I realize that some projects require advanced planning. When I wrote my book AdWords For Dummies, I started with an outline and pretty much stuck to it for several months. Had I not, my ADHD would have produce a title like AdWords, Facebook, YouTube, Green Smoothies, Juliette Binoche Was Totally Hot in The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and I Wonder if the Fluorescent Lights in My Office Are Draining My Life Force For Dummies.

The outline provided a framework and kept me focused. But because I wrote it as an act of faith rather than doubt, it didn’t keep me from writing.

That’s all for now. Look for my next Fast Company article in a couple of weeks, when I talk about…

SOURCE: http://www.fastcompany.com/3007037/how-you-sabotage-your-own-creativity

BY HOWARD JACOBSON

An inspiration to all who want to do what they love Everyday.

The competition will run from 4^th March 2013 until the 3rd May 2013.  On 12th June 2013, 18 finalists from across Europe will travel to London to pitch their business to their expert panel of 10 judges including our Co-Founder Jerry Greenfield, who will decide the 9 winners on the day.

Enter now at www.joinourcore.com.

1. Think out-side the box
As overstated as this may sound, it is often forgotten, everyone follows norms but creative people make the norms and so have the right to break them too. It is important to always try new things and be exploitative with yourself  to realize how your emotions react to new situations. It often results in quite a stimulating feeling which motivates you to excel leading to an inspiring you in every way. How about booking a sky-diving trip with your friends today ?

2. Explore the World
The most literate people are the ones who dared to travel. Travelling is an experience which opens your mind to new environments, it develops a greater understanding of the surroundings around you and helps you cultivate a vivid idea of who you want to become and how you want to reach there. Its always a great ideas to take friends along for a good laugh and find what you admire the most outside your city. How about booking a visit to Barcelona?

3. Expose your self to Art
Museums, theaters, concerts, dances are all great inspirations. The admiration you develop from looking at other peoples work allows you to push yourself to working harder in achieving what you want to and leading you to the bright lights of success and completion.

4. Start cooking food at home
Cooking is a creative art of its own, it is relaxing as well as entertaining. Often healthy home cooked food can improve your moods and help you develop a healthy diet. Cooking not only allows you to be creative but gives you the feeling of completion as you finally sit and enjoy your meal with an elegant glass of wine and great friends.

5. Free yourself
If you depend on your computer, iPod, iPad, Mp3 player for creativity your looking in the wrong direction, meditation is what you should really be focusing on. Gadgets indeed do stimulate your thoughts but meditation relaxes and opens your thoughts. Try to spending 20 minutes of your time everyday in meditation finding yourself and freeing your mind from every attachment on your table.

Image Source: randomlyhappytoday blog

The Lloyds Banking Group has announced that its Social Entrepreneurship programme is open for applications.

The programme aims to support individuals and organisations with project ideas to improve local communities. The programme provides two levels of support. New organisations or projects at an early stage can apply for funding of up to £4,000 as well as one year of training and development. Established organisations that are looking to scale up their projects can apply for funding of up to £15,000 and one year of training.

Previous projects supported include:

A community micro-brewery employing the elderly
Yoga classes aimed at vulnerable young parents
A scheme designed to assist ex-offenders returning to work.

Deadline for applications: 3pm, Tuesday 2 April 2013.

Indeed, the “art” of business has become more important as the “science” grows ubiquitous. As Big Data and sophisticated analytical tools allow us to make our processes more efficient, intuition and creativity are fast becoming the only differentiating factors among competitors. Like any “soft asset,” these qualities cannot be exploited, only explored. And like artists, innovators must cultivate creative habits to see the world afresh and create something new.

How do artists think and behave? Here are 12 traits that any individual who aspires to make his or her mark on the world should emulate:

1. Artists are “neophiles.” They are in love with novelty and have an insatiable appetite for finding and creating new connections, for inventing and reinventing, even themselves. Art means changing the meaning of things or creating new meanings. That’s exactly what innovation is all about.

2. Artists are humanists. They are experts of the “human condition” and observe human desires, needs, emotions, and behavior with a sharp, discerning eye and a high degree of empathy. They can feel with and for others, which should be every innovator’s distinct strength as well.

3. Artists are craftspeople. They “think by making” and unite the “hand and the head,” as sociologist Richard Sennett describes it. It has both a physical dimension (exhibiting mastery in craftsmanship) and a meta-physical dimension (connecting a new product, service, or business model with the broader zeitgeist and cultural climate). Nike’s Fuelband, for example, integrates software and hardware, and is an expression of our society’s growing demand for self-managed, preventive healthcare.

4. Artists are like children. ”Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up,” Pablo Picasso famously said. Artists retain a child’s unique sense of possibility and wonder. Innovators should, too. It may sound paradoxical, but innovations are always nostalgic.The most meaningful of them, although seemingly all about novelty and the future, reconnect us with a basic human quest or even our childhood dreams (think of the iPhone and our desire to touch, or sharing sites such as Facebook or Pinterest, which cater to our innate urge to share).

5. Artists rely on their intuition. It may seem counter-intuitive, but intuition is ever more important in the age of Big Data, because it is the only feature that is faster and deeper than the massive flow of real-time information. Nothing comes close to intuition as innovators seek to anticipate trends and make decisions swiftly.

6. Artists are comfortable with ambiguity. By design, they often deal with things that are not measurable and can’t be easily quantified. Innovators, too, should value what may not be easily captured in quantitative terms. In stark contrast to more mechanistic models of management, they must be able to tolerate uncertainty and open-ended questions.

7. Artists are holistic, interdisciplinary thinkers. Artists can connect dots and take things out of their original context. Likewise, innovators contextualize and re-contextualize, mash up and remix, and embrace new insights and ideas that lead to unexpected, unlikely, and often serendipitous conclusions (among the most famous examples of such “accidental innovations” are the pacemaker or 3M’s (MMM) post-it notes).

8. Artists thrive under constraints. They often have to work within very structured formats and meet scarce resources with ingenuity. In fact, these constraints might even stimulate their creativity. Inspired by the phenomenon of Jugaad in India, innovation gurus like Navi Radjou have popularized and globalized the concept of “frugal innovation” (e.g. the mobile SMS disaster response platform Ushahidi or the portable “roll-on” hospital hand-sanitizers SwipeSense). Frugal innovation has become the new hallmark for the art of creating maximum value with minimal resources.

9. Artists are great storytellers. They tell a story with their art but also often tell the story of their art. The same holds true for meaningful innovations. Great innovators design experiences that spark conversation. Just look at ideas funded on Kickstarter: The product is also the story of the product.

10. Artists are conduits and not “masters of the universe.” Most artists – painters, sculptors, writers, filmmakers, or musicians – will admit that they derive their inspiration from a spiritual sphere that goes beyond their individual creativity and skills. This applies to innovators, too. Whether they’re spiritual or not, humility suits them well as the social web and its wave of crowd-based collaborations have rendered the myth of the lone genius obsolete.

11. Artists are passionate about their work. In fact, their work and life are impossible to separate. That doesn’t mean that innovators need to be workaholics, but they should base their ideas on deep beliefs. Innovation is a leap of faith, and innovators need to be believers. Like artists, they will often face rejection, but if an idea is not worth fighting for, it might not have been the right one in the first place.

12. Artists are contrarians. Artists can see the “cracks through which the light gets in,” as the old adage goes. Likewise, great innovators come up with solutions to problems because they see what is missing. They are eccentric, which means they literally view things from the fringes. Both artists and innovators see the world as it could be. They look upon our world, as Proust would say, with “fresh eyes.” You might also call that vision. They are always “initially wrong” to be “ultimately right” as Kathryn Schultz wrote in her book, Being Wrong.

Like art, true innovation has the potential to make our lives better. It connects and reconnects us with deeply held truths and fundamental human desires; meets complexity with simple, elegant solutions; and rewards risk-taking and vulnerability.

However, businesses must refrain from designing innovation as a mere process. That is perhaps the golden rule that artists and innovators have in common: new ideas of worth will only come to those who allow ample space and time for those new ideas to develop in the first place.

(Article by Tim Leberecht)
Source: CNNmoney
Image Source: Andy Worhol.

23^rd and 24^th March | Somerset House, London|

The beautiful embankment galleries at Somerset House will be transformed into a totally unique marketplace showcasing over 100 rising creative talents and industry stalls, running alongside an inspiring professional development talks series hosted by some of the brightest minds in the UK as well as a creative skills workshop programme.

Advanced tickets can be booked now at a discounted rate of £5 for adults and £3 concession on our website www.thestartupshowcase.com

SPEAKERS INCLUDE: Michael Jacobsen, Patricia Van den Akker, Sophie Cornish and other leading industry experts.

WORKSHOPS INCLUDE: Millinary, Activating your Business Mind, The Art of Perfumery,  Speed Portfolio Reviewing, Crafting Raw Chocolate and much more…

Tickets

Advanced general admission tickets can be booked now at a discounted rate of £5 for adults and £3 concession on our website www.thestartupshowcase.com or on the day for £7 for adults, £5 concession or £12 two day ticket.

Workshops:

Some workshops require tickets, which can be booked online atwww.thestartupshowcase.com

• Differentiation: Build a Good Company, Consciously- Pamela Ravasio |  10-10.45am Saturday 23^rd March
• Creative Collaboration: Do-Er not Doormat and Other Teamwork Tips- Alison Coward |11-11.45am Saturday 23rd March
• Activating Your Business Mind- Araceli Camargo |12-12.45pm Saturday 23^rdMarch
• A Day at the Races: Millinery Workshop- Rachel Drewer |1-1.45pm Saturday 23^rd March
• Speed Portfolio Review Session- Alex Brownless |2-2.50pm Saturday 23^rdMarch
• The Art of Perfumery- Jamal |3-3.45pm Saturday 23^rd March and 2-3pm Sunday 24^th March
• The Truth about the £5 Bottle of Wine- Helen MacFarlane |4-4.30pm Saturday 23^rd March and 4.30-5pm Sunday 24^th March
• Raw Chocolate Masterclass- Sarah Lantry |5-6pm Saturday 23^rd March and 3.30-4.30pm Sunday 24^th March
• Break Your Creative Idea Down and Build A Crowdfunding Campaign- Tarkan Ahmet |11-12pm Sunday 24^th March
• Frillybylilly Jewellery Making Workshop- Lily Mcallin |12.30-1.30pm Sunday 24^th March

Self -confidence dips are moments that are completely normal and if you don’t go through them you wouldn’t be human enough. There are various phases that occur while running your own business, the level of responsibility is higher and clients may behavior in a manner which can completely knock down your confidence. Criticism is always a factor which pricks the sensitive thoughts and makes you rethink whether what your doing is right or not.

So how do you beat all the self-doubt that builds up when your freelancing? Here are a few tips that can aid in beating down the fear of failure.

The Big Secret:
Richard-Branson, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Isaac Newton all had one thing in common; they all didn’t know what they were doing. Well of course not completely but they sure weren’t aware of everything. No matter how advance anyone is in a specific field the learning process never ends. Everyone makes mistakes and that is what motivates them to strive higher and for better. Don;t over power yourself if you don’t have a clear structure of what you are creating, let the dots join themselves.

Power= Knowledge:
If you think your not good enough and that is where your self-doubt is kicking in from, beat it!. Always try to keep learning new skills because the more your educate yourself, the better your will tackle situations within an odd climate. Hold your knowledge to your power.

Say goodbye to your Comfort Zone:
Its quite easy to get use to a habitat but it is very hard to grow within it because the surroundings are so predictable, force yourself to step out of your comfort zone say yes to where you would usually say no, and no to where you would usually say yes. Consider pushing yourself forward and you would end up surprising yourself with what you can achieve. This will help build your confidence and tackle  problems your never really had like fearing failure.

Sing & Dance on your Talents
Our ears are quite open to criticism which we can spend hours thinking over but what our ears should really be looking for is appreciation and praise. Believe in praises and use them as your strengths to build upon. Embrace the talents and celebrate them by acknowledging the obstacles you overcame to where you stand today.

Inspire your self
Often we feel over burdened with all the responsibilities we have which creates the self-doubt demons. Instead remind yourself to appreciate successful people, read their stories and learn from how they tackled their problems and never gave up but fought till their success was acknowledged.  Every successful person goes through their own chapters of self doubt, struggles and hardships but success only comes to those who work hard looking for it.

If  you still think your in moments of self-doubt, don’t over burden your brain let the paths you look for find you. Be the best in your eyes and everyone else will see it one way or another. Consider the worst possible outcome; failure is what brings you back stronger and more confident !

Source: CreativeBoom
Image Source: dankrall.blogspot 

Meet the Mentors

The Network is now in its third year and we have found business mentoring can benefit creative companies in a number of ways:

• improve business planning
• encourage better communication
• improve financial management
• improve decision making
• increase confidence
• identify new markets

Together with our partners Nesta is launching another cohort of the Creative Business Mentor Network. Creative companies that meet our eligibility criteria can register there interest here for the chance to work with the industry’s most successful business leaders.

As part of the Network you will receive;

• One-to-one business mentoring in the form of ten, two-hour sessions over a 6-12 month period.
• An induction workshop at the start of the programme to get the most out of your mentoring sessions.
• Workshops and events designed to meet other members of  the Network
• Coaching support – in addition to mentoring support mentees will have access to an executive coach.

Criteria for applications in Spring 2013:

• Applications must be made via our website
• Registered company in the UK for 2 years.
• Established company working within one or more of these sectors: Advertising, Film, TV, Digital Media, Games.

Do you want to stand out from the other applicants? If so, you will have the option at application stage to submit a two minute video describing who you are, what you do and why you are interested in mentoring alongside your application form.

PLEASE NOTE: If successful, companies will be required to pay a fee of admin £200. If this page and associated content haven’t answered your queries, please contact us at: cbmn@nesta.org.uk

http://www.nesta.org.uk/areas_of_work/creative_economy/creative_business_mentor_network

The Bakery matches innovative technology start-ups with the global marketing muscle of the biggest brands and their agencies. They have up to $500,000 worth of contracts to award to the 10 best start-ups who get chosen for their first programme in Spring 2013!

How does The Bakery bake ?

1- You apply

2- Pitch your technology to enterprises at a speed pitching session

3- The enterprises pick their favorites

4- The favorites get a full brief and a budget of up to £50,000

5- The candidate receives 8 weeks to develop the technology for the brand’s needs and with agencies, develops a ‘go to market strategy’

6- The candidate then pitches the completed technology at the Bakery demo day in front of everyone

7- Finally if the candidate meets the criteria of the brief by the demo day they get a trial market with the enterprises customer base.

Other benefits from The Bakery:

• Direct commercial relationships with any of the enterprises in our accelerator
• Sales and Marketing coaching
• A full Mentor programme with legal, accounting, IP, patent, and growth support
• Access to future investment if required
• Huge flow of other enterprises to sell to
• Access to a wider channel to market via our agency partners
• Free workspace in Tech City during the programme, low cost thereafter if required
• Links to our other partners (see partner page)

An intensive 6-week summer acting course for performers and technical course for emerging theatre technicians, stage managers and producers aged 18-25 launched by the National Youth Theatre culminating in a high production-value show to an invited industry audience.

The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) have launched a brand new practical course designed to equip the best young performance and production talent with the skills and knowledge they need to enter the theatre industry.

NYT are looking for 100 talented 18-25-year-olds to take part in this first ever Epic Stages course this summer, which will be divided into a performance strand and a production strand. Both routes will cover all elements of the industry with an emphasis on preparing students to
make and stage their own professional work.

Epic Stages will culminate in participants spending two weeks at The Backstage Centre, the National Skills Academy for Creative & Culture’s new world-class production venue in Purfleet. Utilising these state-of-the-art facilities, they will stage and perform a high  production-value show to an invited industry audience.

Over six intensive weeks the Epic Stages course will offer creative and professional development, with skills-based sessions.

For more information and to apply please click on the below:

Apply here for the Performance Strand (Acting Auditions)

Apply here for the Production Strand (Production/Technical Interviews)

Limited Spaces Available – Audition and Interview for entry. Deadline: March 15th 2013

Course Dates: Monday 22nd July 2013 – Saturday 31st August 2013

Course Cost: £2,000

Please read the terms and conditions before booking your audition.

Email epicstages@nyt.org.uk if you have any enquiries.

The National Youth Theatre has been producing ground breaking theatre since 1956. In 2012 we were commissioned to create the first theatrical Team Welcome Ceremonies in Olympic and Paralympic history. In recent years we’ve also created pioneering work at venues
including: the Old Vic Tunnels, Europe’s biggest social housing building, the National Theatre, Battersea Power Station, the Shanghai World Expo, the Unicorn Theatre, the FIFA Club World Cup, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Closing Ceremony, the Soho Theatre and the National Centre for Performing Arts in Beijing.

We’ve commissioned and performed work by leading writers including James Graham, Tom Stoppard, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Sarah Solemani, Moira Buffini, Stella Duffy and Mark Ravenhill. We’ve also collaborated with theatre-makers at Kneehigh, the National Theatre,
Cheek by Jowl, Bristol Old Vic Theatre and Phoenix Dance Company. Our world renowned alumni include actors: Helen Mirren, Daniel Craig, Derek Jacobi,

Catherine Tate, Matt Smith and Sarah Solemani, directors: Michael Grandage and Matthew Warchus, fashion designer Gareth Pugh, producer Bill Kenwright and broadcasters Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Jamie Theakston.

Graduates from our technical training have gone on to work on leading shows in the West End and around the world, from the National Theatre’s Warhorse to the RSC’s LesMisérables.

Have a gander at his work here.

With no time or space for sloppiness, how can you insure your proposal is the best from the bunch and wins you that project? You have to stand out. There are many ways to stand out from the crowd and be the chosen one for a job. Here are a few tips on how to write your killer proposal.

1. Get a nice design
Its definitely worth getting some cash and investing it into getting a graphic designer to help you design a template proposal to match your branding. Keeping it easy to edit for your self and save a PDF.  This will add a touch of professionalism.

2. Keep things bespoke
Having obtained a template and saved a PDF should not mean you can use the same template proposal to vaguely suit each new client. By treating each new proposal as a new beginning the efforts put in will be more visible and increase your chances of reward winning work.

3. Do lots of research
It is very important to do your homework before you end up being sent back home empty handed. Research in as much depth as you can, find out about the prospective clients strengths and weaknesses, develop original ideas, that would help  improve their portfolio and make a vivid difference.

4. Include what is important
Proposals are not just about outlining the work involved but its all about selling yourself in the most glamorous way possible . Develop a format for your proposal by starting with an ‘introduction’ highlighting your positive skills, strengths and expertise.  Having carried out your research write up a concise and powerful ‘project overview’ this would provide an insight into your knowledge and determination to help your prospective client. Last but not the least generously present your ideas in a ‘recommendations’ section, suggesting things that the client may not have considered, showing them bold expressions within your expertise.

5. Be honest
Be ethical and do not make promises you can’t keep as it will only come back to haunt you, leading to only one direction- unhappy clients in the future.

6. Money catch
After having taken the opportunity to sell yourself , reveal how much things will cost. Simply write ‘ The cost will be £X. This includes all necessary work outlines in this proposal.” Having done so it is a good time to mention the payment terms to keep the air clean.

7. Set timescales
Outline the duration the project would take while considering the client’s expectations and additional requirements.

8. Final checklist
Review your work by checking spellings, grammar, layout of text. Give a thought after your review incase you have missed out on anything. Keep things relaxed and be open to discussions and alterations encouraging your client to contact you for any further questions.

Finally say goodbye with a firm handshake !

Best of luck !

Source: Creativeboom
Image by: Jeremy Bruneel

Inside Trends: Retail Trends in Fashion

Aiming at fashion designers and businesses, find out what is happening in the fashion retail sector. From online shopping and mobile shopping to customization and high street trends. In partnership with Insider Trends.

It includes an overview of the trends that will shape the sector over the next few years, what will matter to your customers and ideas and examples of how to turn these trends into opportunities for your fashion business.  It will also take inspiration from other sectors.

The session will include:

• An overview of the trends that will shape multi-channel fashion retailing in the near future. What’s coming next, and where will the best opportunities be?
• Ideas and examples of how to turn these trends into profitable opportunities.
• Examples of cutting-edge fashion businesses leading the way – what they’re doing, how it works and why it works.
• Specific and practical tools and techniques you can use to get ahead of your competitors.
• Transferable ideas from other industries that could be the key inspiration for yours.
• An information pack to take away covering the key topics and tools covered.
• Discussion session.

Date & Time: Fri 1 Mar 2013, 10:00-12:00 

At: British Library Business & IP Centre

Ticket Price: £15

Click here for booking and more information.

LATE at the Library: Fashion Flashback

Dress as creatively as you dare at this sumptuous fashion party. To the sounds of legendary DJ Princess Julia and Jeffrey Hinton, the night will feature fashion shows with a twist, demonstrations by collectors, inspiring workshops, costume drawing, pop-up stalls and talks by GQ editor-in-chief Dylan Jones, fashion illustrator Tanya Ling, fashion academic Iain R Webb and writer Camilla Morton.

Get a make-over with leading make-up brand Chantecaille, style yourself in our photo booth, and have your portrait drawn by a Central Saint Martins fashion illustrator.

Date & Time: Fri 1 Mar 2013, 19.30-22.30

20.00 – 20.45     Dylan Jones and Tanya Ling
21.30 – 22.15     Iain R Webb and Camilla Morto

At: Entrance Hall, British Library

Ticket Price: £7.50 / £5 concessions

Book ahead to secure your place at one of the talks during our LATE by emailing your name and the talk(s) you would like to attend to springfestival@bl.uk

Click here for booking and more information.

Future shorts Festival + Sound Edit: Wildlife Screening

Watch the latest program of award winning shorts from the Future Shorts Festival including the winner of the Grand jury Prize at 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Fishy without Nets. Also see the winning film from the library’s ‘Sound edit’ competition.

Date & Time: Sat 2 Mar 2013, 15.00-17.00

At: Conference Centre, British Library

Ticket Price: £5 / £3 concessions

Click here for booking and more information.

Market: Made with the British Library

 Buy the products of the designers and makers who have created new products inspired by the Library’s collections and commercialized them with the help of the library’s Business & IP Centre. Designers use the collections, from zines to photographs, to create new product ranges and the Business & IP Centre to commercialize and protect their ideas.

Date & Time: Mon 4 Mar 2013, 09.30-17.30

At: Piazza, British Library

Ticket Price: Free

Click here for more information.

Lunchtime talk: Meet Fashion Illustrator Julie Verhoeven

Julie Verhoeven is a leading fashion illustrator, artist, designer and filmmaker. Her formal training was in fashion, and she has collaborated internationally with labels including Louis Vuitton, Versace, H&M, Mulberry, MAC and Melissa, as well as musicians Primal Scream, Graham Coxon and Fisherspooner. In 2002 she launched her fashion label Gibo by Julie Verhoeven. She has exhibited internationally since 2002, with solo shows in London, The Netherlands, Brussels and Cologne.  Julie will talk about how she came up with the piece and about her career to date. There will also be a chance to ask questions.

Date & Time: Mon 4 Mar 2013, 11.00-12.00

At: Conference Centre, British Library

Ticket Price: £5 / £3 concessions

Click here for booking and more information.

The Folio Society: Illustrating Books

Classic texts adorned with superb illustrations are as popular as ever. At this event, three artists who have brought to life books for The Folio Society – leading publishers of special editions – talk about the process of visualising stories and creating the images that match and enhance them.

The event will be chaired by BBC arts editor Will Gompertz. Will has been BBC arts editor since 2009. Before that, he was a director at the Tate Gallery for seven years, where he was responsible for the award-winning Tate Online, the UK’s most popular art website. He was voted one of the world’s top 50 creative thinkers by the New York-based Creativity Magazine.

Date & Time: Tue 5 Mar 2013, 18.30-21.00

At: Conference Centre, British Library

Ticket Price: £7.50 / £5 concessions

Click here for booking and more information.

Lunchtime talk: Meet our Jewellery Designer in Residence

Sarah Warsop has spent the last six months delving into our collections to research music, notation, drawing, sound and multimedia content around the theme of mark making. A choreographer, dancer and designer by trade, she has been inspired by 1960s experimental music notation to create her new range.

Date & Time: Tue 5 Mar 2013, 13.00-14.00

At: British Library Business & IP Centre

Ticket Price: £5 / £3 concessions

Click here for booking and more information.

Display: Encounters between Art and Science

Reflecting the cross-disciplinary nature of the British Library as an institution that spans the arts and sciences, we will host an exhibition created by artists on the Art and Science MA programme at Central St Martins and inspired by the Library and its science collections.  Addressing all who all who visit, research and work here, their artistic interventions installed across our public spaces highlight how science and art have more in common than may seem apparent. 

Date & Time: Mon 25 Feb 2013 – Sun 24 Mar 2013, 09.30 – 17.00

At: Directed by a map, available from the Information Desk and other spots across the Library, you can navigate the public spaces to encounter these thought provoking artworks.

Ticket Price: Free

Click here for more information.

Source: British Library

Register here: http://openhub.eventbrite.co.uk

Open HUB is a weekly event designed to convene the regular meeting & connection between HUB members, entrepreneurs, start ups & all those supporting the realisation of great ideas. Join us for an informal semi-organised  evening. Bring challenges & ideas to discuss, hear interesting people speak, and have a drink & bite to eat.

Got a great design product that you can batch produce? Then this brief has your name all over it. We’re joining forces with BOXPARK Shoreditch – the world’s first pop-up shopping mall – to create an IdeasTap pop-up shop.

BOXPARK are handing over one of their retail units to us from Monday 25 to Sunday 31 March. We want to create an eclectic, design-led pop-up shop to give our members a platform to sell commercially appealing design products, at inexpensive prices. The shop will be IdeasTap-branded and kitted it out with display units to ensure products are well presented. Best of all, you get to keep 100% of all the sales you make! Interested? Find out more and apply atwww.ideastap.com/briefs

On the 3rd Thursday of each month they will be opening the Hive doors to invite in a Swarm of business owners, freelancers, start-ups and students to spend some time working from the same location to find out where the common ground lies.

- Cafe format workstations (just bring your laptop)

- Tables themed by area of business interest

- Free wi-fi and hot/cold beverages throughout the day

- Discussion, support and advice

Just by working from the same location, sharing ideas over a coffee or discussing the latest trends in technology and economics, we will uncover opportunities to work together, collaborate and support each others’ business growth.

The next get together is on Thursday 21st February and make it a regular feature in your schedule – looking forward to saying hello!

http://skills-hive-swarm-greenwich-feb.eventbrite.co.uk/

Click here for more info

The event will take place on Wednesday 20 February at 5pm at The Hospital Club in Covent Garden, London, and will focus on connecting leading TV companies with talented digital innovators, within a ‘speed dating’ style format. This is an IC tomorrow initiative to encourage and explore the emerging opportunities around multi-screen and the dynamics between programme maker, device, broadcaster and audience through innovative applications or services.

This will be an opportunity to gain valuable exposure for your business by meeting and speed pitching to noteworthy individuals from some of the UK’s premier TV production, platform and broadcasting companies including MTV Networks UK, BBC, Virgin Media, Decipher, Maverick TV and many more.

The venue for the event is The Hospital Club, a hub in Covent Garden offering the creative community the environment and facilities they need to create, connect and collaborate. This IC tomorrow event is in association with Robot Corp, a new type of investment company that invests its creative, marketing, product and technology skills in pre-seed businesses in return for equity.

Benefits & Rules of the Game

This is an exclusive speed networking event where successful applicants will be given the chance to network with some of the UK’s leaders in the TV industry. Digital innovator attendees will rotate around the room, with strictly five minutes within which to have a one-to-one conversation or pitch to each TV industry representative. If you are selected, please arrive in good time as the activity starts at 5pm sharp! There will be refreshments and networking opportunities throughout the evening.

Key Dates

Event Details

Wednesday 20 February, 2013 at 5pm

The Hospital Club, 4 Endell Street, London, WC2H 9HQ

Apply Now!

To apply for this opportunity, please fill out this online application form by 1pm on Tuesday 5 February 2013. In order to see the application form you need to register for _connect and join the IC tomorrow network by clicking the “join this network” button at the top of this page.

Need Help?

Contact the IC tomorrow team:

Helpline: 0300 321 4358 (Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm)

Email: support@ictomorrow.co.uk

The Hospital Club, 4 Endell Street, London, WC2H 9HQ Wednesday 20 February, 2013 at 5pm

Summary

Source: Artquest

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

You only need to attend one Workshop – and, in that time, you’ll learn…

Small business expert and author Emma Jones is your trainer, and you’ll be joined by other aspiring entrepreneurs to learn how to turn your idea into a business.

USE THE CODE ‘STUDENT’ to receive £5 off the ticket price! Exclusive to the NACUE Create community! 

Even if you’ve already started you’ll learn something new at a Startup Workshop!

“Just had to write to say how much we both enjoyed StartUp Saturday - looking forward to putting all the info to use! We have made a start at overcoming our ‘Techno-phobia’ and have registered with Twitter and now have a fab new Facebook page… We have recommended the course to anyone who will listen (and probably a few who didn’t want to!) and have been feeling very motivated to get our fledgling company started since the StartUp Saturday. Thank you so much!”
Karen & Lorraine, Gemini Bakery

“I thought StartUp Saturday was pitched at an excellent level and found the advice incredibly useful, particularly for me at such an early stage in my business.”
Iain Niblock, Logan Cycle Wear

“Many thanks for a fabulous Saturday! I really found the content was very useful as it was not the ‘theory’ but was full of examples and very useful tips, and of course great energy from tutor Emma Jones.”
Monica Millares

IN ASSOCIATION WITH IKEA BUSINESS LONDON

IKEA is launching a special loyalty programme for small businesses, supported by personalised service in store. Join the programme at a Startup Workshop and get your attendance fee refunded to an IKEA gift card, which you can spend in store.

Cr8net is a one-day conference for the creative industries, bringing together industry practitioners, policy makers and businesses. This year, Cr8net will be held at the innovative Village Underground (in ‘Tech City’) on 24th April 2013.

“Cr8net is a high visibility platform for leaders in the creative and cultural sector to debate the state of the industry, to highlight opportunities, to face down challenges and to offer resolutions: creative minds supporting creative minds”. Toks Majek-Akisanya, CIDA’s CEO.

One of the keynote speakers will be Ed Vaizey MP (Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries) who will be joined by Alison Wenham (CEO, Association of Independent Music) and Eze Vidra (Head of Google Campus) amongst others. Cr8net delegates come from across the country and some from further afield. Cr8net is now an essential date in the diary for a creative and cultural ‘state of the industry’ discussion.

Confirmed speakers so far include:

• Ed Vaizey (Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries)
• Eze Vidra (Google)
• Pauline Tambling (Creative and Cultural Skills)
• Mary-Alice Stack (ArtCo/Arts Council England)
• Nancy Groves (The Guardian Culture Professionals Network)
• Alison Wenham (Association of Independent Music)
• David Parrish (Author of ‘T-Shirts and Suits: A Guide to the Business of Creativity’)
• Andrew Senior (Creative Consultant, formerly of The British Council)
• Charmaine Hayden (Founder ‘Face 4 Music’, graduate of CIDA’s Digital Women’s Club)

“Cr8net is our flagship yearly conference which we have crafted to suit CEO’s, Politicians, Directors, Senior Management, and all decision makers in the Creative Industries” Toks Majek-Akisanya, CEO, CIDA

Cr8net is the brainchild of CIDA, the Cultural Industries Development Agency, the leading specialist support organisation for the grassroots creative and cultural sector in London.

Tickets are on sale now, and the Early Bird ticket price is just £175 (full price £275) – get yours now! There are also a range of special priced tickets available for 2013.

You can book your ticket by visiting the Cr8net website, emailing cr8net@cida.co.uk or by calling 020 7247 4710.

Cr8net 2013 is proud to be MEDIA PARTNERS with:

-Guardian Professional- culture professionals network

-Own It- Intellectual Property Advice for the Creative Sector

-CreativeTimes.co.uk

-Academy Class

-New Media No

-British Library

www.cr8net.com / cr8net@cida.co.uk / 020 7247 4710 / @cr8net