Sunday, September 5, 2010

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

I am coordinating a new series of Professional Development seminars and workshops for craft and design at Craft in the Bay, Cardiff.  There will be one event per month, with the first this September 17th. This programme has been possible with the suport of the Arts Council of Wales.

Below are details for the first four workshops.  Places are going quickly, so if you are interested in attending, please book very soon.


September 17th 2010 – the seed factory: germinating and cultivating new ideas, with Angela Gidden MBE


11am – 4.30pm

A workshop where we squeeze the fresh and the best commercial ideas out of the crazy ones!



the seed factory is where you Imagine, Discover, Define, Germinate, Cultivate and Yield fresh ideas; it’s about inspiring unlimited creative-thinking; it’s where we encourage you to un-tap unique seeds of ideas mixing the best ideas and ingredients into your creative business.

We want you to bring an empty box of your favourite cereal……& no revealing to anyone!

The Seed Factory is designed and created by attic 2, The Future-Thinking Creative Consultancy © 2010



An inspiring and thought provoking day to indulge in new ways of creative thinking. Want to push your practice into a new direction? Need a prompt to explore the ideas that you just haven’t found time for yet? Want to surprise yourself? Then this is the perfect workshop for you.

This is an amazing opportunity to attend a workshop with Angela Gidden. She is one of Wales' leading designers and is also owner and Director of two companies, attic 2 Design Studio and Nomad & Nest online eco-lifestyle brand, with UK and international clients including Liberty, The Conran Shop and Heals.

Amongst many accolades, Angela was the winner of Welsh Woman of the Year in 1997 and was awarded an MBE for services to business in 2007. She has established herself as a key advocate for the creative industries in the UK and in her work as an entrepreneur role model is committed to inspiring and motivating individuals, companies and organisations.

She is a passionate believer of the power of creative thinking in everyday life and is known for her dynamic and unique style of presentation that won’t fail to have you inspired.

What to bring: an empty box of your favourite cereal, a pen/pencil and an open mind!

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


October 23rd 2010 – Craft Photography with Toril Brancher


11am – 4.30pm

Are you aware that your photographs are not showing your work to its very best potential? Want to create more eye catching photographs to attract press coverage? Want to learn how to get the very best out of your digital camera?

This one day workshop with notable photographer Toril Brancher will begin with an analysis of what makes a successful photograph, what the common errors are and how to take striking photographs with minimal periphery equipment. This will lead into a practical photography session where you will apply the theory to photographing one of your craft objects.

Toril Brancher is an established documentary and craft photographer, as well as a regular photography tutor with Ffotogallery in Cardiff. Recent significant commissions in the craft sector include studio photographs for the Porcelain: Ritual and Process exhibition and catalogue photography for Warp + Weft, a major touring exhibition of contemporary woven textiles.

What to bring: your digital camera and connecting lead to view your images on a PC; a piece of your work that you’d like to photograph; notebook and pen.

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




8th November 2010 – Internet Strategy for Craftspeople with Pete Mosley


11am – 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 (really simple syndication) & social bookmarking

• The use of Google Analytics to measure traffic

• Keyword testing techniques

• Getting visible on Google and other search engines.

• Facebook & Twitter

• Flickr & You Tube

• 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 1200 in the space of 3 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 will be copied to everyone’s laptop. This will enable you to do elements of the workshop on your computer. If you don’t have a laptop, please still register your interest and hopefully we can pair you with another delegate. Also bring a pen and paper to make any further notes.

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



6th December 2010 – Press coverage for crafts with Angie Boyer, Editor of Craft & Design magazine and Nicola Wilkes, interior design journalist, Western Mail columnist and editor of Wales at Home.


11-1pm

This workshop is designed to give you an insight into what the press is looking for from craftspeople: how to generate press interest, the “dos and don’ts” of writing and sending out your press releases and the kind of photographs publications are looking for.

Angie Boyer is the founder and editor of craft & design magazine. She will be sharing the benefit of her experiences working with craftspeople for over 25 years and giving you an insight into how catch her eye for press coverage.

Nicola Wilkes is a respected interior design journalist, columnist for the Western Mail, editor of lifestyle magazine and directory, Wales at Home, and freelance PR consultant. She will present ‘The Infectious Effect: how to make the media work for you’ which will offer valuable tips and insights to creative crafts professionals on how get to market with the help of the media.

Cost: £20 for non members, £18 for members and friends of the Makers Guild in Wales



Coming next year:

• Writing skills: help and advice writing copy for your website, press releases, artists statements and CV’s

• Applying for and managing public art commissions

• Sales techniques

• Computer Aided Design

• Moving into retail: insights from various craftspeople who run galleries and shops alongside their craft practice

• Marketing and branding

• Teaching skills: an introduction to how to planning and running craft workshops; being a community artist or an artist in residence

• ..... and more!



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

For queries please contact the programme coordinator, Laura Thomas, cpd@makersguildinwales.org.uk or on 02920 455 275

No comments: