Mary Carty

For the past few months I’ve been working on developing a creative entrepreneurship course using lean startup principles. Artists and creatives, like many other industries around the globe, are finding times tough. The landscape of arts funding has changed significantly and the age of grants, scholarships and annual funding is becoming a distant memory.

Many creatives are looking at new ways to develop and sustain their practice; to build community and to find new markets. Arts like startups in other words.

In taking this approach new opportunities arise, not least because this change in thinking brings the focus back to the creator – a do-it -yourself mentality, not relying solely on a gatekeeper to advance your career or put a value on what you do.

With this change of focus, coupled with lean startup principles (build, measure, learn) artists can explore new methods of working, test their assumptions and validate their ideas quickly, without costing huge amounts of money and time.

I firmly believe that the next wave of entrepreneurship will emerge from artists and creatives, flexing their creative, innovative muscle bringing with them new products and solutions.

I’m very exited that my first arts entrepreneurship course, hosted by Visual Arts Ireland and The Craft Council of Ireland, is fully booked out.

I’m looking forward to working with all the artists and craft makers on the day, devising new ways of working, validating their market, building community and sustaining their practice. This is going to be a game-changing afternoon. Thanks once again to Monica and Emer for the invitation to present.