by Cath Pilling
Welcome to this first blog post of the 2019/20 round of WebinArt. We are one month into the programme, and what a great first month it’s been!
We kicked off the programme with a fantastic and insightful free seminar on all aspects of fundraising, made possible with grant funding from Arts, Fundraising and Philanthropy. Guest experts Esther Hartas and Katies Holmes spoke about fundraising regulation, ethical fundraising and establishing fundraising partnerships. We also had the pleasure of introducing John Holmes, Managing Director of Advantage Creative, who covered fundraising in a world of new ideas and technology including crowdfunding, using platforms such as Patreon and fundraising as advance sales. Snippets from the day were live-streamed to our Facebook page and we had some great comments and interaction with our live digital audience.
The day ended with our first informal get-together of our new mentors and members. It was great to meet so many passionate individuals and to bring together local up-and-coming diverse creative talent. Leicestershire is most definitely a county rich in creativity and love for the arts!
Online Workshop 1: ‘Spread the Word: The World’s Simplest Marketing Plan’
Later in March we welcomed freelance copywriter and brand storyteller Martha Moger, a.k.a. The Stitch Writer, to kick off the webinars of the programme with her brilliantly motivational online workshop – ‘Spread the Word: The World’s Simplest Marketing Plan’. In Martha’s words – “You can make the most beautiful product in the world, but it no one has heard of it, you’ll never sell it!” Her webinar keeps things super simple, helping people to work out what their message is, the options they have to get it out there, and how to do it consistently.
We had great feedback on her webinar, which is available on our YouTube Channel now – Watch ‘Spread the Word: The World’s Simplest Marketing Plan’
Lead Artist Interview: Jo Fairfax
We were very excited to hold our first live Facebook interview of the programme with artist Jo Fairfax. Jo is a Leicestershire-based multidisciplinary artist whose design ethos is to create holistic work where every detail is important. He extracts current technological principles and weaves them into his projects, bringing a sense of the human touch to wonderful technology. Interviewed in his studio by James Burkmar from LCB Depot, Jo gave us such an inspiring insight into his work, life and creativity. The interview is now available to watch HERE.
Most members have now had their first meetings with their mentors – Great work guys! We’ve heard some wonderful things about the meetings (looks like lots of cake has been consumed!) and look forward to hearing more about how everyone is developing their businesses and progressing on their entrepreneurial journeys. It’s an exciting time!
What’s happening next?
Next-up in the programme, we will be welcoming finance expert Mahmood Reza from ProActive Resolutions to deliver our second online workshop – ‘Work it Out: Pricing Your Creative Business’. Alongside his talents in translating, sharing and applying the world of accounting and enterprise to all types and sizes of business, Mahmood is a Trustee and Ambassador for The Spark Arts for Children and Great Central Railway, and a previous trustee for Leicester Print Workshop, Nottingham Contemporary and the Arts Council. If you are involved in WebinArt, you can join us for the live webinar on Tuesday 23rd April at 6pm. The edit will be publicly available the following week.
Second Lead Artist: Kate Bajic
We are thrilled to announce our second Lead Artist, Jeweller Kate Bajic. Kate’s beautiful intro has been put together by Colab Creation and is available to watch HERE. Her live Facebook interview takes place on Tuesday 4th June at 2pm
Thank you again to everyone we have worked and collaborated with so far in this round of the programme, and to the supportive and engaging WebinArt community. We’ll be writing another update next month, but in the meantime, you can join us on the journey via Facebook and Instagram.
WebinArt is supported by Leicestershire County Council, Blaby District Council, Charnwood Borough Council, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, North West Leicestershire District Council, Leicester City Council and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership.