Welcome to The Arts Business
Every week The Arts Business will post new ideas and case studies to examine what companies are doing to stay in touch with a fast-paced, ever changing world of the creative industries through marketing and business strategies. Business is no longer just about numbers and figures but about channelling our existing creativity and frustration into original campaigns and approaches. If we don’t adapt, we will fall, and fall hard. So stand up and shout out. Don’t fear what you don’t understand. Conquer it and develop skills that allow you to turn that profit, allowing you to create more work and expand your audience base.
With diverse experience in the creative experiences both in the UK and internationally, working everywhere from theme parks to farm yards, studios to allotments the inner workings of these businesses can be seen: when they run effectively and, unfortunately more likely than not, their shortcomings. The key factor often forgotten is that ultimately we need to learn how to run as a business. Yes, we want our work to be noticed whatever the cost, and sometimes that isn’t even the point. There can be an overwhelming urge to portray ourselves through our work, which can be beautiful, but realistically isn’t enough! So often artists can get bogged down with the feeling that the world is against us. Whether this be government cuts or bad reviews, this can be taken personally, at which point we feel inclined to mope around, feeling underappreciated and are doomed to the conclusion that art and theatre is dying. Well, it’s not. It’s changing. Soon the already extremely competitive funding available to organisations will be gone, ploughed into health or education. So we need to adapt our mind sets. We need to think business.
The Arts Business will look at the principles of running business for the modern day creative venue. It will examine personal politics which can over shadow the business objectives. It will explore new avenues to assess in light of the recent economic downturn. It will discover new and cost effective marketing strategies, bringing businesses up to date with the digital marketing world and teaching how to rejuvenate your audiences, whilst still maintaining the old, often at no cost at all. It will look at successful models and campaigns whilst educating you on the sometimes simple solutions which could be the difference between turning a profit or remaining in the red; the difference between creating more work and a bigger audience or failing before you’ve really begun.
So follow us and join the arts revolution.