This workshop helped me with things that no one talked about at school. We didn’t have any classes or information on job searching and this workshop really caught me up!
Profound changes have impacted how creatives work...
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Growth of the creative economy
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Technological developments
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Global connectivity
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Online marketplaces
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Work/life values
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Socio-economic-cultural movements
...creating new opportunities to pursue:
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Full-time work
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Part-time work
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Self-employment
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Freelancing
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Starting your own business
This practical workshop gives a basic overview of the entrepreneurial mindset, processes, and tools you can use to develop your aspirations.
Whether you launch a business or side-hustle, or lead a department within a shop or company, your understanding of strategic planning, budgeting, marketing, and management,will provide greater opportunities for success in your future career.
Workshop Format
Given the scope of our workshop, topics are presented in a condensed manner to be most efficient with our time. As a result, I focus on breadth rather than depth, covering the most critical and essential information necessary to achieve your learning outcomes. At the end of the day, it's more important that you know what questions to ask and where to look for information rather than know the answers.
We will draw on the required reading, videos, podcasts, interviews, articles, and other media to illustrate concepts and examples covered in the workshop.
Teaching Philosophy
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This workshop is an opportunity. Take advantage of it. I am here for you as your instructor, resource, and guide. Connect with me in between sessions to receive instruction that is customized to you and your needs.
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I don't lecture. I facilitate your knowledge of concepts, present information, and provide tools for you to act on.
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Be curious, open and critical. Embrace a diversity of viewpoints and ways of knowing. When you are learning something new, don't dismiss a concept out of hand without first seeing its merit. Then, test it in real-life and form your own opinion.
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Yes, you can. I believe in building your confidence and know-how so you can use your creative talents to craft the career you want.
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My success is based on the impact I have on yours. How will you measure your success?
Contact Info
Jenifer Simon
jenifer@honorsinart.com
201.312.4888 cell
Office hours: virtually and by phone via email appointment
Dates and Times
Zoom Info
Class starts promptly at 5:30pm and ends at 7:30pm EST
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Monday, September 13, 2021
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Monday, September 20, 2021
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Monday, September 27, 2021
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Monday, October 4, 2021
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Monday, October 11, 2021
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Monday, October 18, 2021
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83462570564?pwd=ZjVYeUVEaXRNYmJtOGdTVXkyMjhCUT09
Meeting ID: 834 6257 0564
Passcode: 12345
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There are five required homework assignments. All assignments will be clearly explained during class before their due date. Questions during and in-between sessions are encouraged.
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All assignments are to be emailed to me via a Google Doc or Microsoft Word at jenifer@honorsinart.com by 11:59pm on the due date. If using a Google Doc, make sure to it share with me under "share".
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Name the file "First Name.Last Name. Assignment #." For example, "Jenifer.Simon.Assignment 1".
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Late assignments may be accepted only if you have exceptional circumstances. FYI If you want to run your own business, missing deadlines can be detrimental.
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You will choose a business idea in order to apply the knowledge and tools you learn in this workshop.
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If you have an idea for a business for your first assignment to conduct the SWOT analysis, great! Use that idea. If you don't have an idea, here are three different business ideas. Choose one of them:
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You've decided to remain where you're currently located after you graduate. You're going to create and sell specialized period garments/items (like corsets, hats, masks, or shoes), to clients both inside and outside of the performance industry. Your clients can be theatre, dance, film, commercial or anyone who wants to purchase the specialized garment(s) accessory(ies) or object(s) that you make. You received a grant of $1,000 from your University to start your business.
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You're going to start a small storefront/shop/studio in a new, affordable economic arts development district in a downtown section of a city or hub like Chicago, Houston, Detroit, Raleigh, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, etc. Your space will be largely subsidized by the city, so it will be cost-effective for you to have your space for the first 2 years. This includes the arrival of several new theatre, dance and other performance companies that will be opening in the area as part of this arts development initiative. So, you have new potential clients waiting in the wings.
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You have a large network of contacts (producers, actors, designers, and other shop owners) who work on Broadway shows in NYC. You're starting to receive requests from interested parties to bid on costume projects.
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You can and are expected to redefine, tweak and/or modify your business based on your assignments and process of the Business Model Canvas.
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Due Sunday, September 19, 2021
1. Reading: Intro pages 3-4, Chapters 1 & 2, The Profitable Artist.
2. Conduct a SWOT Analysis of your proposed business or business idea using this template and respond to the questions. Send to me per instructions above.
Due Sunday, September 26, 2021
Conduct a thorough Market Analysis of your proposed business or business idea using this template. Send to me per instructions above.
Reading: pages 159-210, Chapters 11 & 12
Due Sunday, October 3, 2021
Create a start-up budget for your business using this template. You must provide the source you consulted to determine each expense item. Other instructions are on the template. Send to me per instructions above.
Reading: pages 101-156, Chapters 6-10
Due Sunday, October 10, 2021
In this assignment, you have two options to choose from. Option 1 is a request for a bid. Option 2 is an analysis of a Terms of Service Contract from a Costume Shop. This document contains the instructions for Options 1 and 2. Send to me per instructions above and indicate which option you chose for your assignment.
Reading: pages 43-93, Chapters 3-6, The Profitable Artist.
Due Sunday, October 17, 2021
Your assignment is to complete the Business Model Canvas worksheet and prepare a creative presentation via Zoom. You can use Powerpoint, KeyNote, whatever works for you to conduct a dynamic presentation. You will have 3-5 minutes to present your Business Model Canvas to the rest of the class. You are presenting to us as a group of potential investors for your business. Be prepared to answer questions from the group. Send to me per instructions above.
You can download the Business Model Canvas as a PowerPoint Slide with editable sections here. Register for your time slot for the class presentation here by Wednesday, October 13, 2021. If you do not sign up for a time slot, you will be assigned one.
It is everyone’s responsibility to participate in Monday’s final session by asking questions of your classmates in response to their presentations. This can be done via chat or by unmuting yourself.
Your presentation should include an explanation of your business and an overview of all the components of your Business Model Canvas organized in a professional manner. This can be done via PowerPoint, Google Slides, KeyNote, etc. I encourage you to be creative, as I have done in my class PowerPoint slides.
Your presentation should be clear, informative, and get us excited about supporting your business.
If you have any questions or would like feedback on a draft presentation, please contact me. I’m happy to provide any guidance you need.
Reading: Conclusion, pages 258-265, The Profitable Artist
Examples of Completed Business Model Canvasses
A History of the Theatre Costume Business: Creators of Character by Triffin I. Morris and Gregory DL Morris is the first-ever comprehensive book on the subject, as related by award-winning actors and designers, and first hand by the drapers, tailors, and craftspeople who make the clothes that dazzle on stage. While this book won't be released until September 30, 2021, it is well worth the wait and invaluable in its overview.
This is a sample freelance contract so you can see the essential elements that it should contain. Contracts should protect both parties, not one more than the other, although they are often written that way (usually by the party who generates the contract). If you are given a contract to sign, read it. If you have questions, ask them. If you want to make additions or amendments, ask that they be included in a revised contract that both parties sign and retain copies of.
Association of Industrial and Graphic Artists:
Steve Blank is a serial entrepreneur, author, and educator. He is an expert on the Lean Start Up methodology and has a curated list of hundreds of free resources you can learn from.
The Death of the Artist—and the Birth of the Creative Entrepreneur in The Atlantic (2015) by higher ed critic William Deresiewicz articulated the seismic shift of an artist's training and career from the past as compared to today. "So what will all this mean for artists and for art? For training, for practice, for the shape of the artistic career, for the nature of the artistic community, for the way that artists see themselves and are seen by the public, for the standards by which art is judged and the terms by which it is defined?"
He expanded the article into this book published in 2021.
David Parrish specializes in helping creative and digital media businesses, creative entrepreneurs, cultural enterprises, and arts businesses. He has a bunch of free stuff to help creative entrepreneurs.
Listen to Parrish explain the 10 main points of creative passion and business best practices in this free audio sample. The book is available for free as an ebook as well.
Founded in the wake of COVID-19 to provide emergency relief, CIC is a group of over 50 small, unique, independent businesses and artisans--in and around New York City--that create and supply costumes for the entertainment industry. There are many excellent videos from small business owners in the industry who describe how they got started and how they were impacted by the pandemic.
Freelancers Union is the largest organization representing the growing independent workforce, advocating on independent workers' behalf since 1995, giving members access to education, resources, community, benefits, and a political voice. Membership is free and gives you access to TONS of free resources including:
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Freelance 101
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Discounts
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Financial Tools
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Client Issues
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COVD-19 Resources
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Contract Creator
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Black Freelancers Web Director
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Insurance
Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts engages with arts entrepreneurship in entrepreneurship theory as applied to the arts, arts entrepreneurship education; arts management; arts and creative industries, public policy and the arts, the arts in community and economic development, nonprofit leadership, social entrepreneurship in or using the arts, evaluation and assessment; and public practice in the arts.
Tiff Arment and Julia Skott talk about art and making in their podcast Make Do. They claim they "won’t teach you how to turn your creativity into a business. Or how to do anything, really. They just want to talk about doing stuff."
Listen to interviews with artists as they talk about the process of making their work and their thoughts behind it. It's not meant to be "instructional", but ultimately you learn about "business" from their very personal perspectives.
The Why Make? podcast is a collaborative project of Robb Helmkamp and Erik Wolken, both furniture makers and sculptors, seeking to create a narrative about investigating the intersection of "why" people make and "where" their inspiration and excitement to make comes from.
They have conversations with artists, in their studios, asking the most basic question, Why Do You Make? These conversations are archived on our website, along with images of the participating artists and their work, so you can get a a sense of the creative forces that each one puts into their work.
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Daniel Weger, Master Tailor Interview
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La Bricoleuse, Blog by Rachel Pollock
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New York Foundation for the Arts resources for artists in all disciplines
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Behind the Seams of This Year’s Emmy-Nominated Costumes
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Mega-list of Start-up Business Resources from Score.org
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Ceramicist Ayumi Horie has informative posts on how to photograph your work and use social media on her blog.
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My Honors in Art list of book recs
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My Honors in Art list of resources
Daniel Vosovic founded The Kit, a clothing line that doesn't make a garment until a customer orders it. Each week his studio creates new prints from scratch. Popular designs are continually refining based off of customer feedback.
In this video, Daniel shares his mindset and methods for authentically promoting, or "amplying" his brand.
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Sample terms of service agreement from Kilcodo Costumes
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Sample freelancer contract
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The Art Law Journal
Zinc provides insurance to meet the needs of creative and artists country wide with a program designed to be reasonable and practical. Affordable, high-quality, hand-crafted insurance. Watch the webinar above to hear founder and President Seth Zaremba explain the ins and outs of insurance for creatives.
CERF+ literally wrote the book to help studio artists understand that their assets need to be protected, and their risks need to be mitigated. The Business Insurance Guidebook for Artists is a tool you can use to consider what policies you may need to transfer unacceptable risks to an insurance company. This article by CERF+ also provides an essential overview.
CERF+ has another invaluable resource, The Studio Protector: An Artist's Guide to Emergencies. Here you can find information on studio safety, preparing for emergencies, and how to rebuild after a disaster.
CERF+ and Wellness for Makers launched a DIY video series to promote artist health and wellness, Self-Care and Your Studio Practice. Each video focuses on some of the common problems faced by artists with an active studio practice and includes tips that help relieve strain and reduce the risk of injury.
The New York Foundation for the Arts has extensive resources on emergency resources as well.
