As artists we desire to create change in the world, either through a beautiful song, theatre production, painting, film or through creating a new experience.  Many of us go to Tafe or University to develop our skills in our chosen art form but often the ability to make these beautiful things isn't enough.  Too many artists finish their studies lacking the practical business skills that allow them to drive their practices forward.  Youth Arts Queensland is one of several organizations providing practical training for artists through their Navigation Arts Business Training Program.

I was a fortunate participant in the recent Navigation Arts Business Training Program and found it an invaluable way to improve my practice.  The accredited training program ran every Wednesday night for 8 weeks at the Youth Arts Queensland (YAQ) space within the Judith Wright Centre.  

The course is targeted towards emerging artists and artworkers across all fields of the creative industries who are under the age of thirty.  Within my group were writers, visual artists, film-makers, musicians, circus performers, film festival organizers and more.  The diversity both surprised me and excited me as it was a great opportunity to network with people and hear different perspectives.

Ray Bourne aka hip-hop artist Rainman was a very entertaining and inspiring teacher.  He kept the sessions fresh and created a space where everyone could share their ideas and ambitions comfortably.  We also had several guest teachers for specific topics.

Topics included grant writing, project planning and budgeting, health and safety, working with community, marketing, design, pitching ideas and presentations.  

I found the funding and project planning sessions to be particularly useful.  Money is the biggest barrier for many artists and it was great to find out what opportunities existed and how best to go about applying for them.  Going through the process of preparing a grant application was an excellent way to solidify project ideas.  Basically, we took the seed ideas of our projects and turned them into something real and workable.  

In the marketing session we discussed business card design elements and the fundamentals of marketing a product.

The Working with Community session was run by the talented Levi Tamou from Human.  At first I didn't understand how this session applied to me as an individual artist. However, I soon discovered that artists participate in community development through active involvement in the arts community and by constantly seeking to create positive social outcomes through our art.  Artists also participate in community development when they create projects focusing on social justice and self-determination (just to give two examples). What I originally thought of as least relevant to my practice actually proved to be a strong anchoring point for my business plan as it solidified how I could run a sustainable and ethical art practice that benefits society.

The course was free for young artists and the class sizes were small.  As the class was size was limited there was the opportunity for all participants to get feedback and advice for their individual projects.  We all received a workbook was excellent source of additional information and I know I will be coming back to my notes often for the many workable ideas I can now put into action.

Overall I found the course the be an excellent way to workshop a project idea. It motivated me to professionalize my art practice through providing tools and practical exercises. As a result I have made significant progress on two art projects. This course is suited to anyone in the early stages of an art industy career who has a great idea waiting to become a reality. 

Acceptance to the course is through a basic application process. Youth Arts Queensland are looking to run the course again later in the year at a date still to be confirmed.  More information about the Navigation program can be found here.

Special guest writeup by Rachel Marsden!