The challenge if being an individual in a world of creative partnerships.

Denise Kennedy, 2 October 2012

Denise opened the discussion by saying that it is not always a person's desire to set up an organisation/theatre company, therefore there are certain challenges surrounding being solely in charge of all aspects of one's creative world. Issues include self-motivation, discipline, multi-skilling (i.e. administration, marketing, creativity, fundraising), fear of rejection. Essentially, as a non-organisation the individual is in charge of their own destiny. Individuals have to have self-belief and at some point not let fear of failure/rejection stop them from getting up from the computer and pushing their ideas out into the world. Individuals do not have a ‘job’ to go to, or colleagues with expected deadlines, etc. There is no 9-5 culture, only what they create for themselves.

How does the individual create work without the definite forming of a company?

The discussion developed the idea that, really, no creative individual exists on their own. The challenge is accessing those necessary creative and non-creative partnerships. However, it is a choice to remain a creative individual rather than set up a company, but that means one has to multi-task and learn multiple skills. The skill is in finding other partnerships with the experience one lacks as an individual (NPOs, RFOs, peers who have had experience of putting their own project on).

However frustrating, it is the reality of the arts council and the general funding world that creative partnerships are encouraged/necessary; these can be used to the individual's benefit, to fill the gaps in the individual's experience, e.g. applying to the arts council for funding.

Could a group of individuals have an ‘informal’ umberella organisation to support each other at different stages of their individual projects? There are organisations such as PANDA in Manchester who are a more structured supported arts organisation.

Tags:

fundraising, creative partnerships, Creative, Fundraising, creative, PANDA, individual