12-week growth programme for audacious women creatives
PROGRAMME COMMENCES JANUARY 2023
If you’re a woman artist, maker or creative business leader in the Tees Valley, and you want to grow, this is the programme for you.
Boldly Grow is a new enterprise growth programme for women in Tees Valley who want to grow their creative business. The programme is a Creative Fuse initiative being delivered in partnership with Create North.
Complete the form at the bottom of the page to register your interest for the September & January cohorts and we will be in touch to talk through your ideas and check your eligibility.
Who is it for?
Female creative entrepreneurs including freelancers, owners of creative businesses and directors or trustees of creative social enterprises / organisations. The programme will cater for women working in a diverse range of creative practices including visual arts, crafts, digital arts, music, performing arts, writing, dance, and radio. The learning will also engage those within the culture and heritage sector with an interest / expertise in these activities.
What’s on offer?
The programme will take place over a 12-week period. The only compulsory sessions to attend will be the four, 1-day sessions which take place in the first half of the programme. There will be additional webinars and mentoring/ specialist experience that participants will be able to access, along with out of session tasks to help participants focus on achieving a specific win in relation to their growth goal.
Fundamentally the programme will provide time, perspective, knowledge, support, and encouragement to help participants grow their business. Registration for each workshop will take place at 9.30am for a 10am start and we will be finishing at 4pm. The webinars will take place in between the in-person sessions and will be available both live and on demand (for those unable to make the live broadcast).
Coaching will be available throughout the 12 weeks with coaches matched on a best fit basis. All the workshops will take place in creative venues across Teesside.
Discover: Tuesday 10th January
Define: Tuesday 24th January
Develop: Tuesday 7th February
Deliver: Tuesday 28th February
Our coaches
To support the delivery of this programme, we have pulled together an amazing group of inspiring women leaders from within the creative and cultural sector, all of whom are offering their services as coaches to support you to realise your aspirations.
Over the course of 12 weeks, the team will support participants to:
- Discover future market opportunities for their art and business and grow their confidence and capacity for innovation and growth.
- Define new projects and income streams around real commercial opportunities and learn about alternative business and financial models.
- Develop the knowledge, skills, and networks that they need to exploit these new opportunities and to confidently manage the associated change.
- Deliver effective growth projects using agile project management tools, so they stay in complete control whilst achieving their highest potential.
Facilitators
Programme lead for Teesside University – Wendy Parvin, Creative Fuse Tees Valley
Jane Shaw, Create North
Di Gates, Create North
Dinah Bennett
Mentors
Sally Dixon – Cultural leader, Assistant Director Partnership and Communication Beamish, board member of Culture Durham, Visit County Durham, arts organisation The Forge, and artist-led studios The Newbridge Project. D2025 business engagement lead
Lucy Jenkins – Cultural leader, Director of Culture and Heritage, Ushaw Historic House, Chapels, and Gardens
Alex Fearon – Marketing and Email Consultant, Maybe Later
Alix Collingwood-Swinburn – Cultural Leader, Curator (Contemporary Art) Durham University, Library and Collections
Michelle Gorman – Managing Director, Visit County Durham
Michelle Dobson – Director, This Is Me Agency, supports disabled and neurodiverse artists
Jen Barrett – Creative Entrepreneur, Director This Is Creative Enterprise
Jill Cole – Creative Entrepreneur, Director of Northern Heartlands CIO
Katerina Appleyard – Creative consultant (working with organisations such as Raby Castle and Bowes Museum)
Melanie She – Partnership Manager Creative & Cultural Skill Council Northeast
Vicky Holbrough – Creative entrepreneur and direct of Navigate North a Tees Valley based, artist led organisation that initiate activities to raise the profile of artists and creative practice in the North East, inspiring visual artists, and creative communities to thrive.
Eileen Atkins – Cultural Leader, Engagement and Programming Manager, Locomotion
Register your interest by completing the below form or email info@thedigitalcity.com
