Craft Entrepreneurship - University for the Creative Arts

c r a f t e n t r e p r e n e u r s h i pm e e t i n g t h e c h a l l e n g e

forewordThe current interest in creative entrepreneurship stems from a variety ofimpulses: one is the recognition of the potential of the creative industriesto stimulate the economy alongside an understanding that creativeenterprises have developed very particular business models. Variousthough these may be, creative enterprises are often small lifestylebusinesses motivated as much by opportunities for self-reflectivepractice as they are by commercial success. Crude definitions of theentrepreneur simply do not work for these industries and can be offputtingto students (Creating Entrepreneurship, ADM and NESTA, 2007).Craft Entrepreneurship was stimulated by our conviction of the specialcontribution of contemporary crafts to the creative industries, alongsidethe very real difficulties craft practitioners face in finding new and largeenough markets to support their work (Making it to Market, ACE, 2006).With the support of the University College for the Creative Arts andthe Higher Education Entrepreneurship Group we set about creatingone of those ‘what if’ moments, unconstrained by curriculum designand anxieties over whether entrepreneurship can be taught. Ten craftstudents were each teamed with a business and brand design studentdrawn from 10 Higher Education Institutions across the South Eastregion. In addition to the student teams we added the expertise of PRconsultant Lynne Franks, business finance specialist Ray Wright andleading craft entrepreneur Mark Bickers to create a learning laboratorywith surprisingly modest expectations. Would students gain valuein working collaboratively; would they be prepared to take risks andto venture and abandon their ideals? Would the tensions betweencommercialisation and artistic identity prove to be compromising?Could we foster the kind of divergent thinking processes that mighttransform the very basis of the students’ practice and their potential asan entrepreneur?Through the case studies of the student teams presented here I hopewe manage to capture something of the extraordinariness of the CraftEntrepreneurship Workshop: a set of courageous business modelsfor craft enterprises at the heart of which was the clearly visibleand uncompromised self-identity of the student practitioner. Equallysignificant was the perceived value of working in multi-disciplinary teamsproviding a ‘client’ experience for business and branding students andaccess to expert knowledge for craft students.Despite the apparent success of the event in gaining some inkling ofwhat worked for students of contemporary craft, I am also consciousof the small impact of this style of ‘learning event’ and the need tocreate curriculum models for entrepreneurship that retain the right levelof energy and intensity, and at the same time offer sustainability - infunding terms, but perhaps more problematically, in HEI and multidisciplinaryforms of learning collaboration.Dr Roni BrownDeputy Head of College (Quality and External Development)University College for the Creative Arts, FarnhamDr Roni Brown

preface:crafting a businessSetting up your own business after you leave creative education can be a daunting experience. Notonly do you have to continue the creative side of your practice but you soon face new, unfamiliarchallenges such as tackling sales, marketing and office administration. My introduction to theseactivities on my degree course amounted to a brief explanation of conventional ways of marketingand selling your work. This tended to lead students towards following well-established methodsof operating as a designer maker. Obviously learning practical business principles such as writing abusiness plan and book keeping has its place and needs to be learned, however I think it is imperativethat during a creative education you are exposed to the idea that the ‘business’ aspects of youractivity can be developed just as creatively as your practice. With a small shift in thinking it is possibleto see the business side in the same way as a design problem; one that can be creatively thoughtabout, brainstormed, challenged and resolved in surprising and unconventional ways. If makers wereencouraged to consider using their creative thinking skills to tackle the business and commercialpossibilities of their work earlier in their careers, they would be better placed to create inventivebusiness models that they can truly own and find rewarding.Glass designer Mark BickersThe Craft Entrepreneurship Workshop addressed these issues by combining craft, branding andmarketing students. They were challenged to think creatively around their practice, actually assess and analyse their businessmodel to challenge what opportunities existed in their material processes. There were obvious benefits from the perspectiveof the craft students as they were in effect the case studies and the key beneficiaries of the day. However, a really interestingdynamic was created by setting up cross-disciplinary teams allowing the students to hear peers at a similar educational levelspeak in their own specific technical language; to hear issues that they might not have appreciated or imagined and also to hearfresh and unexpected viewpoints first-hand.This was not a day about offering answers through a tested knowledge transfer model but to facilitate an open, creativeenvironment where the right questions were asked. Craft Entrepreneurship could have a sustained and profound effect on theway students approach their own personal work and subsequent future career paths. The challenge of how this methodology canbe embedded into the curriculum is timely, as I believe these issues are as important now as the material making itself. Creativecourses need to be forward thinking; challenging their students to adapt to the changing face of the craft world, the market andwider global influences. It seems sensible for students to consider their career route, including their business potential, at anearly stage so that the investigation, development and creative thinking of such options can happen in a supportive, appropriateenvironment and in tandem with the development of their practice.Mark BickersManaging DirectorMark Bickers and Rothschild & Bickers

Ray Wright addressing the teamsof their concept for a craft enterprise to an expert paneladdressing the key themes of concept, market and PR, retail,distribution and finance. The experience of preparing andgiving a formal presentation within tight time constraintswas a useful entrepreneurial task in itself. Students had towork together as a team and focus their ideas in a businesslike manner which could be understood by a panel. Thepresentations also allowed staff to clearly see at first handthe immediate benefit of entrepreneurship education withinthe craft sector.Student feedback from the day was extremely positive, allfeeling that they had profited greatly from the interactionwith different disciplines and industry experts. Craft studentshowever felt that the one day Workshop was too intenseand that they needed more time to reflect on the input fromothers to allow them to put together a realistic business planand develop their entrepreneurial capacity. Higher educationhas a crucial role to play in developing this entrepreneurialcapacity (Creating Entrepreneurship, ADM and NESTA, 2007)and it is hoped that the model of the Craft EntrepreneurshipWorkshop will contribute to the development of sustainableentrepreneurship education.The following case studies represent an outline of thefindings of 5 of the Craft Entrepreneurship teams and whatthey learned from the Workshop. Inevitably these focus onthe experience of the craft student and the quotes are theirs.The case studies also provide crucial follow up informationdescribing what has happened since the Workshop and howstudents have been influenced by Craft Entrepreneurship.Frances CampbellKnowledge Transfer Co-ordinatorUniversity College for the Creative Arts, Farnham

Alice Goldie, MA Design: Textile Design,University of Southampton, Winchester School of ArtKate Elkins, BA (Hons) Graphic Communication,University College for the Creative Arts, FarnhamPeng Hsien-Ying, MA Innovation & Brand Management,University College for the Creative Arts, FarnhamAlice Goldie is a textile-based fashion designer working with 3D sampling in print,knit and embroidery. She has over 10 years experience in the fashion industryincluding designing for the Jasper Conran range and has also lectured in Fashion/Textiles at The University of the West of England. Although having a strongcommercial background Alice wanted support in setting up her own business.case study one“I really wanted to get a clear direction on how todevelop brand loyalty and values as well as developingpricing strategies for manufacturing and selling.”The product Alice bought to the Workshop was a children’s gift blanket which shehad been developing for some time. Using the branding and design managementexperience of Kate Elkins and Peng Hsien-Ying, the team worked on developing theproduct’s Unique Selling Point and brand values in order to differentiate it from massproduced competition. The team focused on developing the blanket as a premiumproduct which would be custom made by hand and personalised for each customer.A service would be offered to adapt the blanket in the future to suit the changingneeds of the customer. Strong values of ‘make do and mend’, textile techniques andtactile quality of the fabrics would be promoted. Pricing strategy would reflect thebrand’s bespoke nature and the longevity of the product.The team thought that selling could be achieved through: direct selling to parents and grandparents at baby shower parties andselling to baby product manufacturers and retail outlets - large chain stores as well as specialist niche shops. Marketing plansincluded a leafleting campaign to nanny agencies, hospitals, playgroups and mother and baby groups as well as advertising inmajor childcare magazines.Alice found the input from the guest speakers to be the most inspiring and useful part of the day and has already begun toimplement some ideas suggested by them in her work by looking into methods of advertising and potential manufacturers.She found it very useful to test her product on the other team members and to get an initial reaction from potential buyers.The development of the brand is still in progress.What they learned:• That finance need not be daunting• To be open-minded and prepared for change• The importance of taking responsibility for your own work• The need to make your values clear to others“The Workshop really helped meto gain confidence and take mywork seriously, regarding it as abusiness, not just a hobby.”

Tara J Murphy, MA Contemporary Crafts (Jewellery),University College for the Creative Arts, FarnhamClaire Majury, BA (Hons) Graphic Communication,University College for the Creative Arts, FarnhamQing Lui, MBA,Royal Holloway, University of LondonTara J Murphy is a jewellery designer now producing pieces that have beeninfluenced by her life experiences and travels around the world. Whilst having soldher previous designs through galleries, this current work is a new direction for her.Tara was looking to develop a more professional approach towards her work. “Asa designer-maker I have always directed the majority of my attention towards thedevelopment and production processes. I wanted the opportunity to focus on theactual business side and marketing of my work.”case study twoTara brought finished examples of her jewellery to the Workshop. The team used thebranding and business skills of Claire Majury and Qing Lui to begin developing corevalues of the product and a branding strategy. They focused on the handmade andtraditional making techniques of the jewellery which they thought added a beautyand unique perspective to the work and communicated a personal understandingof the artist’s life. Their strategy focused on building a high-end brand image witha strong brand personality linking the brand stories with the products. The teamdecided on market segmentation into high-end and mid-market product lines. Thehigh-end market would be for bespoke, exclusive and one-off pieces reflected inprice, accompanied by high quality images and stories of the journeys surroundingthe piece. The mid-market would consist of a mid-priced signature range along withthe appropriate stories.Lynne Franks (centre) with students“The Workshop was afantastic opportunity tocollaborate with individualswho specialise in businessand branding related subjects.It enabled the developmentof new and exciting conceptsfor the future branding andpromotion of my work.”The team planned to sell the work by attending trade fairs for collectors, high-end and mid-market retailers and galleries.Marketing plans included publishing and communicating the stories of Tara’s adventures that link to her work via a blog, books,illustrated journey articles, newspapers, videos and word-of-mouth.Since the Workshop Tara has produced a case study focusing on the current ethical jewellery movement which has involvedresearching the jewellery supply chain for its social and environmental impact. This research will inform her marketing andbranding strategy for an ethical jewellery business and the direction for a new blog.What they learned:• The importance of spending time on the presentation of every aspect of your business• That branding should be a huge consideration when building your business strategy• The importance and usefulness of collaborating with others

case study threeKate Samuels, MA Design,University College for the Creative Arts,RochesterKoya Hasaka, MA Innovation& Brand Management,University College for the Creative Arts,FarnhamDan Forsyth, BA (Hons) GraphicCommunication,University College for the Creative Arts,FarnhamKate Samuels is a metal-smith workingpredominantly with enamels. Her work takes anexperimental approach to new possibilities intraditional and non-traditional materials within acraft context. She is an executive member of theAssociation of Contemporary Jewellery where sheis involved in innovative projects. Kate wanted toachieve an insight into new and future prospectsof contemporary crafts. “I wanted to acquire anunderstanding of the marketing and brandingperspective and opportunities for the future formy work.”Kate brought to the Workshop her paintedvitreous glass enamel designs which fuse fine artand contemporary craft, are durable and suitablefor outdoors. Kate had been looking for a suitableexterior setting to exhibit them in. Along with thebranding and communication skills of Koya Hasakaand Dan Forsyth, the team worked on definingthe key qualities and branding of the product andinvestigating the possible settings for Kate’s work.Durability, graffiti resistant, low maintenance,hygienic and high sheen were identified as thekey qualities and brand values. The team decidedto look at three settings for Kate’s enamelproducts: domestic, public spaces and public art.The domestic product range, the bread and butterof the business, would include tiles, hand rails,door handles, letter boxes, outdoor furniture andflooring. The public space products would beclient driven corporate work such as tube stations,staircases, public toilets, swimming pools,gym/leisure centres and offices. The public artspace products would be based on commissionsto design products for councils, competitions andinvolve links with architects.One of Kate’s intentions was to offer a messagewithin her work. This could be a creative responseto the client’s site, for example it’s historicsetting, or linked to promote an event or activityspecific to the client. The team incorporatedthis element into their marketing strategy forthe product and began to research the potentialmarket and client base.Kate has continued to research the new ideas andpossibilities she learned about at the Workshopand is now using professional photographs withinpresentations of her work. She has also secureda site specific exhibition in August of a series ofenamelled panels within a large public garden inKent, for which she is currently developing andcreating work.What they learned:• That discussion and presentation of ideas canhelp to focus your work• How input from a group of students fromdifferent creative backgrounds may offerdynamic and alternative solutions that haven’tbeen considered• The usefulness of viewing work from adifferent perspective*“The presentations from industry practitioners were professional, realistic,informative and inspirational; definitely a valuable experience.”

case study fourNicolette Bungey, MA Design: Textile Design,University of Southampton,Winchester School of ArtLouis Downs, BA (Hons) Advertising& Brand Communication,University College for the Creative Arts,FarnhamMa, Hsin-Ti, MA Innovation & Brand Management,University College for the Creative Arts,FarnhamMago-Mulangwa Majid, MA Creative Enterprise,University College for the Creative Arts,FarnhamNici Bungey is a textile designer who has beendeveloping a plan for a viable commercial enterprisedesigning and making women’s purses.Nici was lookingfor an opportunity to discuss her work and project ideaswith others. “I wanted to use the Workshop to clarifyand focus my ideas, think beyond my own research andlisten to the experience of specialists from businessand marketing backgrounds.”Nici brought examples of her purses and hand painted textiles to the Workshop. Using the collective design, brand andcreative skills of Ma, Hsin-Ti , Louis Downs and Mago-Mulangwa Majid, the team considered the marketing and branding notjust of Nici’s purses but of her ideas for fabric design in general. The team focused on building a brand profile and establishinga Unique Selling Point based on the personality and characteristics of Nici’s work, for example, individual, luxury, British, funky,hand-made, distinctive, exclusive and elegant.A two step marketing strategy was developed: first the marketing of the unique purses and second the marketing of Nici’sunique fabric for the interior design market, for example, furniture and wallpapers for high-end boutique hotel lobbies, bedroomsand restaurants. The team researched potential London boutique hotels where the product would fit and advocated a “gettingit right first time” niche policy for marketing. Advertising and selling techniques that were considered included attending tradeshows and product placement on television décor shows. A comprehensive and professional press pack would be developed andused to build press relationships and get Nici’s work into magazines such as Elle Decoration. A website would be developed thatwould also have an online boutique selling Nici’s work. The ultimate aim would be to launch “Nici Bungey London” printed fabricthrough selected retailers at the same time as developing new lines and possible brand extensions.Since the Workshop Nici has started to work on a larger scale and has written a business plan to start a small UK based designcompany, specialising in creating innovative, bespoke, printed and hand finished surfaces imposed onto textiles, wood, glassand metals. Her vision is to involve the customer in the process, to make a connection between the client and herself. She isalso considering creating a more accessible line of designs developed on a more commercial scale, though limited in order tocreate special editions.What they learned:• That the value of the designer’s work is in the creation and not the manufacture• It is essential to be open to changes, new ideas and new ways of thinking• The importance of seeking input from outside sources to add breadth and depthto your ideas and workMark Bickers with students“The Workshop gave me a whole new perspectivefor the application of my designs allowing me toconsider ways to extend my brand beyond purses.”

case study five“The opportunity to speak to and receive feedback from a successful craft practitionerwas most valuable. Mark Bickers took a keen interest in the technical side of my workand provided first hand experience in selling to high end customers.”Shelley Montague, MA Ceramics,Thames Valley University & University of Wales Institute,CardiffLara Healey, BA (Hons) Graphic Communication,University College for the Creative Arts, FarnhamBruno Silva, MSc Marketing& International Management,University of ReadingShelley Montague is a ceramics practitioner and lecturer inCeramics and Art and Design at Thames Valley University.With several years experience she has developed insightsinto the issues affecting artists/crafts people trying toestablish a business and the shortfalls of art education toprepare students for this. Shelley was interested in thebranding of the crafts and the partnerships possible betweencrafts and business people. “I wanted to see how crossdisciplinarycollaboration could help me with my own workand find examples of good practice which I could introduceto my colleagues, students and into the curriculum.”Shelley brought to the Workshop a collection of exquisitefine art ceramic shoes designed to be associated withthe consumer’s character. Using the communication andmarketing skills of Lara Healey and Bruno Silva, the teamfocused on developing the Unique Selling Point of theproduct including its packaging. One-off ceramic shoeswould be aimed at the high end consumer market such ascelebrities and sports personalities. Each celebrity would begiven the opportunity to be involved in the whole processfrom the initial making to the individual finish of the piece.To add value to the product, shoes would be displayed ina bespoke glass case specific to the celebrity personality.Sustainable packaging consisting of recycled card and tissuepaper would be used to package the finished display case tobring the experience of new shoes to the consumer.The team discussed the opportunity of marketing theproduct through a joint project with a charity such as KidsCompany which would help to create press publicity andpossibly encourage celebrity endorsement. Media and press,person to person, business cards, website and exhibitionswere all considered for networking and marketing of theproduct. Retail through niche precious gift outlets andcommissions for special occasions would be targeted tobring the product to a wider market. Sources of initial startup finance considered included Arts Council England andCrafts Council and sponsorship from companies such as TheBrick Company.Since the Workshop Shelley has begun to create a websiteto showcase her work including a short film describing thepieces and the inspiration behind them. She hopes to builda team to brand and package the shoes together with herother work which is being developed through her MA.What they learned:• The benefit of bringing together a team withcomplimentary strengths• The importance of knowing your market and networkingenergetically within that market• Involving a financial expert can be a reality check foryour business

conclusionWhat could be simpler in concept than bringing together students of different skills and knowledge, whose combined subjectstrengths create a laboratory environment in which new insights are gained and solutions to problems at least conceived if notresolved? There are some interesting examples in our sector of such initiatives - InnovationRCA for example, links graduatesof the Royal College of Art (RCA) with those from Imperial College specialising in business and technology, to create an‘innovation triangle’ to tackle a range of business and social problems. The success of InnovationRCA and initiatives like CraftEntrepreneurship, lies in the creativity that ensues from forms of collective thinking; producing new linkages between things thatwe know and things that we don’t know. In the case of Craft Entrepreneurship, what students knew well and felt secure with,were the basis of their discipline and the processes used to carry out their work. What was unknown was how to apply theirknowledge and skills beyond their own set of experiences or knowledge boundaries to succeed both commercially and creatively.Our student teams brought diversity of knowledge and experience - in background, age, nationality, professional role, socialand political context. They placed their trust in their peers that day and engaged in a form of knowledge exchange that enlargedtheir understanding of the value and applicability of their knowledge. It is easy to deduce that this way of learning is valuableon many levels. Indeed there are a number of contemporary commentators vigorously pursuing the value of knowledge sharingsuch as Charles Leadbeater in his recent book ‘We Think’ (2008). Yet for the students of Craft Entrepreneurship (and I presumemany others) learning in this way is not a routine or embedded aspect of undergraduate or postgraduate studies as emphasisis rightly placed on acquisition of knowledge which is fundamental to a discipline (or set of disciplines) with limited time forspecialisation. Our challenge then is to adapt existing models or create new ‘learning spaces’ that allow for interdisciplinary waysof learning which is as valuable to creativity as it is to entrepreneurship. I hope that the details we have supplied on the CraftEntrepreneurship Workshop offer one such model - one that can be adapted to other learning instances, projects, levelsand environments.Dr Roni BrownDeputy Head of College (Quality and External Development)University College for the Creative Arts, FarnhamEditorsDr Roni BrownFrances CampbellResearcherGary HamptonContributorMark BickersDesignerRiverprintPhotographerGary HamptonPublished byUniversity College forthe Creative Arts atCanterbury, Epsom,Farnham, Maidstoneand Rochester.June 2008ISBN 978-0-9551166-5-0

thanksWe wish to thank the following fortheir help in supporting the CraftEntrepreneurship Workshop.SpeakersMark BickersLynne FranksRay WrightContributorsShawn Doyle, Managing Director,Liberty ConsultingFarnham MaltingsRobert Martin, Visual Arts Officer Crafts,Arts Council England, South EastMariola Zymla, HEEG RegionalCo-ordinatorThe staff and students of theUniversity College for theCreative ArtsStaffDr Martin Bouette, EntrepreneurshipManager, Knowledge Transfer OfficeCatharine Slade Brooking,Senior Lecturer, Graphic CommunicationDarren Stokes, Course Leader,Three Dimensional DesignHannah White, Course Leader,Textile DesignStudentsGary Hampton, MA Photography,Mike Linforth, BA (Hons) Film ProductionOliver Newton, BA (Hons) Film ProductionTo see the other 5 case studies,images and footage of the CraftEntrepreneurship Workshop,please go to:www.ucreative.ac.uk/craftentrepreneurshipThis event is supported by a HigherEducation Entrepreneurship Group (HEEG)Small Project Award. HEEG is funded andsupported by SEEDA.