Do what you love. Pursue your passion.
Following such career advice comes naturally to people working in creative industries, but as MTNS MADE has heard many times from Blue Mountains creatives – making a decent living from an artistic career is not quite as easy.
To help provide our creative community with the support they need, MTNS MADE, an initiative of Blue Mountains Economic Enterprise, is bringing Monica Davidson and and Irene Lemon from Creative Plus Business to Katoomba in July to host two workshops. The workshops are aimed at helping creative professionals master the financial side of their businesses.
With a career in freelance writing and filmmaking, Ms Davidson knows all too well the financial challenges facing people in the creative arts. Her own financial wake-up call came early in her career when a significant contract went awry.
“I didn’t know what to charge, I didn’t know my financial situation, I didn’t know my rights,” she said.
“I also realised my choice to be self-employed and work in the arts meant I wasn’t ever going to have a predictable income, so I couldn’t afford to be blind financially.”
Once she did master her finances she realised it gave her more creative freedom.
“I learnt how to make money, which meant I could build my business and become creatively self-sufficient,” she said. “Money can really bring you a lot of good: in the long run it’s worth the pain of having to learn about it.”
But Ms Davidson believes learning about money is only painful if taught in a confusing or boring way, which is why she and and Irene Lemon have designed the two half-day workshops at the cultural centre on Saturday, July 28 to be “as fun as possible”.
The morning workshop – The Grant Song, presented by producer, performer and professional grant writer Irene Lemon – will equip creative artists with essential skills for researching and preparing creative arts grant applications. The afternoon workshop – Money is Not a Dirty Word, presented by Monica Davidson – focuses on money matters. It builds on the award-winning entrepreneur’s previous workshops hosted by MTNS MADE in Springwood in March.
For tickets, visit www.bmee.org.au or www.creativeplusbusiness.com.