About our course

About our course

You are here to….take part in a new FREE ERASMUS + training course for New & Emerging Creative Entrepreneurs .

What’s the course about ?• Ignite is a specially designed, blended learning programme for people

in the creative sector who want to learn the skills necessary to set up their own creative business or as part of a collaborative practice.

• Based on open education resources, this seven module Free online course will explore what it means to “start your own creative business”.

Let’s look at the modules …

1.Creating Possibilities, Why a Creative Career? Is a creative career for you? Realising your talents and making your creativity pay. Spotlight on creative, self- employed mind sets Difference between a creative brain vs a business brainEmerging trends in creative entrepreneurshipMaking your creativity payDeveloping your creative businessCreative Entrepreneur success factors

2 Different Business Models and Emerging Trends Exploring the Freelancer Economy Time to embrace a Slash Career. What this means for you today?New platforms for pairing talent Looking at models of best practice Specialist Design & Creativity summits essential for learning & Networking

3. Your Creative Business Strategy: Getting Started The nuts and bolts of running a creative business Definitions of a business – working out where you fitBusiness structures – which one is for you, investing in mattering- the essentials of good business practiceBusiness planning – How does this work?Intellectual Property - protecting your workMaking the most of business mentoring

4 Marketing for Creative Entrepreneurs Marketing at the heart of your business approachHow to build a brand with impact on a shoestring Your online presenceEffective promotion tools – on and off line and social media marketing

5 Accessing Resources – Financing and supports available Demystify funding opportunities /Connect you to the right opportunitiesLoans & grants available to creatives Creative sector specific fundingHeard about crowdfunding? Crowd funding platformsThe Application process - Increase your chances of success

6 Co-working: How do we work? Creative Clusters/ Creative Hubs Co working is a great way to work. What does this mean for you? Why do we work. Who do we work for? Exploring the advantages of co working.Learning from Creative Hubs - models of best practice from Ireland, UK, Poland & SwedenCreative Clustering: Case Studies - Creative Clusters Global/LocalMakerspaces/Hackerspaces/ Future Trends - opportunities for you

7. Creative Collaborations, Communities & Connection – Why collaborate and how? Connection between community & belonging from a creative perspective How we think of creative collaboration today. Reference to the past.New methodologies for creative collaborations & success tools.Collaboration and Connection. What does this mean for you? CASE STUDIES of creative collectives Collaboration and sharing through use of technology

How long does the course take to complete?It’s a short term online course that you can complete in a flexible way while you plan the set up of your own creative business. You can access the learning at a time that suit you, evenings, weekends or a little each day. Learning online offers you more time to fully absorb the information. It can also be delivered in the classroom (see trainer’s pack).

How much time do I need to commit to the course?Like everything in life and business, you will benefit by setting yourself a goal. We recommend you can do the course and start your creative enterprise in 90 days.

We LOVE this Seamus Heaney (Nobel Laureate) quote and it’s resonance to a creative enterpreneur undertaking and this course …

“break the skin of the pool of yourself”

“When a person is learning to write poetry, they should not expect to be immediately good. The aspiring poet is constantly lowering a bucket only halfway

down a well, coming time and time again with nothing but empty air. The frustration is immense, but you must keep doing it anyway. After years of practice

the chain draws unexpectedly tight & you have dipped into waters that will continue to entice you back. You’ll have broken the pool of yourself”

INGITE is more than a course ….Get social and make connections

The IGNITE Learners Facebook group will help you to check in andshare info with your peers taking part in the course. Keep in touchand find out how others across Europe are progressing through thecourse, find out what’s happening in your creative circles e.g. pop upevents, creative festivals, one off events taking place in theatres,galleries, educational institutions in your field or in your locality?

IRELAND only Provide you with a Creative Hub will be available to you FREE OF CHARGE in Ballaghaderreen Co. Roscommon to allow you to develop & research your own projects / business ideas.

Mapping Get involved in our Creative Communities mapping exercise . Have you recently set up a home studio/ workspace ? It may or may not be open to the public yet but you would like to engage with other creative practitioners in your area or further afield and get active. This interactive map will help you to source services and supports.

Spotlight on the UK. • In the UK in 2014, Creative Industries was

the highest growth sector, it accounted for 1.8 million jobs - an increase of nearly 16% since 2011 (Creative Industries: Focus on Employment June 2015).

• Self-employment is where the growth is - 43% of the current creative industries workforce is self-employed.

• 78% of its businesses have fewer than five employees – so not small or medium-sized, but micro.

What do you know about creative industries ?

Spotlight on the UK

Cultural and Creative Industries are recognized as a growth potential for the Polish economy.In 2010 Poland was 17th on the world's list of countries by export of creative products.Many cities and regions in Poland have some form of creative sector strategy; in the most developed regions the promotion of the creative sector is part of policy for knowledge-based industries.Cooperation between companies in creative industries takes many forms: participation in fairs, research and projects development, cooperating in the creation of joint marketing concepts.


Spotlight on Poland

Ireland does not publish stand alone creative industries statistics. However, Creative Ireland 2017 -2022 is the Government’s five-year initiative, which places creativity at the centre of public policy. Of specific relevance to creative industries, the outcomes include• A Culture and Creativity plan in every county• A national plan to enable every child in Ireland to

access tuition in music, drama, art and coding • A new pilot mechanism to assist self employed

artists who have applied for Jobseekers Allowance.

• An industry-wide, long-term plan, for Ireland as a global hub for the production of Film, TV Drama, and Animation

http://creative.ireland.ie/


Spotlight on Ireland

Spotlight on Sweden

• The creative and cultural industries are an important part of a region to develop and be attractive. All regions in Sweden have developed their own plans or programs for the cultural and creative industries.

• 117,000 companies are active in the cultural and creative industries in Sweden and the number increased by an average of 5.4 percent per year between 2008 and 2010. Nearly 83 percent of businesses are sole proprietorships and 98 percent have 0-9 employees.

• More than 146,000 people are employed in the cultural and creative industries and only 0.1 percent have 200 or more employees.


Spotlight on Sweden

Small Business & Entrepreneurship

About our course