The Artist Independent EN by ArtEZ University of the Arts

The Artist Independent

a I U E E E E t T s SS r N n B R Z C

Is there a secret to cultural success?

The Artist Independent is a newspaper for every ArtEZ student who is curious about life after ArtEZ. It deals with essential questions such as’Is there a secret to cultural success? Do you have to excel in your profession or is it all about selling yourself? Am I the only one who feels insecure? What happens when the going gets tough and how do you stay on track?’

This newspaper is a valuable compilation of information, knowledge and above all experience from teachers and alumni, among others, who have already taken the step into the professional field. The Artist Independent looks at a variety of careers,

provides insight into how to build an hourly rate and discusses the opportunities offered by grants and funds. There is also a focus on dealing with uncertainty and setbacks, challenges that many entrepreneurs face. As well as providing practical knowledge, the newspaper offers support and validation through personal stories.

Is this a newspaper for fourth-year students? Absolutely, but not exclusively! After all, you can develop an entrepreneurial attitude early on. That’s why The Artist Independent is relevant to any student wondering what life will be like after ArtEZ

There’s always something new to work on

When people think about being entrepreneurial, they often think it means working 50-hour weeks and being good at sales. I prefer to think of being entrepreneurial as being able to see tasks that are relevant, come up with appropriate ideas and make those ideas executable.

More focus on culture? More information Money? Learning new things? A life without stress? Or a combination of all of the above? If you are entrepreneurial, you decide what being successful means. I see that in myself, but also in my clients.

How do you move in a world that has seemingly defined success in ways different from your own? I believe that is where the true art lies. Personally, I don’t really believe in a linear path to so-called success. My path seems to move more in circular phases: along the way, I learn, I have unexpected collaborations, I work on ideas of my own

and others, things occasionally go wrong, and the context is constantly changing.

Meanwhile, I know that I am moving in a direction that pleases me. By continuing to ask myself what is relevant, what ideas I have about that and how I can implement them, I feel I can continue to shape what is important to me or to others.

Viewed in this way, after the academy you do not begin your path to success, rather it is the beginning of an initial phase in which you discover what is important to you and what you want to work on in the next phase. And after that, you begin a new phase in which you get to discover what is important to you now and what you want to work on in the next phase. And so on and so on. That means not everything has to be perfect and there is always something new to work on. It’s just like the academy…

Image: Anne Born, alumna

Illustration Design

Image: Amarins

Yntema, alumna

Illustration Design

By Mark Kuiper lecturer in Interior Architecture and Creative Director of his own company DEBUT

The use of a portfolio on Leerpodium

Are you already working with Leerpodium? If you are, you may have seen that you can upload your portfolio. This is interesting because you can take this portfolio with you after graduation in the form of your own website.

Tessa Ravenstein studied Theatre in Education at ArtEZ and put a good deal of effort into her portfolio during her studies. How good she was at this did not pass unnoticed. Her name quickly popped up when ArtEZ was looking for someone to provide training to lecturers and students on how to use the portfolio on Leerpodium so that it will work for you.

What’s so great about a portfolio? Tessa tells herself: ‘You can think of a portfolio as proof of your artistic output. You include work you have completed, but you can also put in representations of rehearsals and extracurricular experiences. Think of it as a showcase on which you can reflect, experiment and receive feedback in the safe setting of an educational institution. You are starting to get used to showing yourself through your work. You will surprise yourself at the amount of output you have accumulated, because believe me: you forget a lot of what you did!’

Safe start to profiling yourself Tessa continues: ‘During mid-term discussions, lecturers may ask you to identify which of your works you consider meaningful. As a result, you start profiling yourself, without it being immediately commercial and visible to the outside world. That gives you an edge, because many people find it difficult to pinpoint where their strengths lie.

When I looked back on my portfolio after graduation, I discovered that I had taken on an entrepreneurial role quite often during projects with a healthcare facility and Social Works. So this is practical experience that you can leverage during job interviews. If you maintain your portfolio properly, it is quite simple to create a website, because the content... you already have it!’

ee rp o d iu m p o rtf o l io

What if entrepreneurship is not in your blood?

Sometimes you overhear a conversation and continue to listen, captivated, because you have become intrigued by someone’s thoughts on a topic. Conversations also often arise on LinkedIn. Read below the conversation that begins as Marjolein Kats, a freelance online copywriter and communications consultant, expresses her doubts about having a business of your own. Kitty Arends, also self-employed, responds.

Marjolein: ‘Entrepreneurship is not in my blood. But I do it. You make strides that you didn’t think were possible before. That regularly feels incredibly good and powerful. And it is regularly scary, if not terrifying. Breaking through that fear is the only way, keep breathing: just do it. But also giving and allowing yourself the right tools by continuing to learn and develop. And staying challenged that way.’

‘Have faith that there is plenty of work out there and forget that mantra that “there is no money to be made in art’. Have confidence in yourself: You have a lot to offer, just check out your portfolio! Do not hesitate to show this. Start small. Ask people to talk to you about your work, or about their work if you think it could be of interest to you. In my

experience, everyone actually likes to do that. I personally found the outside world quite different from the bubble I was in during my studies. It felt as if people with different study backgrounds felt more readily comfortable communicating in a business-like manner. I had to overcome a few barriers, but hey, this something you can get used to if you just go for it!’

Response by Kitty Arends to this post by Marjolein: ‘I find the idea that entrepreneurship is or is not in your blood actually an interesting proposition. I often hear myself say the same thing (I am not an entrepreneur pur sang), but then I also often wonder: What do I actually mean by that? I think it stems from a limited notion of what entrepreneurship is, something that is mainly about making money. While that’s not necessarily where I think it starts. Basically, entrepreneurship for me is an impulse to want to do something in the world I live in; make a move from inside to outside, where salaried work (in this context the opposite of entrepreneurship) goes more in the other direction: the world needs something and you respond to it. But perhaps it is not so black and white and we may all well be entrepreneurial, some more in a stable framework, others more off-the-wall. In the end, it’s about going your own way.’

Marjolein: ‘Ha Kitty, I like that thought: making that move from inside to outside. Entrepreneurship, having a business, gives you freedom to decide for yourself, but it also means getting everything out of yourself. And that it is not in your blood... perhaps it is actually not so black and white.’

What

does your work provide for others?

And how can this way of thinking help to increase your hourly rate?

As narrated by Frank Kolkman, Head of Product Design

Many students are insufficiently aware of their added value to the field. The reason for this is that they often take themselves as a starting point when thinking about their added value: what does my work cost me? But you can also consider: what does my work provide for others? Sometimes, that can be many times more than what you charge. It often depends on the amount of risk that the client is taking and what it would cost them to do things differently.

Consider the following example:

Somebody earns € 75 per hour but can’t come up with an idea. How many hours would it take this person to come up with the idea that you bring to the table?

Also consider what risks the clients are taking by asking you to undertake an assignment for them. What could go wrong? When the risks are serious, that also increases the value of your work.

This suggests you should value your work based on what you are providing for your clients – or what risks you are sheltering them from – rather than taking your own costs as the point of departure.

I

understand your problem. I understand your risk.

Imagine you are a musician, and you are asked to play at a festival. The risk is much more serious if the organizer is expecting 10.000 people rather than say, 30. Because of course: 10.000 unhappy visitors mean serious reputational damage.

Casually show that you understand the risk. ‘Of course, with 10.000 visitors, you’d want everyone to have a great night, no complaints. Yeah, I understand. That means I have to prepare very carefully and cover all my bases. I can do that, I’ll do X, Y and Z, and that means this is my price.’

It’s a simple concept, but one with major implications. Oh, by the way: make sure you always set clear terms and conditions for the job and that the expectations are clear. Tips for after

Conversation on LinkedIn, by Marjolein Kats and Kitty Arends

Tessa Ravenstein, alumna of Artisteducator in Theater & Media in Zwolle

Tessa Ravenstein

Image: Irene Schiphorst. alumna Comic Design

Bugbatches

The

company Bibi Anker started before she even started her studies

Why would you only hang art on the wall? Wouldn’t it be much more fun to wear little works of art on your clothing? With that thought, Bibi Anker (21) started designing and selling pins. Even before starting the Comic Design course, Bibi was running her own company, Bugbatches. At the moment, she primarily makes pins (metal brooches) with her own designs. She describes her style as ‘silly and colourful’.

Investors from every corner of the world Bibi pulled together her starting capital for Bugbatches in 2020 with the help of crowdfunding. She has investors from every corner of the world. Bibi: ‘I was soon shipping my badges to the United States, Brazil and New Zealand. It’s great to think that people are wearing my designs there.’ That’s when it took off. Bibi started with 400 followers on Instagram and 550 on TikTok; she now has a total of 13,000. And as well as badges, she now also makes socks, posters, bags and clips.

Develop yourself first Bibi believes Comic Design has benefited her business precisely because she wasn’t working on Bugbatches for the first part of her course: ‘Making comics is different to designing badges, but I have been able to apply the same principles about storytelling to my products. I learned how to use colour, formal language and everything you need to make visually strong art during Comic Design. But the course has primarily helped me grow as a person. When you develop as a person, your art develops with you.’

Making ends

By Annemieke Dannenberg, Jante Wortel & Nick Felix, alumni Creative Writing

‘How boring is that, working by yourself.’*

How can you make sure that you can provide for yourself as an artist? Will you register at the Chamber of Commerce and reel in the work as an entrepreneur? Do you want to work for a company or organization? Or will you stick to the part-time job you’ve had for years?

Let’s make one thing clear first of all: there’s no ‘wrong choice’. If you want to bartend five nights a week, go for it. If you want to incorporate as an independent artist, that’s fine. If you want to put your heart and soul into an art world career: wonderful. Clichés are inevitable: the most important thing is being happy with what you’re doing.

The freedom of owning your own business During your studies you are mostly busy with your work, and then the red tape involved in setting up your own business can be quite intimidating and exhausting. You can obtain information from the Kamer van Koophandel, the Belastingdienst and books. Make no mistake, your first tax return will still be accompanied by dancing numbers, fearful sweat and general misery. But the second time

‘The first two years of the course are a unique period in which you are given time to discover a lot about yourself and your creative process. So don’t think about what will and won’t sell.’

As such, her tip for other enterprising art students is: develop yourself first, only then develop your company. Bibi explains: ‘When you go to art school, it is important that you start making autonomous work. The first two years of the course are a unique period in which you are given time to discover a lot about yourself and your creative process. So don’t think about what will and won’t sell. You need that autonomous basis.’

Part-time job

Now that Bibi has had a year and a half to focus entirely on her company, she has gained a surprising insight: she doesn’t want to devote herself to her own business full-time after graduating. Because otherwise, by her own account, Bibi would be working 24/7: ‘I really don’t stop sending e-mails or ordering stock at 5 PM, and I forget that I need to reserve time for myself. I just really love running a business! I’m definitely going to continue with Bugbatches, but I’m also going to find a part-time job to do alongside it, because I like having structure in my day.’

Follow Bugbatches on Instagram: @bugbatches

This article has been edited and previously appeared as a story on artez.nl. In it, Bibi talks about what it is like to do an internship in your own company, which is possible through a special programme offered by ArtEZ Business Centre in cooperation with Saxion. This programme is a pilot: ask about the possibilities at abc@artez.nl.

The pluses and minuses of working

as a collective

By Tim Bongaerts, alumnus Creative Writing

More and more ArtEZ students are forming collectives after they graduate. We see writers, actors, musicians and designers banding together, while the image of the lone artist is slowly losing relevance. Is this a modern trend? Or is there another reason why collectives are popular?

Some collectives are formed because of shared values, for example around social issues. The collective TEDER, for example, is made up of Music Theatre alumni and grew out of a shared commitment to feminism. The students involved had already worked together occasionally during their studies, and that collaboration continued after graduation.

‘The image of the lone artist is slowly losing its relevance’

KNOKPLOEG, by contrast, a 15-member collective with Creative Writing alumni, was born out of a shared determination not to fall into the notorious ‘Black Hole’ after graduation. The freedom you have after art school can actually be crippling because of the lack of control, deadlines or assignments; before you know it, you’re not producing anything. Plus, the rent has to be paid, so it can be difficult to find the time for your art. KNOKPLOEG meet weekly to eat and brainstorm together and to keep each other ‘on the straight and narrow’.

A collective has other benefits, too. TEDER points out that it is nice to be able to divide tasks. From responding to e-mails and doing admin to preparing grant applications, it’s nice when you don’t have to do everything yourself. As a collective, you share the responsibility. When you create and present together, you are less vulnerable.

Still, it is important to think carefully before rushing headlong into starting a collective in the hope of reducing your workload or taking pressure off yourself. Because there are also drawbacks. When you make together you also lose some of your ownership. You will sometimes have to compromise because you are not the only one working on something. Which means there is always the risk of losing connection with your own work. TEDER also warn of this: ‘It is important not to censor your own

ideas while at the same time realising that the product is not yours alone. It’s a new creation that you might not have thought of yourself and that’s the fun of it!’

KNOKPLOEG choose to play with the idea of ownership. Members read each other’s texts and engage with the other person’s ideas. If only four people are available for an assignment, the final product is still presented as a KNOKPLOEG product. Still, it can be tricky with so many people. Everyone has their own commitments, but they must nevertheless keep up with all the (internal) developments. There are also differences in working methods, but provided there is a basis of trust, you can occasionally step on each other’s toes without things blowing up right away.

As a friend, what is it like to also become a colleague? It helps to keep the friendship, and the business relationship separate. The RAM collective (Music Theatre alumni) recommends what they call a ‘hats system’, alternating between the friendship hat and the colleague hat. That way, the context of a comment is always clear.

Is collective working for you?

Advantages:

✓tackle tasks together, such as administration and e-mail

✓shared responsibility for the final product

✓motivation

✓your work is enriched by ideas from others

✓company

✓more people: bigger network

✓mutual trust

Challenges:

✓less ownership

✓ keeping connection with your own work

✓ mixing friendship with business

✓ combining methods the more members, the more challenging the diary

around, it will already seem less complicated, especially if you try to better understand the big bad capitalist machine. For example, by going to (free) Kamer van Koophandel seminars, which are there specifically to help new entrepreneurs get started.

‘Nasty images about red bank figures and a diet of only crackers with herb cheese? Take a breath and write down how much money you need.’

Bowing to the great capitalist monster Is your work tainted if you charge for it? Does the creative waterfall dry up immediately if you’re ‘only doing it to pay the rent’? This is something you have in your control. If you feel the work you do on commission should never see the light of day, then it might be wise to find other ways to make some money. With a side job, for example. You may discover that you perform surprisingly well with the commercial sword of Damocles dangling above your head. But for many people, working for a larger company or production house can be an excellent option. Having your own business requires effort, focus and a certain amount of discipline. That does pay off in terms of artistic freedom and the ability to schedule your own week.

Side job

A side job, even if it has nothing to do with your profession, can take a way a lot of your worries.

The income it gives you may well be more consistent than what you make from self-employment or

directly from your art, which can be unpredictable. And it may also feel refreshing to do something you’re not putting your creative heart and soul into.

Let’s talk about money

Is this giving you an uncomfortable feeling? Is it conjuring up nasty images of blue tax envelopes, red bank figures and a diet of only crackers and cheese? Take a breath and write down how much you need.

Open the least sexy program on your computer: Excel

Create a column of expenses and complete it honestly. What do you need to get by? How much will you have to work to earn that much? By playing your own accountant for a moment and being honest, you’ll probably discover that making ends meet is not an impossible challenge.

Grants: can be a bureaucratic mountain to climb

For young artists and performers (and old ones too, for that matter), grants are a very good option for funding their work. Fortunately, there is still room for subsidised work in every sector. When applying for grants, make sure you are a hundred percent behind your project, because a theory or just an idea is not enough to qualify.

Conclusion

Work to create a situation in which you can flourish. Whether that involves a steady job, two side jobs, grant applications, going self-employed or a combination of all of the above, it doesn’t matter. When you have confidence in what you can do and you are doing it the way you want, success and smiles will follow.

*Quote: Merel

Image: Bibi Anker

Image: Work it, Make it, let me guide you after ArtEZ

Raven, alumna Design Art Technology

Seven tips that teachers want you to know about

Pieter van Engelen Teacher at ArtEZ Academy of Music (entrepreneurship)

‘My most important tip? Start looking for the answer to the question of why you make the art you make early on during your studies. The answer will give you the strength and authenticity to be the captain of your own ship and bring others on board. No entrepreneur can do it all alone!’

Bas Aaftink Communication & Marketing at ArtEZ Academy of Music

‘Pick a niche! Pick a niche! Pick a niche! As an independent musician, you’ll want to reach as many people as possible with your band, orchestra, music school, studio or performances. At first your enthusiasm is sky-high, and your energy appears to be unlimited. The biggest pitfall in this phase is that you try to design your lyrics, visuals and approach in such a way that your product will speak to everything and everyone. You’ll reach the widest possible audience and everyone can get something out of it. That may sound like a good thing, but you will end up with a strategy that doesn’t truly speak to anyone because it’s too generic. That’s why I always say: “If you’re starting out, uphold this simple mantra: Pick a niche!” But do pick it carefully and make sure you have a high shareability factor, so that your work can easily spread.’

Design)

‘Have the courage to start your own business, but be realistic, too. Split up your main goal into small, quickly achievable goals. Give yourself time, because starting a business will take time. Being an entrepreneur will require you to pay attention to all the little cogs in the machine, of which the product design is just one aspect.’

Frank Kolkman Head of Product Design

‘Determine your value based on what your work provides to your client, or the risks you’re covering for your client –rather than basing it on your own costs.’

‘It all comes down to visibility’, says Rianne Stremmelaar, who works as an entrepreneur in the animation industry alongside her teaching job. ‘If people know you, they’ll think about you first when they have a job to do. You can also exchange tips and ask for help within your network, helping you develop your practice further. I’m personally not very picky about the kinds of work that I do. I see myself primarily as an animation filmmaker, but I am happy to do other types of work sometimes. Besides reducing the financial pressure, that also provides a context to who I am as a person and as a maker. No matter what, it’s a good idea to get away from the drawing board sometimes. Go outside, talk to people! And keep developing – follow courses, explore the professional field. There is a great deal to discover and to learn!’

Don’t wish someone luck!

Imagine someone about to do something important: a performance, pitch, audition, presentation or job application. You want to encourage this person and you say: ‘Good luck!’ seems logical, but there is a better way to give someone a boost. Wish each other fun instead of success.

There are several reasons why that probably works better.

1) It reduces pressure. The word ‘success’ implies that the other person must achieve a specific result, and so things can go wrong. Thus, you may inadvertently cause more stress.

2) It puts the focus on the process, not the result.

3) By wishing someone joy, you encourage them to focus on the process and not fret about the outcome.

4) By encouraging someone to enjoy the moment, you are also encouraging them to be fully present and focused on the present moment (mindfulness).

‘Whatever you do and whomever is involved, make sure that people can rely on you: return calls and e-mails, be on time and come prepared. Being talented isn’t enough to build a successful career. You also need social skills. Try to be a kind, reliable person, be honest about yourself and be generous to others, as well.’

Tips from a free

By Maartje Valk, freelance fundraiser

Many creators fear that fundraising is complicated and they just don’t get started. They fear that they are wasting their time in attempts that have no chance anyway because they do not know the ‘tricks’ of professional fundraisers. However, I am 100% convinced that you yourself are the best fundraiser for your project and my mission is therefore to give you the confidence and tools to write a promising application yourself.

As a freelance fundraiser, I have raised more than 1 million euros in recent years for various projects and clients. Over the years, I have also been involved with several funds as a consultant to advise them on the applications they receive. On my instagram (@maartjevalk.co.uk) you can find a lot of free tips and information about fundraising in the creative sector.

Persuading funds with a strong story takes practice and preparation! Take the steps below to effectively prepare for writing:

‘Make sure to explore outside of your (musical) bubble! A classical pianist like myself can learn a lot from a DJ, a visual artist or a fashion designer – and vice versa. Artists working outside of our own field can have a great influence on our work.’

lance fundraiser

1: Think about what you already have

Before you begin writing, it is essential to take stock of what information and resources you already have at your disposal. This could be anything: previous plans, notes of conversations you’ve had, research, or ideas you’ve come up with. What can you use as a basis for your plan?

2: Think about what you still need

Now that you know what you already have, it’s also important to look at what you don’t have yet. Make a list of the information, knowledge, research or resources you still need to gather. And how are you going to get this input? This step is crucial to ensure that your plan is complete and well-founded.

Entrepreneurship is creatively solving problems

Bert van Beek works as a lecturer on the Creative Writing course and likes to think of entrepreneurship skills as a ‘natural’ part of the education. He prefers to draw on the experience and expertise of alums rather than relying exclusively on those of lecturers who have an established creative practise. The professional field is changing incredibly quickly, and that means alumni’s experiences are ‘fresher’ and more appropriate to the phase you are in as a student. Bert uses the Entrecomp model. This model categorises the many facets of entrepreneurship and invites you to think of it as creative problem solving. Bert now enriches his classes with entrepreneurship skills. As a student, when he asks you to make something the assignment now includes things like production costs, target audience and sale price. Bert gets you thinking about what you have to offer and how you can capitalise on it. By doing so, you are working on entrepreneurship even during the creative process, i.e. where your enthusiasm lies.

Interested?

5) It increases self-confidence. By wishing someone joy, you indirectly affirm your great confidence in someone’s worth and abilities.

6) Fun = success. No, of course it’s not always enough to enjoy it yourself. But a presentation almost always gets better if you just have fun with it yourself. And a good job interview hinges on the ‘click’ with your interviewers, and you get that much faster if you try to have a nice conversation.

So if you have an important gig soon, have fun!

3: Talk to people

Conversations with others can provide valuable insights. Sometimes the best inspiration or information comes from an exchange of ideas with someone else. Involve others in your plan and ask for their perspectives. By sparring with peers, people you want to collaborate with, colleagues who have experience with similar projects and fund advisors, you enrich your plan while creating broader support for your ideas. Don’t skip this step because it will help you sharpen the content of your plan.

Remember that a first draft is rarely good! So don’t stare at a blank page for too long and just start somewhere. Writing is a process of touching up and editing. Ask for feedback, involve others in your process and don’t be afraid to experiment.

‘Don’t expect too much of yourself in the first year. You have to figure out who you are and explore your path as an artist in the widest sense.’

‘There is no golden formula for starting a business that isn’t uncertain. Uncertainty is part of the job.’

Ratna Ho Teacher Textiles at ArtEZ Art & Design Arnhem (Fashion

Helena Basilova Teacher at ArtEZ Academy of Music (Classical Music)

Rianne Stremmelaar Teacher at ArtEZ Art & Design Zwolle (Animation Design)

Phaedra Kwant Teacher at ArtEZ Academy of Music (Jazz & Pop)

Myrthe Majoor, alumna Creative Writing

Frederike Luijten, alumna Creative Writing

Follow Maartje op Instagram

Illustration by Valeria Vangelista, alumna Illustration Design

Chatting about a shared passion

By Tim Bongaerts and Lars Meijer, alumni Creative Writing

How much do you network? Are you one of those people who can’t wait to go places and talk to everyone, or does the very idea cause sweat to run down your back? It would not be so strange – many artists feel anxious about networking, for all sorts of reasons. It can feel like you are forcing yourself on someone and wasting somebody’s time. What if this person who could do something for you simply doesn’t like your work? Those are very understandable concerns.

It can help to remember that networking, in the best cases, is a two-way street. Or, as musician Cedric Siegers puts it: ‘Networking is nothing more than chatting about shared passions.’ In addition, you can train yourself to succeed at it: the more often you network, the more comfortable you will feel. Below, you’ll find eight tips that can help you:

Read up

It may seem self-evident, but oftentimes, you can check in advance who will be attending a particular event, e.g. in the mailing list or on the Facebook page. If you know who you want to talk to and what they look like, it will make it easier to break the ice.

Talk with purpose

Since you know who will be there, you are able to start intentional conversations with specific people during the event. That helps you avoid meaningless chats while you’re looking for that one person.

Let people know what you do

Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself and mention your profession, or to start talking about a project you’re working on. People

can’t approach you for assignments if they don’t know what your field is.

Help someone else

Making money isn’t the only reason to network. If you end up talking to someone and think to yourself ‘You know who you ought to talk to sometime?’ – don’t hesitate to suggest it.

Plan meet-ups carefully

A well-known pitfall is to immediately ask your new acquaintance for a work meet-up. Keep in mind that getting together can take a lot of effort for both of you. Think carefully about what you want to get out of a ‘coffee date’ and why you’re trying to meet up with this person.

A little bit of awkwardness is okay

When a conversation runs dry for whatever reason, it is not the end of the world. Your conversation partner is probably feeling the same thing you are. Try to push through; the other person will also appreciate that. Be patient. Most opportunities don’t immediately result in you getting paid. When you’ve made a new work acquaintance, it can sometimes take time before it leads to a commission. It can be helpful to keep your contact warm by following each other on social media after the networking event. Treat networking as a coffee date: All these networking technique tips aside, it is good to remember that networking can be, if all goes well, a relaxing occasion where you have a chat over a drink. The most valuable and fruitful conversations are informal, allowing awkwardness to dissipate and mutual interest to spark. Good luck and have fun!

Vital entrepreneurship with the entrepreneurial lab

By Carlijn Meijer, alumna Interior Designer

Does your workspace affect your vitality?

‘Absolutely’, says interior designer Carlijn Meijer. Especially for young entrepreneurs, she designed the entrepreneurial lab: a space that feels open and soft, and that responds to the needs of the user. In her article, she talks more about her vision of space and vitality.

Starting a business entails challenges. The pressure to combine various responsibilities, such as study and work, and financial concerns, can be tough. My graduate research focuses on how the physical environment can support these challenges through the perception of space.

Spatial perception is an abstract concept, but it intrigues me immensely. Spaces do something to you, and I’ve always found the question of where that comes from interesting. How can seemingly technical design choices sometimes turn into pure poetry?

In Zwolle, right next to the train station is the Spoorzone. The future plans for this area offer a lot of space for young entrepreneurs, and I’m refurbishing a vacant building on this site. I’m designing an entrepreneurial lab, for young entrepreneurs looking for a different attitude to work. By studying how materials, colours and use of light affect our brain, you can use them purposefully when you want to achieve a sensory experience of space that positively affects the user’s state of mind. For example, a space can have a beneficial influence on vitality. With my design, I not only transform the interior of a building, but I also offer a different vision of work. I want to create a place where you will be amazed and inspired again, and, moreover, I want to draw attention to the importance of vitality besides a successful career.

'Does your workspace affect your vitality?'

Choosing and

using social media

As an entrepreneur, you want your audience to know what you have to offer. Simply having a website really isn’t enough – you’ll need social media channels to generate visitors.

The National Social Media Study 2024 by research bureau Newcom confirms it: visibility on social media helps you reach a potential audience of millions. The popularity of social media channels varies. Instagram and TikTok have been the frontrunners for a while, and after a period of decline, LinkedIn is back with 10% growth. X (previously known as Twitter) is also on the rise with 125,000 new followers.

Between all these channels, you can choose the platform that is the best fit for your work or service. To help you on your way, you can find a description of the types of content on each channel below. You can easily use multiple channels to spread a single message, giving a channel-appropriate twist to each post.

Try to post at least once a week to ensure that your contributions are also seen by (followers of) your followers. The golden rule: it’s better to use one channel effectively than to use multiple channels half-heartedly.

YouTube and Vimeo

Share vlogs and ‘how to’

videos with your audience

The YouTube algorithm evaluates and rewards the videos based on viewing time. YouTube wants to capture the viewer and therefore videos of around 10 minutes perform better than very short ones.

Inspire your audience with (e.g.) mood boards

This channel works very well when you have a web shop.

Vl

Facebook

Interact with your audience by sharing interesting messages

On your Facebook company page, you can do many things: besides sharing information about your business, you can run promotions, livestream and respond to questions from customers. Anyone who presses the ‘like’ button will also start seeing your future updates.

Instagram

Support the story behind your work with images and video

Share interactive Stories (visible for 24 hours), make photo collages or share Reels if you have longer video content. Engage your viewers with your business in an entertaining way.

TikTok

Share your creative ‘snackable content’ videos of max. 1 minute here

Tip: TikTok isn’t just used by teenagers anymore. People in their twenties, thirties, and (particularly) forties also use it these days.

Keep your network up to date on the latest developments around your business

LinkedIn also lets you participate in discussions and share articles from your own field. This helps you build lasting relationships with your contacts.

aamse Poepers

The power of a collective

By Louis Reith, teacher Crossmedia Design

De Studio in Antwerp organises the annual Grafixx festival, bringing together the best of the graphic arts. One of the many events of the festival is Zine Fest, where independent illustrators and publishers show graphic novels, handmade zines and art prints.

I’m a co-organiser of Grafixx and I invite fourthyear students every year to immerse themselves in the world of the graphic arts. Of course, I’m not involved with every single part of the festival, so I was surprised to learn that there was an open call to give unknown makers an opportunity to present their work at Zine Fest. I immediately thought: what a perfect opportunity for students to show their work!

I shared the open call and soon after, my Teams chat flooded with messages. It turned out that you had to submit at least five publications to participate. But how to create five publications in a short time without sacrificing quality? Most students were in the middle of their academic year or their finals preparations and gave up for that reason. ‘Too bad, better luck next year.’

And then I got a message from Ana, one of my students. She and three other second-year students had started a collective under the unforgettable (and untranslatable) name Vlaamse Poepers. A smart move, because as a collective they were able to submit five publications. And their entry was even selected as one of the ten winners, which means it was seen by more than 3000 Grafixx visitors.

A happy epilogue to the story is that the members of the Vlaamse Poepers collective really found each other!

Image: Vlaamse Poepers

Image: Carlijn Meijer, alumna Interior designer

By Neel Diekema, project assistant at ArtEZ Academy of Theatre & Dance

A personal network is an important part of entrepreneurship in the arts. This network isn’t necessarily dependent on attending the right parties or social events where you pray for an interesting conversation with the right person. Because networking is a professional activity that is in your own hands. In the Artisteducator in Theatre & Media course, students develop their so-called ‘mapping skills’ starting in the first year.

What is Mapping?

As a starting entrepreneur, you’ll need to find your way in a wide-ranging network of experts – just think about everyone you can find on the internet and social media. Lex Prinzen is internship coordinator at the Artisteducator course, and he explains that Mapping is an important tool, amongst other things to find clients. Mapping is about finding and maintaining your network, Prinzen says. ‘Through Mapping, our students learn to investigate, specify and discuss the places or people they are connected to or want to be connected to. It’s an activity that entrepreneurs are constantly occupied with.’

Do you want to try it for yourself?

Follow these tips by Lex Prinzen:

1: Make a physical map or another ‘geographical’ framework that allows you to literally map out your network by answering questions like: which professionals do I know? Whom am I connected to on social media? Who do I want to bring along?

2: Think about labelling and activating your network. Who’s in my phone directory? How did I note them down? What information do I include in personal data? How can I activate a person in my network?

3: Be constantly aware of the relevance of your encounters and try to connect to networks within and beyond the academy during your studies. What skills and expertise do your classmates have? What relevant people do you meet during your studies? Consider, for example, guest teachers, conversation partners, thesis supervisors...

4: Actively research within your field of interest to find organisations and individuals who work in a similar way to you. Translate the outcomes of your research into (for example) a geographical map (see the first tip).

5: Choose a digital form like a website or database that helps you to present information about yourself and others. Who are you when you graduate? How do you provide information about yourself and others and with what aim? Think about links to e-mail addresses, social media, portfolios, open calls and job openings.

6: Your network is an active part of your career and is therefore not stagnant. So, make sure to join social-artistic meetings, WhatsApp groups in which people share their current hourly wages or interesting jobs or go on a walk in which you share your work experiences or specific knowledge. You’re always standing on the shoulders of someone else – be a professional and recognise that!

Lose your balance, allow yourself to fall, and catch yourself again

Look, when I arrived at ArtEZ ten years ago, I had no interest whatsoever in art. I cared about writing, of course; I had done it my whole life. And reading, endlessly, book after book after book. But art? No. To be honest, I found the whole idea of art school a little beneath me. Both beneath my level and above my means. You can’t borrow art with your library card. No, I was destined to go to university. University! The place I had always dreamt of.

‘I found the whole idea of art school a little beneath my level.’

But once I got there, things didn’t quite click for me. It took a year for me to feel like I could say something about it to one of my teachers. ‘Basically all we do here is compare the thoughts of other smart people…’ ‘Yes, that is correct.’ ‘But is there going to be a point soon enough where I can come up with something of my own?’

And that’s how I ended up in art school after all, specifically the writing course. Things have changed since those days, but at the time, writing wasn’t really seen as a form of art – writers weren’t artists, they were intellectuals.

We were in a small room on top of the Academy of Music, with a beautiful view of the bend of the Rhine. During the breaks, people would sing arias in the hallways. During our writing assignments, there was always someone practicing a new drum beat or a piano piece in one of the rehearsal rooms around us. We heard them play, make mistakes, take a beat, and start again. Sound after sound after sound.

And then, after a few months, it clicked. Suddenly I understood why I, as a writer, belonged in that building. Because the cycle is basically the same. Whether it’s poetry or dance. You think of something, you try it, something emerges, but it’s not quite what you expected. Then you think or feel whether it’s right or not. And you do it again, and again, and again. Whether it’s writing lines of poetry or playing the violin.

Or, for that matter, dance movements. Sometime during my first year, we had to do a collaborative project with students of other courses. I was grouped together with two musicians and a dancer. They started working with each other straight away, making music, improvising movements. And I was in the corner with an empty notebook, because we hadn’t discussed what the theme of the project was going to be.

We did that for a few successive sessions. Until the dancer had enough. She came up to me and told me to get on my feet. That I should follow her footsteps. But literally: put my feet on top of hers. Moving around like that, I realised: walking is like falling. Only you catch yourself just in time with another footstep. And then you fall again. Fall after fall after fall.

‘Allow yourself to lose your balance, let yourself fall, and catch yourself again’

Leading up to the writing of this text, I thought a great deal about what exactly I learned at ArtEZ. If I had to summarise it, I think it would be exactly that: trusting the next step. Whether you work alone or collaborate with makers from other disciplines. Allow yourself to lose your balance, let yourself fall, and catch yourself again. The result will always be just a little different than you thought, but it’s always a movement. Sometimes the movement itself is beautiful, but in any case, it will allow you to make the next movement, which might be even more beautiful. Movement after movement after movement.

By Martin Rombouts, alumnus Creative Writing. Image: Aisha Zeijpveld

Martin Rombouts, photo: Aisha Zeijpveld

From Fine Art and politics to the position of director

‘I imagine they mostly thought of me as an annoying busybody’

By Mei-yun Boswinkel, student Creative Writing Sharon Gesthuizen is the Academy director of ArtEZ Academy of Art & Design Arnhem

The only thing I can see of her when I step into her office is her torso, shrouded in a black blouse with its top button undone and its collar neatly folded down. Her head remains hidden behind two computer screens. Her fingers are typing hastily. ‘Go ahead and have a seat, I’ll be right there.’

I sit down at the table near the door. In front of me, a triangular constellation materialises: Sharon’s desk is flanked on both sides by additional desks.

‘Sorry, I had to finish a difficult e-mail.’ She emerges from behind her computer. Checkered pencil skirt, stockings, high heels, painted lips. Sharon sits down diagonally across from me, drapes her black leather jacket over her shoulders and crosses her legs. After graduating in BEAR Fine Art (‘Vrije Kunst’ at the time), she ended up in parliament. And after her departure from politics, she stumbled upon the vacancy at ArtEZ by accident. Today, she is the Director of Art & Design and studies to obtain a law degree on the side.

‘After graduating in BEAR Fine Art, she ended up in parliament’

‘I remember telling my teacher in spatial design that I wanted to get into politics. He said –Sharon adopts a stern voice – ‘…that’s a snake pit.’ She laughs. ‘But I already knew I would join the LSVb (Dutch Student Union). That’s where I first got involved with politics. It was a disillusionment. So many politicians dealing with all sorts of things, except with the substance of the issues that we hoped – as the Student Union – would have inspired them to get into politics.’

After her year on the board of the Dutch Student Union – ‘overall profoundly disappointing’ –Sharon became a member of the Socialist Party (SP) in 2004, to protest a proposal to raise ministers’ salaries during a time of economic recession and budget cuts – ‘Ridiculous!’ She started as a volunteer, rose through the ranks, and was invited to run for parliament after two years. Until that time, she continued her artistic practice in photography, illustration and web design. She also started her own business for applied and autonomous video work.

‘I never believed that I could change the world with art. But I did find it interesting to incorporate social criticism into my work’, she says, shifting her legs. ‘I graduated with a video performance. It was a political artwork about feminism and patriarchal relations.’

‘Did your teachers already see your political ambitions at the time?’ ‘I imagine they mostly thought of me as an annoying busybody.’ Sharon crosses her arms and smiles. Behind her, her colleague Jolanda slips into the office. ‘When I was in parliament, it frustrated me to see how little people engaged with culture. Here at the academy, I dislike how little people are engaged with politics. I basically have a grating, polemic personality, that’s what it comes down to. My management assistant here can confirm that.’ She turns to her ‘right hand’ Jolanda, who has meanwhile settled behind the left desk and raises her head. ‘She may be smiling right now, but…’ Sharon does not finish her sentence. She chuckles.

‘Why did you leave politics?’ ‘I was a member of a party that was doomed to stay in opposition for a long, long time. After ten years, it becomes difficult to remain persuasively fierce and critical all the time. At some point, it’s time to make room for somebody else.’ She brushes her hair to the side. A tiny white pearl dangles from her ear. Sharon looks doubtful for a moment, then shrugs. ‘In retrospect, instead of that year on the board of the Student Union, maybe I should have gone on to a MA course. My final exam exhibit was praised a great deal, it would have been fun if I had exploited that more. But that wasn’t the choice I made. Things went the way they went.’

ey of Yuliya Globa

Every career in the arts is different. Take Yuliya Globa, who was born in Ukraine, emigrated to Germany and later moved to the Netherlands. She graduated from the Artisteducator in Dance course and now works at the ArtEZ Academy of Theatre and Dance. How did her ambition to make artistic education accessible for everyone take shape?

At home in hip-hop

Yuliya: ‘When I emigrated to Germany at eight years old – this was before the war – I didn’t know anybody there and I didn’t speak the language, either. But because music, singing and community were central to my cultural background, those became the tools I used to communicate. I integrated through art! In my first years in Germany, I was constantly looking for the answer to the question: where do I belong? Finally, I found my place in hip-hop culture, where I met open-hearted people from all over the world. Here, nobody was a foreigner: we were dancers, rappers, MCs or sprayers. In short, all artists.’

Doing things, meeting people

‘While I graduated high school, so even before ArtEZ, I was a member of a dance crew named Bam Sistaz. We did hip-hop shows, performed in dance battles and gave dance workshops in Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. Other friends had part-time jobs serving in bars; I was doing performances and teaching workshops to refugees or children in special education. Basically, my passion was already driving me to become an entrepreneur. But just doing shows and teaching wasn’t enough for me. And then I met Tanja, an alumna from the Dance in Education course in Arnhem, and my life took a new turn.

Dance as a profession

‘I told Tanja that I wanted to professionalise in the dance field. She saw my eagerness to learn and my commitment and recommended the Artisteducator in Dance (formerly Dance in Education) course, to which I was admitted after two admission rounds. That taught me it’s a good idea to tell others about your aspirations.’

Collective

During my studies, I developed a special connection to a classmate, Bart Merks, and we collaborated a lot together. In our final year, we started an interdisciplinary arts collective: by BY. We made productions for, among others, Hoogte 80, Valtifest, Festival de Oversteek, and artrelease. And we collaborated with other artists in the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany. After four intense and very educational years, Bart and

I decided to go on as solo artists and to let go of our business partnership. I wanted to follow my own path and to me that meant focussing more on social practice.’

Focus on value

‘In the period after that, both of my grandparents passed away soon after each other. They were my link to my Heimat, Ukraine. I went through a crisis, started to question everything, and asked myself: what do I want? The loss had left a hole in me. I decided I had to fill it with something valuable. I wanted my work to be meaningful and to connect people to each other. But I didn’t really know exactly what to do, at the time. At precisely that moment, I was asked as an interdisciplinary coach for the ArtEZ artisteducator courses, to work on social art projects!’

Get opportunities and say yes

Shortly after, I received an invitation from a friend: come and visit me at work! She was teaching people with intellectual disabilities at theatre studio Momo. I went, watched, and felt comfortable there right away. After my visit, she asked me if I’d be interested in taking over the group, because she was planning to quit. Despite my lack of experience and my insecurity, I accepted her offer, and it was the best decision in my career.’

Starting your own business and sparring out loud with others

‘Meanwhile, I was also busy building my company: Yu Glo. It was difficult to articulate all the things I do and want to do, and to bundle them under one roof. I got help from the (former) coordinator of DansLAB, someone who knows the dance world through and through and who had many conversations with me. Talking to others helps you make connections and focus. That’s how I found the conceptual link between my background, my culture and my work: embodied culture.’

Yuliya Globa is now a graduate of the Education in Arts master and works for the Artisteducator in Dance course at ArtEZ. She no longer works at Momo, to make room to develop her own inclusive dance practice WELAB.

This is an edited version of an article that was published previously. Read the full article at The journey of Yuliya Globa – ArtEZ:

Rinske van den Heuvel designs playful and colourful beads. The ArtEZ Business Centre Starters Programme was her first step towards a business with her own products. She tells about it herself. ‘I started my own business during my Product Design course, doing manufacturing work for other entrepreneurs. During ArtEZ finals, I was asked to show my work at the Dutch Design Week. That marked the beginning of my own bead business. It confirmed to me that my business was viable.’

The ABC gives practical guidelines

The first thing I did after I joined the Starters Programme of the ArtEZ Business Centre (ABC) was to develop my own business case. The ABC gave me practical guidelines that I could apply from the start. It was the first time I had to think about questions like: what do I really want? What does that role of entrepreneur mean to me? How much do I charge for my products? The programme was led by someone who worked in the cultural sector herself. That was helpful, because she understood very well how things work in our field.

You follow the Starters Programme alongside other students from different courses and present your businesses to each other. That means it’s also a kind of networking event. You can inspire each other and collaborations emerge very naturally. I still apply this approach to networking: be genuinely interested when you meet people. You will find common ground effortlessly.

I never viewed myself as an entrepreneur, but I see it as an adventure. Entrepreneurship gives you the freedom to chart your own course. You meet a lot of fun people and end up in places where you’d otherwise never go. I mostly sell my work at events and at a gallery. I have a big table where people can put together their own jewelry. These days I also regularly receive requests from customers through Instagram.

Rinske’s entrepreneurship tips

Being an entrepreneur can be intense. You have two jobs, not a lot of experience, and it takes a lot of time. Then there are practical challenges like finding an affordable studio space and buying materials. My tip? There

is a lot to deal with, so make sure to get enough rest and don’t try to get everything done in your first year.

It is helpful to surround yourself with people who’ve been working in the field for a decade, so that you can ‘copy’ them. I have a mentor, a ceramicist with whom I did a short internship after my graduation. A mentor can point out interesting events where you can sell your work and they can act as your sparring partner whenever you need to make important decisions. Having someone like that is helpful. And a Starters Programme like the one by the ABC can also help you on your way. At any rate, it’s all worth it. Because it’s so much fun when things work out.

‘I give my customers joy with my selfinvented product. That’s something really magical.’

‘Networking isn’t much more than just having a chat about something you’re both passionate about’

‘That you’re approachable, people can find you online, you take yourself seriously’

Cedric Siegers , alumnus ArtEZ Conservatorium

Liesbeth Piena, alumna Fine Art

‘Sometimes it’s not about economics - sometimes it’s about not making compromises. In life, you have to strike a balance between the two. But getting really skilled at something is always a good business plan.’

Ever tried?

Ever failed?

No matter...

Sooner or later, everything will go wrong. It just happens. No matter how often people say that you should have the courage to fail and that ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’: the moment you’re really feeling down in the dumps, less serene emotions are bound to creep in.

Don’t worry, we have a checklist for that moment:

1 Are you remembering to experiment?

2 Are you remembering that sometimes, it can all go into the trash?

3 Are you remembering that swimming is allowed here?

4 Are you remembering all that you have already achieved?

5 Are you remembering that setbacks are part of life?

6 Are you remembering the goal you have set? And that you’re free to question that goal, to change it, but that it will always drive you?

7 Are you remembering to take care of yourself? To show some kindness?

8 Are you remembering to go back to this list sometimes?

9 Are you remembering it’s OK to sometimes not remember things?

Bringing

an entrepreneurial vision into the

As a teacher, it can be quite a challenge to integrate educational innovations into an existing curriculum; after all, the current programme is ongoing and demands constant attention. To support teachers, ArtEZ Business Centre (ABC) provides vouchers – extra time and budget – to give teachers the necessary space to bring their educational vision on entrepreneurship into the classroom. And you, as a student, will benefit from that!

Entrepreneurship also means growing your confidence

Elwin Rumplair is a teacher of MediaMusic and self-employed entrepreneur. Using the ArtEZ Business Centre voucher, he transformed the Social Media minor into a Marketing and Organisation minor.

Elwin: ‘The old minor focussed on using social media, and to work with these channels, you’ll need content to share. That can be difficult when you make electronic music. Meanwhile, the drive to start doing your own live acts is very strong, but to start doing it in practice can be a huge step. Understandable, because your work is so intimately connected to who you are, and that makes you vulnerable. For all these reasons, I chose to change the minor and we started organising our own events. These helps students gain experience and develop their entrepreneurial skills as they go along. Evaluation and feedback take place in a safe and supportive environment. I can see students grow and the experience helps them grow much more confident.’

Entrepreneurship:

j

ust do it

Jip Bertelink creates sustainable modular children’s books. ArtEZ Business Centre’s start-up programme helped her turn her ideas into a business. She talks about her start as an independent artist.

‘After graduating from Cossmedia Design at AKI ArtEZ, I wanted to do something for myself. I had so many ideas that I had yet to develop, and that felt like a waste. At the ABC, we talked about purpose: why do you do what you do? Why does it make you happy?

I increasingly realised that I was most interested in product design, combined with sustainability and circularity. My work is about modular design and achieving the same with less material. I took the master’s course in Circular Economics last year for that purpose.’

Learning how to stand up for yourself as a new entrepreneur

‘In my company Kaft Kaft, I create sustainable children’s book designs. A children’s book is something a child needs. It is a product that you can hardly avoid, but you can make better choices, in terms of material and reuse. I design modular books: you can reuse the cover and replace the stories by putting the books together yourself.

I have a job three days a week and the rest of the week I work for myself. I enjoy running my own business, but it’s challenging too. There’s a lot involved that you don’t think about beforehand, like purchasing materials. Materials are expensive. When you’re starting up, you are still small, and suppliers don’t know you. That means learning how to stand up for yourself and persevering.

The great thing about having my own business is that I can do exactly what I want – from scheduling my own day to coming up with the story for a children’s book. I can retain my own creative freedom without having to justify myself.’

Entrepreneurial tips from Jip

‘Thinking about starting your own business? My top tip is: just do it. You can have lots of really good ideas, but often people are afraid to take the step. What if it doesn’t work out? In that case, you tried it and you’re an experience richer. If you fall then you fall. What you take away are good lessons. And it’s fun to try things out.

If you’re still not sure what you want, it helps to join the ABC’s start-up programme. After the programme, I applied for the Orion start-up voucher. That’s where the ABC can help you. You need to write a business plan. You then receive guidance and work out a better picture of the financial side, your vision and your social impact. The start-up voucher is a nice boost to your business in the beginning.’

Follow Jip on Instagram: @kaft_kaft

classroom

‘Your work is intimately connected to who you are, and that makes you vulnerable.’

Zosja el Rhazi also mentions confidence as a part of her vision on entrepreneurship. Zosja is a main subject lecturer in Jazz & Pop vocals and also works as a study coach and study career advisor.

She says: ‘I often see that anxiety is a barrier for students that holds them back from expressing what they learn in classes at the academy. Students find it difficult to take that first step beyond the academy during their studies. When they play and perform, they mostly stick to classes and recitals. But as an artist, you need to be able to be assertive when it’s necessary. And to build your career, you need the confidence to promote yourself in the wider world. It’s helpful to practice this during your studies in a safe environment with enough encouragement and guidance.’

Zosja wants to use the voucher to improve the coherence of the modules Profiling, Entrepreneurship and Bandcoaching, so that students can obtain valuable practical experience. ‘I want to help students to position themselves and their music authentically and to face the world with confidence.’

Daan Herweg , lecture Jazz & Pop

Illustration by Joren Boersma, student Illustration Design

View Starters Programme

5 tips for your first steps in the subsidy landscape

(And a bonus tip for musicians)

Tip 1

Don’t wait until you think you’re ready: apply!

Students are often relatively late to explore the subsidy landscape. In the beginning, they tend to resolve things DIY or think of subsidies as something very complicated that will only be relevant later. My tip would be to start early.

Applying for a grant involves nothing more than writing down your plans in a super concrete way, and that’s something useful to practice in any stage of your career. Early on, it’s also less serious if your application is rejected. You can learn from that and improve your skills, so that your odds are better when you start applying for subsidies that you really need in the future. One rule of thumb, though: do it well or don’t do it at all. You want to leave a good impression with the subsidy fund, so make a serious effort.

Tip 2

Start with your budget – that will make your plans specific from the start

Not sure where to start writing?

Start by outlining your budget. When you start to think about all the costs and revenues involved with a project, you’ll naturally think through all stages of your project and you’ll have a clear overview right away.

Tip 3

Think about your project’s message

Many subsidy funds are more willing to grant subsidies to projects that express a particular message and aim to make a social impact.

The work you make at ArtEZ is always about something.

Think about what your message is and include it in your application. It is often something that makes your work unique and can become a central theme in your promotion, too.

Tip 4

Collaborate!

Not all costs have to be covered financially. You can also take steps towards realising your project by including collaborators. This ensures that others co-invest in your project, which means you have a wider base of support. For example, if you’re a musician, consider organising a release show in collaboration with a music venue.

This helps you save costs on equipment and location, while the venue can invite their members and supporters to attend. Many funds will ask you about your collaborators. After all, the more you collaborate, the more you can spread the financial and practical risks.

Tip 5

Ask for feedback!

It’s smart to let multiple people read and review your application. This will not only provide you with useful feedback on your application and your project, but it also shows other people what you’re working on. That means you can use it to network without the risk of appearing pushy.

Tip 6.

Accessible funding schemes for (pop) musicians

By Tim Bogaerts, alumnus Creative Writing

The Diminutive Dimwit. ‘If you could go ahead and make a little poster for us, we’ll take care of the rest...’ At some point, you will get hired by somebody who structurally underestimates your work. Not your work specifically, but anything produced in the entire creative industry. That undervaluation will show in the language used to refer to the products of your work, which will consistently be described as ‘little’. It is important that clients realise that they aren’t talking to an amateur, so keep a straight face as you calculate the time required to make your ‘little poster’ and what exactly it’s going to cost them.

The Helmsman. ‘I’m glad you’re willing to take on this assignment! Maybe we can do it like this... I have some ideas!’ The helmsman is the kind of person who has sadly missed their own calling. They try to experience life as a maker by trying to start a collaboration with you, providing unsolicited advice and getting far too involved in your creative process. If they are your client, you don’t want to offend them. But feel free to let them know, in a tactful and calm fashion, that you have an idea of your own. After all, you’re the artist.

The Spoiled Scrooge. ‘I like this version, but I saw something yesterday that inspired me. Maybe you could...?’ You are paid to work for your clients, but of course your responsibilities are finite. You should naturally stick to the requirements and framework of the assignment, but if the requirements are altered along the way, you are well within your rights to charge additional costs for that.

ZAKC€NTJ€ is a mini-grant that students of the ArtEZ Conservatory of Music in Enschede can apply for project ideas. The accompanying coaching teaches how to set up the application, making ZAKC€NTJ€ a great exercise for applying for grants (login needed).

musicians from the provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel.

Sena Muziekproductiefonds: €5000 towards making an EP or album (of which 33% is a loan)

By Chris Egbers, Producer ArtEZ Academy of Music in Enschede and project leader of Zakc€ntj€

Music Support: project subsidy for

Amarte: project subsidy of €2750.

Image: Anne Born, alumna Illustration Design

The Artist Independent EN