Creative Career Support

Art/Work is a free career support and business mentoring programme for creative people living anywhere in the Nelson Region, including Golden Bay.

Art/Work is for creative practitioners and artists who are looking to establish a financially viable career - to find employment or be successfully self-employed for the long-term.

The programme of support, which will run for up to nine months, is not designed to teach you how to be creative but to provide you with the non-creative skills to help you be successful. And because we know that every creative path is unique, the programme is designed and directed by you.

What does Art/Work deliver?

We will work with you to create a personal development plan. This could include:

• Business and project planning

• Financial management

• Marketing, promotion and effective use of social media

• Writing a CV

• Funding and grant applications

• Networking skills and events

• Connection with a mentor or opportunities for work experience

The programme can be delivered one-to one or in a workshop with a group of like-minded people, or most likely a combination of the above.

How does it work?

1. Firstly, we need to determine your eligibility.

2. Once that is established, we will be in touch to set up an initial meeting. The purpose of this meeting will be to:

• Clarify your career objectives and identify what is needed to achieve these.
• Work with you to create your Personal Development Plan. This will identify what support is required from who and when it is needed. We will also define any barriers and strategies and agree on actions you will take to achieve your desired goals.

3. We will then work with you for up to nine months to help you as you work through your Personal Development Plan. We will regularly review your progress and refine your actions to ensure you are on track to achieve your creative goals.

4. Before you complete the programme, we will develop an Exit Plan together. This is to identify what level of post-programme guidance you might need to give the best possible chance of success. We can provide a lower level of support for up to three months following conclusion of your bespoke Art/Work Programme.

Eligibility

Art/Work is open to people from any creative discipline who have either:

• a tertiary qualification relevant to your preferred creative field; or
• relevant prior work experience in your preferred creative field.

You may be an established creative looking for work or wanting to make the move to be self-employed. Your income may have been affected by Covid-19 and you are looking to or have applied to go on a jobseeker benefit.

Examples of the creative sector you may be involved in:

• Visual arts
• Literature
• Craft & object art
• Music
• Contemporary dance
• Community arts
• Theatre (including circus arts)
• Film, television and media
• Ngā toi Māori
• Pacific heritage arts
• Inter-arts/multi-disciplinary arts

We would love to hear from you if you are:

• Creative and motivated

• Living in the Nelson Region including Golden Bay

• Have a recognised creative qualification or relevant experience in a creative field

• Aged between 18-64 years

Art/Work is supported by the Ministry of Social Development and delivered by the Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce.