Supporting artists survive as Freelancers and Entrepreneurs

Supporting artists in developing their entrepreneurship skills is crucial in helping them navigate the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has negatively impacted many artists’ ability to earn a living, with many struggling to find new avenues to generate income. By developing their entrepreneurial skills, artists can create new revenue streams, market themselves better, and create sustainable businesses. This would enable them to adapt to the changing circumstances and not rely solely on traditional channels of income, thereby increasing their chances of survival. It is therefore essential to invest in programs that provide artists with the necessary training and resources to enhance their entrepreneurship skills.

Such programme is HeART – HElping ARTists of EUrope Survive as Freelancers and Entrepreneurs, an idea that was born during the COVID-19 pandemic, taking into consideration that the cultural and creative sectors were among the hardest hit industries by the pandemic. HeART worked on enhancing the competencies and skills of artists and individuals working in the cultural and creative sectors and securing their inclusion in the labour market and in society in general, focusing on the capacities of  Entrepreneurship, Employability, Business Administration Skills, Psychological Capacities and Digital media skills.

In order to support artists in surviving as freelances and entrepreneurs, HeART produced a number of free resources to empower them and share crucial knowledge with them. Such resource was the Handbook for Young Artists, which contains a plethora of information, good practices, practical applications and tips, adapted to non-formal educational contexts that will motivate Artists and Culture workers to flourish professionally. It can be used either by the Artists themselves for self-education or by Youth Workers who may utilise the applications to their teaching curriculum or other professionals with relevant expertise.

The project’s team also organised 2 training courses for Young Artists and Culture and Creative sector professionals on how to use Positive Psychology principles to enrich their competencies as artists and creators, acquire entrepreneurship and digital skills and become better equipped on promoting their work more effectively. In addition, HeART offers a free e-Learning space with Online Modules and Open Educational Resources.

CARDET celebrated the completion of the project with an event in collaboration with Intra Portas Theatre Studio to commemorate World Theatre Day. The event brought together artists such as actors/actresses, art tutors, theatre teachers and admirers of the arts, to participate in activities and workshops together, as well as share the work of HeART.

You can access all the free resources and additional information about HeART using the button below

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