Marketing the Heart

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Recently I was invited to speak at a gathering of organisations working in the community sector. They were a mix of both conventional businesses and not for profits. The challenge wasn't in the mix, but in the unspoken assumption that there is no place for conventional marketing practices in a sector that is all about supporting people.

But just like a Tom Holloway play, a Dean Stevenson concert or an Elizabeth Barsham exhibition, the not for profit and community sector needs their story to be told. And that is what good marketing is about.

When I set up my business Kylie Eastley Consultancy seven years ago, it was in response to yet another performance I had been to, where the play was fantastic, the actors convincing,  but the audience was abysmal. This repeated experience inspired the foundation thought to my business, which was...

'If you or someone else is willing to put their time, resources, money, energy and passion into creating something, then doesn't it deserve the best chance of success.' (KEastley 2009)

And success can mean lots of things. It might be a packed audience at a show, contented customers who return to access your business or it could be an amazing experience or service that you deliver to a client. 

Producer Course in Tasmania

Salamanca Arts Centre is offering the SPACE Producer's Course in partnership with the Institute for Project Management and supported by Skills Tasmania, this exciting course is perfect for those wishing to enter the creative sector or practitioners who wish to be recognised and build on existing skills.

The course will include a bootcamp and year long classes which will include both practical elements and theory. I have been so pleased to be part of developing the components of the course and look forward to delivering it to our first intake of students.

More course information

Changes to Australia's Arts Funding

The recent inquiry into the changes to arts funding that has seen millions pulled from the Australia Council for the Arts and the proposed establishment of a National Program for Excellence in the Arts (NPEA), attracted more than 2 600 submissions from across the country. It was a fantastic response...this was mine, and to view others click here.

At the recent public hearing held in Melbourne, accomplished contemporary artist, David Pledger very eloquently outlined the problem with the newly proposed NPEA. Well, worth watching this Video of David Pledger 

 

David Pledger speaking at the Melbourne public inquiry

I am writing this submission in response to the funding changes to the Australia Council for the Arts and the proposal to establish a National Program for Excellence in the Arts.

My response is based on more than 20 years working with community, the arts, government and business in Tasmania. It stems from my first hand experience as a producer, arts manager, writer and coach; having worked with Big hART Inc, Tasmanian Regional Arts, Tasmanian Writers Centre, Tasmanian International Arts Festival (Ten Days on the Island), Screen Tasmania, the University of Tasmania and currently curate the Tasmanian Portraiture Prize among other projects. I have worked with artists and companies to deliver art projects, build organizational capacity and also explored alternative models, such as social enterprise. This research has identified the importance of supporting the creative development of art content in the state and that in fact arts sector investment reaps much greater return than most other industries.

Bringing the Tarkine to Hobart

Ashamedly I must admit to having never been to the Tarkine. That mythical, mystical part of NorthWest Tasmania that is attracting more and more attention for both it's beauty and the threat of logging and mining.

One of the fantastic things about having worked in the arts for a while, is that you often get invited to be part of extraordinary projects. Tarkine in Motion is such a project and I am lucky to be joining the troupe as Creative Producer; drawing together a show that includes a diverse range of song writers, actors, performers and musicians. Tarkine in Motion began as an idea to send creative makers and thinkers into the forests. It was a project realised through passionate individuals and the Bob Brown Foundation who supported 70 artists, musicians, performers, dancers & creatives to live amongst the lush forests and rugged coastlines. This included well known actor, Simon Westaway, who will join us in performing on Wednesday night at the Peacock Theatre.

Of course I am biased, but with only one opportunity to hear these new works, this is a show worth experiencing, whether you have visited the Tarkine or not. The singing is exquisite and varied and it is beautifully matched by the intoxicating visuals that have been curated by the fabulous Geraldina Dijkstra. 

Entrepreneur began with the creative

Social Enterprise is a natural fit for creative individuals. It's where intuition meets logic in a heady mix of creativity, passion, ingenuity, business sense and hard work. But it certainly isn't an easy path. 

I was lucky enough to be involved in the founding of the Tasmanian Social Enterprise Network; an ego-less industry led group that was all about raising awareness of social enterprise and both the benefits and challenges. This coupled with my work studying the Tasmanian social enterprise sector as a Research Associate with the Institute for Regional Development provided me with a great opportunity to explore my own ideas and those of many other passionate individuals. It also resulted in the Tasmanian Social Enterprise Study and was followed a year later by the publication Stories of Social Enterprises. 

With a change of government and massive shift in support for social enterprise over the last few years, the focus has moved away from the social enterprise model. Although, it is a challenge for anyone wanting any financial assistance, it actually leaves those who are absolutely committed to the idea of matching a social mission with entrepreneurial practices to make change.

Last week I was thrilled to deliver an Introduction to Social Enterprise Workshop to a group of individuals working on major projects funded via Tasmanian Medicare Local. 



It reminded me of the opportunities in exploring social enterprise and thinking outside the square and I like that. 

The aim is to provide future workshops, so drop me a line if you or your organisation are interested.

Perfectly Imperfect

My background is as a journalist. I started naively at The Examiner in Launceston with little life experience and it really was a baptism of fire. With uncles successfully working in the media business I felt the pressure to remain in mainstream media, but it wasn't long before I escaped. Initially I was devastated as I thought my lifelong dream was over and that I had failed. 

With time I realised my passion for capturing people's stories hadn't waned. I also realised that writers write; irrelevant of the place or platform and that just as there are many types of writers there are just as many types of readers. Which means that there is a place for us all. And finally I realised that I didn't have to be perfect. Everybody needs an editor and that the idea of immediate perfection by one individual is a nonsense.

This passion has led me to writing a number of publications and articles over the last 20 years.  Particularly gratifying is when I can combine my love of the arts and people, with my passion for story telling.

Last year I was invited to write an article for IMPRINT about Paper Garments for the Grave, an amazing collection of work by mostly Tasmanian artists. It's one in a series of art stories that I have captured with hopefully many more to come.