Accessibility Tools

Culture and Entreprenuership

Local Enterprise


Author: Symplexis - Nora Giannakaki

Introduction

Aboriginal art piece
Aboriginal art piece

Research shows that “culture is identified as having a non-trivial influence on entrepreneurial behaviour” and culture is widely acknowledged as a driver of entrepreneurship and regional economic growth.
 
A short definition on what ‘local’ culture by Marina Jogmark & Sabrina Fredin will be the starting point for rolling out the topic. According to the two authors, several cultural theories and cultural definitions exist (Geertz, 1973; Inglehart, 1997; Schwartz, 1992). There is some common ground, but also distinct differences and no one common definition on it. Generally, “culture is seen as the social legacy an individual acquires through social interaction with group members and that this social legacy needs to be known in order to behave in a manner which is acceptable to its group members”. Culture is also commonly seen as something that is passed on from generation to generation and therefore not easily changed.
 
Culture is examined and defined mostly at national level but in the ACE Project, partners truly believe that exploring culture and its role in improving entrepreneurship in a local context will have a very positive impact on the local community. As Jogmark & Fredin state, it is commonly argued that culture is formed through social interaction, and most social interactions are still happening in close geographical proximity, for workplace or family. On the other hand, individual behaviour can be captured easier through local community members’ reaction. 
 
Cultural entrepreneurship:  “Entrepreneurship is a dome consisting of discoveries and pursuing new business propositions by forming companies. The true spirit of entrepreneurship is not restricted to profits or personal wealth-creation. It is about celebrating the endless possibilities of our ideas." Artists are the pioneers of cultural entrepreneurship." In a broader sense, anyone who understands the importance of culture in society and builds a platform to celebrate it is a 'cultural entrepreneur'.
 
 

What’s the activity?


This webquest is  developed 

  • on the ACE partnership’ s knowledge, expertise and experience in delivering capacity building programs in the field of art and adult education,
  • skills-based learning theory,
  • and the idea to create businesses which are inspired or/and promote local cultural elements

There are endless possibilities for getting to know cultural forms and objectives yet we are not able to harness their potential to our advantage. Lack of resources and the absence of a nurturing environment has demotivated and forced artisans across the continent to quit their creativity and settle for other professions.

 In Europe, where small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs play a significant role in the economy, they operate in a complex environment affected by diverse and intense pressure of national cultures.

 For the reasons above, cultural mediators can play an important role in helping artists in their community by supporting them to gain skills and follow strategies for turning their talent and dedication to profiting business. In the next section you will be guided step by step how to do this. 

What am I going to do?

  1. Study your local community's culture -  in its all possible forms (written, oral, online, real life objectives, etc.)
  2. Step 1 will help you get inspired by the vast culture and ethics of the people of your community.
  3. Work on networking for creating an environment for business talks and gatherings. Involve a diverse group of your community - everybody who are “natural art lovers”: from the school personnels, the philanthropists, the municipality employees to the curators of galleries, everybody who wishes to make your community vibrant and the local cultural flourish. Involve also minority groups and people with a wide range of age. The two also will ensure that your curated art selection will be expanded in time and space and cross -cultural opportunities can come up. Lastly, involve local artists of all “kinds”, fine arts, performing arts, painters, jewellery designers, curators, collectors, both amateurs and professionals, etc. 
  4. Listen to the needs of your community. Make a survey on this! Ask questions from the members of your network.
  5. Collect good practices about cultural entrepreneurship at the local level! Once again, discuss with your network members and do research online and offline.
  6. Now make your own selection of art piece(s) that you believe can “make connection” with entrepreneurship. 
  7. Make your selected art collection visible to others/ to your network/ to your community, as an example for using culture for entrepreneurship.
  8. Create a Cultural Entrepreneurship Plan that you can share with your community. Include a

- Definition of cultural entrepreneur(ship). 

- Possible obstacles can be detected around the following topics: lack of knowledge on business trends and competitors, of laws and regulations, lack of self-trust/confidence, lack of resources, lack of monitoring strategy and inability to adapt or change or nor knowing the local context and local folklore and other cultural elements/ heritage to build on. Weak basic digital skills for researching on the above or creating online promotional spaces are also a common obstacle for many artists.

- Recommended skills and competencies to develop for becoming an artistic/ cultural  entrepreneur: no matter what your talent and area of art, some common basic skills are needed for all. Such as resilience, researching skills, patience, basic financial skills, communication and networking skills, leadership skills, ability to adapt to changing situations or needs. 

- Good practices for giving inspiration - focus on local examples.

- Highlight your role, as cultural mediator in a section, and express your interest in supporting your community. 

- Build your plan around the areas: financial management, compliance, online resources and self- management, the last including time management, acknowledging your talents and positive characteristics as an artist and (future) entrepreneur and resilience.

- Give a section for customers’ needs (as you were previously advised to explore this area through your network).

- You can also be advised from the Resources section. 

  1. Initiate the creation of mentorships between artists and amateur artists, entrepreneurs and school members,and students through meetings where they can get to know each other and connect.
  2. Remember that your biggest award is the happiness and engagement of your community's members.

What will I learn?

Knowledge Acquired:

  • Basic knowledge on cultural entrepreneurship
  • Knowledge on the needs of your community members/ artists.
  • Good knowledge on the local cultural resources and forms.
  • Basic knowledge on how to create a Cultural Entrepreneurship Plan for supporting your community;s artists.
  • On-hands knowledge on organising mentorship programs with artists -mentors.

Skills Acquired:

  • Organise networking events for artists and cultural actors;
  • Explore cultural elements of your neighbourhood and local businesses through on and offline platforms;
  • Have digital skills for planning and promoting results.
  • Planning skills.
  • Creatively express local identity.
  • Able to mentor and support others efficiently.
  • Has leadership skills
  • Has communication skills

Attitude Acquired:

  • Initiative
  • Creative
  • Supportive
  • Adaptive
  • Critical in a positive manner/ non-judgemental
  • Honest
  • Collaborative, team player
  • Business driven
  • Art lover/ supporter

 

What will I take home?

As a cultural mediator, it is crucial that you are well prepared to support your community’s artists.

You will know how to create a plan for yourself and upcoming cultural entrepreneurs.

You will have a net of people dedicated to changing their local communities everyday life to better and more equal, while starting their cultural-related business in the near future. 

You will have a better understanding of what are local people’s main fears and obstacles to start local enterprises, as well as their needs, motivations, ideas, and competencies. 

All the above will also result in improved entrepreneurial skills of you and your attendees and your community’ s  as a whole.

Important note:

You will NOT be trained as a business developer or get legal or economical advice on how to create a business. This quest is about how culture can be valued as a business idea and inspire (future) local entrepreneurs and communities. 

Resources

Click each section below to see all resources available.

Websites (URLs)

Becoming a Creative and Cultural Entrepreneur
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/becoming-a-creative-and-c_b_5511636

Cultural Entrepreneurship
https://academics.d.umn.edu/cultural-entrepreneurship-ba

Becoming a cultural entrepreneur
https://www.academia.edu/10732585/Becoming_a_cultural_entrepreneur

Videos

Cultural Entrepreneurship

Harvard i-lab | What Is Cultural Entrepreneurship? What Does the Challenge Entail?

How to Cultivate an Entrepreneurial Mindset | Linda Chiou | TEDxKerrisdaleLive

 

Frontline Worker Toolkit

Aims and Objectives:

  • Understand the process of designing a local enterprise based on art.
  • Develop a Cultural Entrepreneurship Plan.
  • Explore local culture for driving a new enterprise.
  • Practice community building through arts and for connecting in business.
  • Understand the needs of local community members - artists.
  • Help strengthen the business mindset of attendees.
  • Become a skillful educator/ frontline worker for community support and adult education, with focus on entrepreneurship.

Top tips:

As a frontline worker or educator, you may find here some hints to support you in interacting with your audience/ learners.

For understanding the local context, map successfully running local art enterprises and share the results with your learners/ audience:

  • What are their products? 
  • What are their resources (financial, human, etc.)? 
  • Do they get any state funding? Do they do fundraising campaigns? 
  • Who are their audience/ customers?
  • Would they collaborate with new-comer art enterprises? Consider them as potential future partners or collaborators. 
  • Are there any supporting spaces/ organisations for them, such as mentors, incubators, training opportunities?

 

Share examples and good practices of cultural/artistic entrepreneurs.

Encourage a discussion with your attendees on what creativity means and  its forms in the cultural industry. Focus on local context. “Think globally and act locally”.

Discuss ways of getting inspiration and how to turn ideas to business.

Help your learners/ audience make a research on possible funding, donor and sponsoring opportunities. Search for potential local, national, European and global supporters for your learners.

Help your attendees make research on competencies, skills needed for cultural entrepreneurs.

Share your idea on how to create a Cultural Entrepreneurship Plan for both “newbies” and those whose business is already running. (planning financial, leadership, legal and promotional tasks.)

Encourage your attendees to share lessons learnt, failures and fears around creating a business of culture. 

Remember what you already know: the people, the knowledge, the skills you have to support your learners/ audience.

Find opportunities for networking community gathering for supporting your audience/ learners’ ideas on art enterprises or ‘art making”.  

Frontline worker/Educator Videos