All-INKlusive -The Business End of Professional Development
I’d like you to imagine that you’re sat at your bench. You are making beautiful collections, stunning bespoke pieces, thinking about the future and how much you are going to grow… but also how successful you already are! You’re excited because you’re about to embark on a professional development course, learning with some of the best tutors. Your talent is about to be guided through ten months of intense learning, honing your craft. Sound fabulous?
Of course it does! And it is… but that’s not nearly all.
Our 2024 INKers hard at work with the awesome Laura McHard
The Vanilla Ink Programme is about so much more than learning the skills of your craft. It’s about giving you the skills to help you succeed in our industry. Which is no mean feat, if we are being completely honest.
As well as dedicated professional classes lead by our own master goldsmith [or as we like to call him, just plain old Scott], as an INKer you will be guided through a myriad of business essentials designed to help you ensure you have an understanding of what is needed to make sure your work reaches the right audience, is priced appropriately, that you are able to talk about your practice and your work in various settings and that you have the right signposts to find information and additional support needed to start and run your own practice.
Our 2024 INKers in a group session
A handful of our talented 2023 INKers after a professional development session
“The best educational
experience I have ever had.”
But what does all this actually mean? Well, from the get-go, we are tailoring the Programme to the needs of the individuals on the course. So, during our Away Weekend [our annual trip to Banff which officially kicks off the INKubator], we will be working together to understand a little bit more about our new students. During that weekend we look to begin to figure out what you want from the course, what the important issues are in your practice, what drives you, and how you best learn. We will also have been working from the interview stage to pair you up with one of our inspirational team of mentors. Your personal mentor will work with you throughout the course to give you additional support and help you to focus on the things that are important to you.
Our mentors come from both with in and outside of the jewellery industry with the pairings being specifically designed to support and challenge you. Previous and current mentors include Karlin Anderson, Julia Thompson, Sophie Cunliffe, Suzanne Seed, Olivia Taylor, Lynne MacLachlan, Romany Starrs, Michelle Currie, Tamara Gomez, Emma Madden and lots more!
Peer support and opportunities to work through the challenges we all face running small creative businesses plays an important part in the INKubator experience.
Alongside mentoring, we have a structured set of business development classes scheduled throughout the course arranged to help you to focus on different aspects of your business, and to build your understanding of what is needed to run your practice successfully. Our inspirational tutors on this side of the course include creative entrepreneur and powerhouse in the Scottish creative industries, Rachael Brown, who talks all things financial, while creative marketing guru, Laura McHard, will help to inspire your branding and marketing.
We also put on a series of informative talks called ‘Meet the Maker’ sessions, where we have featured the likes of Dr Karen Westland, who talked passionately about ethical practice, and Jen Fisher from the fabulous Toasty Type, who shared her experience of setting up and running a small business. All of these mix together to give a wide and varied reflection on what it’s like to start, run and create a small business of your own. These words from experienced makers with success stories are a true inspiration, with hints, tips and idea to inspire your own craft!
But the main portion of the Professional development will be delivered by our own Ellie, who will guide you through the maze of business challenges via a number of tailored, thoughtful sessions.
‘How to Talk/Write About Your Work’ are similar session, split into their respective categories, where you are encouraged to feel confident about your practice. Ellie guides you through storytelling sessions, which are designed to get you used to telling your own story, and help design your brand ethos and ethics. But it could be used for something as simple as the ‘About’ section on your website. Knowing how to express yourself with confidence can be a reall challenge for creatives, so we work gently with you to coax it out of you! Similarly, talking about yourslef in a positive way can prepare jewellers who feel that markets and exhibitions etc are the way forward for them. Being able to to pitch yourself and stand out in a room full of other jewellers is a true skill to have. Let Ellie show you how!
Also as important are Ellie’s sessions about beginning, constructing, and completing an 18-month Business Plan. These self explanatory group sessions are there to help guide you through the minefield of creating your very own business plan, which then can be used in all sorts of circumstances moving forward, from funding applications to exhibition opportunities.
We show you how to face the challenges of pricing for value and profit, planning for growth and managing change and challenge. Journaling to support this journey and to understand your development is a key factor in helping you to understand and focus your learning.
Dr Karen Westland talks passionately about ethics in our industry
Jen Fisher from Toasty Type tells us her story!
The use of the CAFE Method, designed and created by Ellie, is also key to helping you to develop strong skills in both providing and receiving feedback and to working as a collective. The support you will receive from your fellow INKers and the rest of the community at Vanilla Ink CIC will play no small part in your development and experience.
CAFE stands for ‘creative authentic feedback experience’ and is used to provide a safe, productive, structured approach to feedback, which is essential to our approach to the Programme. It is completely aligned with our ethos and gives each INKer a key role in any feedback process. The beauty is that it facilitates discussion and puts the artist in a position of control while receiving feedback. This is incredibly empowering. The opportunity to discuss work in a space which is curated and where there are rules of engagement, where each INKer has an element of control over the process is an exciting, fresh approach and liberating for many artists.
We link the practical making challenges with practical business focus, giving you real experiences and working examples to help you to understand and work through the issues and problems we all face in business.
So close your eyes and imagine how you want your practice and business to look in 12 months time...
If the answer is a strong understanding of the business practices you need to support your practice as well as refined and honed technical skills, then consider applying for the 2025 INKubator Programme!
Want to become a 2025 INKer? Apply here.
Need some more information? Download our INKubator Guide.
Want to visit our studios to see what it’s all about? Get in touch!
