Ways of Working: Creative Business Journeys marks the culmination of the Network for Creative Enterprise a two and a half year innovative project which offered creative, business, and practical support to 147 individuals and enterprises, helping them grow into sustainable businesses.

Delivered by the University of the West of England and four cultural hubs – Watershed, Spike Island, KWMC: The Factory and The Guild, Bath – the exhibition provides space to explore each of their diverse approaches and unique support, from fine art and fabrication to creative technology.

Encompassing a range of stories this interactive exhibition explores the fundamental concepts of creativity, sustainability and community, asking what allows a creative business to grow?

Find out about some of the key milestones necessary for success, from naming a business to expanding a team. The exhibition highlights challenges and successes, whilst also celebrating pivotal moments along the way. See how creatives who enrolled in the Network have explored alternative ways of working specifically designed to support the creative industries.

“The Network for Creative Enterprise has been invaluable for my business. In less than a year they have given me the tools I need to grow from being a freelancer, to a thriving creative business employing various talent around Bath. The Network has set me on a course that means I will have doubled my turnover by the end of this year and feel confident I have the support and confidence to go from strength to strength.” Claire Titley, Red Bucket Pictures

There will also be a chance to see, touch and interact with some of the products and prototypes developed throughout the project’s lifetime. Presented at various stages of production, they bring creative ideas to life, from talking picture books to 3D photography, providing a chance for visitors to the exhibition to become the test bed for innovation.

Whether you’ve been involved in the scheme, are looking for inspiration for your own idea, or are curious as to what makes a creative business grow, the exhibition offers a place to talk, share and network, as we encourage you to help us shape a creative business community for the future.

Network for Creative Enterprise funding has enabled its partners to offer tailored events, workshops and mentoring for individuals and small enterprises, which support their business development from the idea stage through to start-up and growth:

“NfCE gave me the added confidence I needed to relocate my business into a larger unit and open my own shop. Access to a business mentor, producer support from within The Factory, a network of other entrepreneurs and workshop space to prototype new ideas gave me the assurance to do it.” Beck Prior, Priormade

"We no longer live in an industrialised world, where linear rapid growth metrics apply. The creative sector with its high proportion of freelancers, so called 'life style businesses', cross sector collaborations and disruptive innovation is a complex mixed bag that deserves the right support at the right time to flourish. The incredible developments of the range of businesses we have supported during this programme shows that our approach works and we need to make sure that the ways of working we have developed are embedded in future programmes of this kind." Vanessa Bellaar Spruijt, NfCE Network Producer

Ways of Working: Creative Business Journeys opens at KWMC on 7 June 2019, delivered by the NfCE partnership – University of the West of England, Watershed, Spike Island, KWMC:The Factory, and The Guild, Bath. Network for Creative Enterprise is funded by Arts Council England and the European Regional Development Fund.

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