The Creative Thinking Mindset - Fresh Thinking for Creative People
Pete Mosley, editor of craft&design Magazine and author of Make Your Creativity Pay gave a talk at the Leicester Print Workshop at the end of November which Doug and myself went to.
We had never been to the Print Workshop so it was great to see what it was like and be surrounded by creative people.
Pete is a very interesting and motivating man who provides coaching and training for creative thinkers and businesses.
I first heard of Pete years ago when I was at college and I was aware he had written a book but I hadn't read it or learnt much about him or his processes. I hadn't even realised he was Scottish!
Pete gave us a bit of background into his career, working in a pottery in Govan then moving to go to University in Loughborough, joining a band, becoming a town artist, learning magic and then getting a post graduate certificate in Business and Personal Coaching.
Handouts were passed around for us to create notes on.
Pete talked about surrounding ourselves with the right people. People can be radiators or drains and to stay creative we need lots of radiators!
Main points I took away from the evening were -
Be open to change - don't always make what you like, think about your customers and what they want
Be consistent - in everything from business cards and paperwork to your products and how you present yourself to your customers
Buyers love a story and they love a friendly seller - make friends with your customers and be yourself
Don't be afraid to ask for quotes and testimonials - people love to give feedback
Make a dream list of clients - nothing bad can happen from aspiring to something great!
Befriend your competitors - use the shoe shop theory, you aren't going to only look in one shoe shop when buying a pair of shoes, you will shop around and buy the pair you really want. It's the same for buyers of craft and design.
After this inspiring talk Pete welcomed questions from the audience. Discussions were had about galleries expectations, PR and editorial usefulness amongst other things.
It left the print workshop ready to go straight home and start making lists of things I must do to help my business and my mindset. I am slowly working through these lists!
Thanks to Pete Mosley and the Leicester Print Workshop for a great evening.
I will finish with a statement which I think is very true and worth reminding all creative people of -
'As an artist or designer you occupy the position of being one of the most interesting, absorbing and fascinating people on the planet'
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