March has seen us settle back into life after our expedition to the Arctic Circle and continue working to put the foundations in place for a very exciting year ahead.
The highlight of the month was finding our new Marketing Officer/Community Manage and I look forward to introducing you to her next month. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who applied for the role. We were overwhelmed by the quality of the applications, it reminds us that we live in a fascinating world full of talented, inspiring and interesting people.
As always, our commitment to helping you and others like you has never been stronger. We are currently working very hard to ensure we continue to deliver free resources and online courses that exceed the standard that is expected of us.
Beth has been super-busy putting together two brilliant new e-courses which are coming your way soon. She says: “It has been a very personal and contemplative process, and in these courses we give away much of our business model and DNA. Why? Well the simple answer is because it can help you change your life and that is what we are all about. It has certainly changed how we view the world.”
The first jam-packed, business/life-changing course to be unveiled will be The Business Soul Sessions. Registration opens shortly and we can’t wait to share the details. Interested? Jump on the waiting list now and make sure you don’t miss out.
When life starts to feel like it’s all work, work, work, we know that it’s important to make time to play. Beth took her first creative workshop in months the other day, and came back a different person. Read this to find out why you should do something nice for yourself today.
And there’s lots more exciting news to report…
- Although there has been a slight delay, our brand new website is coming very soon… watch this space!
- Our blog continues to be galvanised by the introduction of our new guest bloggers who are all leading all experts in their field. They include: Alastair Humphreys, Ben Keene, Frances Booth, Louise Armstrong and Lara Tabatznik.
- The Little Beach Hut of Dreams is getting ready to open its doors in the coming months. (Sign up here for our newsletter if you aren’t already on the list to hear when applications open again for the 2015 residency opportunities).
- Unfortunately the TEDxYouth@Islington event, due to take place on March 19, has been postponed. Although the new date is yet to be confirmed, I know that Beth’s talk will make a lot of people take note. It’s the type of talk that TED was created for and I can’t wait!
An update on our collaborations
Make Art That Sells (MATS):
1. After months of hard work the brand NEW WEBSITE has launched. It’s bursting with free resources, industry insight and motivational videos to help the artists among you make leaps forward with your career. Be sure to check it out.
2. We have just announced an exciting new LIVE event! Make Art That Sells: The Global Art Gathering will take place in Brighton, UK, on Friday June 12. It promises to be a fun-filled, action-packed day with all the energy, passion and magic you’d expect from Make Art That sells. We’ll be welcoming a host of acclaimed speakers and panelists from the international art industry to advise and inspire you. We would love you to come along.
3. The latest term of MATS A + B courses started on March 2 and the work has again been of a very high standard. It’s great to see so many students returning and to watch them grow as artists.
4. Assignment Bootcamp is taking a well deserved break this month whilst MATS Parts A and B run. You can view the February gallery here. I can tell you that the April assignment is certainly a little different and it could be the most discussed assignment yet!
Make It In Design (MIID):
Our sister site, Make It In Design, has just launched a brand new FREE video series on manufacturing. If you have ever thought about getting your designs onto products that you manufacture yourself (rather than selling or licensing those designs to a manufacturer), this is for you! You can register for it here. The series runs daily from March 30 and it’s packed with useful insight and tips from designer Rachael Taylor.
The next term of design classes from Make It In Design is just around the corner, with these classes running from April 16:
Both are intense, inspiring, fun courses – hope you will get involved!
Our thought for the month: Life is precious
A very short yet poignant thought for March.
The past few weeks have been a somber reminder that life is a precious gift. We all have a responsibility to make the most of it and cherish every moment we can.
So that’s it from me. Have a great month – I’ll be back in April.
Until next time,
Mr. K
