In response to the recent launch of the Albanese Labor Government’s new National Cultural Policy (NCP) – Revive, creative social enterprise ArtSHINE.com is launching its combined Launch Pad + Accelerator entrepreneurial education coaching program for 2023 / 2024 with a ‘Pay What You Can Afford’ option for successful applicants.

Cofounders of Vinh Van Lam and Stuart Horrex are adamant so much more can be done to improve the lives and earning power of Australia’s Creatives.

“While the NCP is very welcome, and certainly great news for Australian Creatives. the real issue is still how independent Artists and self-employed Creatives will earn sustainable income in their creative practice quite separate to the small amounts of grant money trickling down from the new and existing national art bureaucracies.” 

“Real-world business skills are crucial for long term success and viability as a Creative.” Cofounder Stuart Horrex said.

According to Making Art Work: An Economic Study of Professional Artists in Australia:

• Only 20% of Artists meet their minimum income requirements from creative endeavours, and 

• Creatives don’t have confidence in their own business skills – The same report identified 48% of Artists rate their own business skill levels as “inadequate”, or only “adequate”.

Further complicating these challenges, The Gender Pay Gap Among Australian Artists report tells us:

• Women earn 30% less from their creative work than men.

Without losing sight of the critical importance of creative artistic expression, ArtSHINE strongly believes the true value ‘Arts Workers’ provide society will be better recognised and understood by the mainstream when Creatives demonstrate success in traditional economic terms.

“We recognise there are very real inequities. And not everyone is starting from the same place.” ArtSHINE cofounder Vinh Van Lam said.

“Using the tools of small business enterprise there’s real opportunity to help people achieve positive creative expression, financial stability, social mobility, and generate sustainable incomes for themselves too.”

For more than a decade ArtSHINE.com cofounders Vinh Van Lam and Stuart Horrex have worked individually, one to one with their clients sharing the skills, experiences, motivation, and support Creatives need to take a creative practice to the next, commercial level.

Now in its fourth successful year providing real-world new business and entrepreneurship education, and delivered online with intensive personalised coaching, the part-time Launch Pad + Accelerator program is flexible and self-paced over 24 months.

This recognises most participants are already juggling multiple obligations at work and at home, and that moving a creative practice towards commercial viability takes a talented Creative energy, effort, application, dedication, focus, and time.