The Art of the Possible: A Free Full Day Professional Development Workshop

The Art of the Possible

A free full-day professional development workshop for artists & creative practitioners

Are you an artist or creative practitioner looking to take the next step in your journey? Whether you’re just starting out, building your practice, or ready to grow your creative enterprise, this one-day workshop will open up new perspectives, practical tools, and inspiring opportunities.

The Art of the Possible is about helping you unlock your potential — and seeing how creativity can flourish both artistically and commercially.

What the Day Will Cover

Learning from Creative Success

What makes some creatives thrive? We’ll explore the traits, mindsets, and behaviours that enable artists to achieve impact and sustainability.

Profiling Your Strengths

Through guided tools, you’ll reflect on your own capacities, highlight your strengths, and identify practical steps to build knowledge, skills, and confidence.

The Value of the Arts

Look beyond the studio or stage. Together we’ll consider the wider value of the arts — from social and environmental impact to economic growth and individual wellbeing.

From Ideas to Market

Working in groups, you’ll generate ideas, explore market opportunities, and develop strategies to gain buy-in from different audiences and stakeholders.

Creative Business Planning Tools

You’ll get hands-on with tools tailored to the creative sector, including:

Mind mapping for vision and planning
Storyboarding to test and shape ideas
Creative pitching to present proposals with impact
This session is professional but informal — expect plenty of interaction, peer learning, and a chance to share your own experiences.

Led by Practitioners Who Understand

Your facilitators are Jane Shaw and Kate Gorman — both active creative practitioners with extensive experience of launching and supporting sustainable enterprises. They’ll share practical insights from their own journeys, alongside real examples of what works in today’s creative industries.

Added Opportunities

As part of the day, participants will also:

Tour the Bob Abley Gallery and explore the exhibition spaces
Meet the curator and learn about opportunities to exhibit or host workshops
Connect with fellow artists and practitioners
Access up-to-date information on business support and funding for start-ups and growth
Who Should Attend?

The Art of the Possible is open to all creatives seeking to grow their practice and professional impact. It will be particularly valuable for:

Visual Artists – painters, sculptors, illustrators, photographers
Designers – fashion, product, graphic, digital
Performing Artists – actors, musicians, dancers, theatre-makers
Socially Engaged Practitioners – working with communities & participatory arts
Anyone in the creative industries ready to turn ideas into action
Limited places available – book early to secure your spot!
Lunch provided.

Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to take the next step in your creative career!

This event is being delivered in partnership with Spennymoor Town Council and the Bob Abley Gallery.