→ How did you find funding for your creative business?
Hey ☻
I'm a self-employed Web Designer. I'm looking to scale my Design business through taking courses + bootcamps to develop my skills.
→ I am looking for advice, from people within my field, on getting funding, grants, or personal loans for learning.
I can find loads for artists working on specific projects but not many options for entrepeneurs trying to get their business off the ground.
I don't have an employer to fund any courses.
I am black + queer so if there are any existing schemes that provide funding for these minorities that's something I'm interested in.
Just for reference I have worked independently towards certifications & taken free courses, I've used ever free resource I can find on Youtube etc. I really want to access the more advanced and platform specific back-end workings to apply what I know to the website builders my clients want to use. And to facilitate what I already know in a more structured, engaging way.
Replies4
- Great question @Emilia Trafalgar, I've just sent you a DM!
- I recommend signing up to the I LIKE NETWORKING newsletter (at the bottom of this page): https://ilikenetworking.uk/resources They often share news of creative grants and opportunities through their emails.It can be challenging, but I think a lot of personal creative projects are self-initiated and funded. To gain grants, often, the project needs to benefit the community in some way or you need to provide evidence around impact. Not always, but there are usually strings attached to "free" money.
- As great as taking some course might be, they're not the only way to upskill and, depending on the course, can actively harm creatives early in their career. While there is a certain level of self-initiation in learning and getting technical skills can be difficult without a job (a year in-office is actually great for mastering technical tools like InDesign), there are some general resources out there.Mileage will vary with setups like Skillshare and the lectures there are often... light on meaningful tutelage. YouTube has a surprising amount of useful tutorials - though don't expect great production quality in 90% of those.Obviously, we've spoken before, so you are free to reach out with any questions on the specifics of design/work/etc.As for specific funding initiatives, I haven't seen any for a long time. Which, given that the industry is starting to vacuum money rather than give it out, perhaps isn't surprising. Shit's difficult out there and there are very few workign to try and better it.
- Pick up and a drop at the highest calibre
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