‘It’s often said you need business acumen along with creative talent, but you rarely get that kind of guided instruction.’
For visual artist Juliet, the opportunity to join The Artery Peer Support programme arrived at the perfect moment. She first learned about it from Great Place Lakes and Dales, a National Lottery Heritage Funded project, who proactively shared such opportunities with young artists. The idea of a programme supporting creatives in business skills development instantly appealed to her.
For the award-winning photographer, the biggest takeaway was feeling empowered – empowered in herself, her autonomy as an artist-entrepreneur, and her ability to keep learning. The Artery provided a tailored, safe group environment to share and ask questions without judgement. The programme made her more confident in embracing a creative direction, reassured that despite different disciplines, creatives are aligned in wanting to make their passion sustainable.
The Artery helped Juliet in many ways. Having a group that meets regularly with supportive peer reviews made her accountable for making consistent progress across all aspects of her practice between meetings. The Action Learning tasks became practical tools not just for group discussions but driving her own business development cycles. As an independent artist who often works solo despite collaborations, the programme facilitates an invaluable collaborative space on operational best practices.
Crucially, Juliet no longer feels alone. The Artery’s model of placing artists in structured peer groups created an extended network of collaborators and support. She gained insights and relatability from peers in different disciplines. With business skills in place, Juliet can now focus on amplifying her artistic vision, including an upcoming multimedia exhibition, highlighting environmental resilience.
