This weekend I attended a workshop at the Penland School of Crafts for Professional Development.  The Workshop was lead by Creative Capital, a non-profit organization started in New York in 2001 after the NEA stopped giving individual grants to artists.  It was started as an experiment in funding that grew into an organization that is creating community for working artists and providing excellent business tools for artists in an area they are traditionally weak.  The workshop at Penland was underwritten and the artists who participated were only responsible for the cost of their food during this weekend intensive.  We spent time talking about several different topics: Strategic Planning, Promoting our Work, and Funding our work.  There were 23 artists who participated: blacksmiths, ceramic artists, installation artist, painters, sculptors, quilters, and glass artists. 

I am still processing so much of what I learned but I've begun the Strategic Planning Process for my work.  I am currently in the process of writing down short and long term goals.  So many things are clearer! I plan to make slight adjustments in my trajectory which will lead to different outcomes with my work in years to come.    I plan to launch a national campaign to find partnerships with new galleries and private and corporate dealers who will build value in the work I have already completed and provide support for new works to come. 
Above Image: Pouzilhac, France Oil on Linen 16x31 © Rebecca  N King