I had the great opportunity to participate in the Creative3 International Forum and I have the Queensland University of Technology to thank for sponsoring me to attend.

Here is quick little post about my time and some interesting quotes and thoughts I got from this conference.

Adam Elliot was the first presenter, the creator of Harvey Krumpet. Mary and Max Elliot describe him as a selfvappointedvstoryteller of our culture and spoke about his history and how he almost dismissed the fact that he was ‘creative’ in high school. It is interesting that he had to go to another country to be rewarded and recognized, to be appreciated in his own country. Now that they have been validated, all the doors are open.

Go for it! Life is not a dress rehearsal!

Russel Howcroft was next, who brought up the fact that the UK absolutely supports creative industries and some good business concepts such as:
Start a business to sell it.
Look at a goal in the future and work backwards.
Creativity accelerates success – “The wicked sick project” youtube clip at the top of this post.
Why make something if you can’t market it?

Michael Lynch was very informative and brought up some questions for me. These include facing the fact that right now Aussie works do not have international marketability and that Aussies need to experiment with different and new entrepreneurial methods.

Michael Smellie told us how artists don’t coincide with a business schedule and that you have to have resilience and find your niche. Know you your market intimately and dominate it. This also includes having a global perspective and a simple business model. Most of all, know your community!

Day 2 began with Graeme Wood of wotif.com, he never had a business plan written down or a strategic plan. He didn’t complete any market research of consumers and used young people not in the industry and threw problems at them. Simplicity is Key!

Hugh Mason was nice enough to put his power point online.
So check it out - Click

The next bit is a jumble of information, but still good.

It may be old but sex still sells.

You have to make it work cheaply and efficiently.

There is a power in saying no.

What sparks your interest? Makes you a little bit scared the first time you see it.

Surprise and delight your customers!

If they don’t get it in 2 minutes they are not the right people.

My Questions:
Why can’t contemporary art entertain a wider audience? – make things funny? Have we forgot about pleasing the viewer?
How do I sell dance?
Do we need government funding?
Is it the difference between public and private sector?
Can art be made efficient/productive/profitable?
Does dance struggle more because we are the only art form you can’t take home?

I believe for DANCE to be successful and sustainable in Brisbane one must:
1. Be able to create something that truly engages emotionally with your audience.

2. Access your community, everyone who has an interest in what you are doing. Let them help you.

Make it so good that they will bring theirs friends and make it accessible!

Signing off,

Patric Lilleboe