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Congratulations to one of my client creative businesses, Sparkle Media on their successful projects in Australia !
The visual effects and animation company has recently worked in Australia with Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett and Joseph Fiennes, producing video footage for the multimedia theatrical performance Minutes of a Separation.
Sparkle Media also worked for Reebok whilst in Australia on an 'advanced fitness' website project.
It's a pleasure to work with creative entrepreneurs like Glenn Maguire and Andy Cooper, who are the company's directors.
Over the several months I have been involved in their business growth, I have been able to advise them on matters such marketing, intellectual property and enterprise development.
Sparke Director Glenn Maguire said:
"Since attending David's workshop and then engaging him as an adviser, Sparkle Media has gone from strength to strength. The company now operates on a global level, going head to head with world wide agencies - and beating them. We've never looked back and have a lot to thank David for."
Working internationally from their base in Liverpool, Sparkle has worked closely with creative industries support agency Merseyside ACME.
A creative passion is often the driving force for creative entrepreneurs.
My advice is always to recognise this, in order to understand our own motivations in business. In other words, what 'makes us tick'.
I was asked recently by Putte Svensson from Rockparty in Hultsfred, Sweden, what would be my advice if someone said they just wanted to have fun. My answer was that fun is important and essential to any enterprise. I went on to say that I do indeed want people to have fun - and for a long time! Having fun for a short while and then going bankrupt isn't much fun at all. I help people to also look at the business issues that will help them to continue to have fun in a sustainable way, long-term. Things like marketing, finance and intellectual property also need to be taken into account to make sure the fun continues.
The philosophy of T-Shirts and Suits is about combining creativity and business acumen. It's about using rationality as well as emotion - the left side of the brain as well as the right side. I sometimes talk about 'using our heads as well as our hearts'.
Sara Lönnroth, who is the project leader for Mötesplats Mode&Design (MM&D), at the Transit Business Incubator at Konstfack in Stockholm, suggested a phrase about this, which I've adapted and translated as:
"Let your heart drive you and your head guide you".
I'm going to adopt this as one of my sayings from now on!
As the year draws to a close, I'd like to wish you Peace at Christmas and every success in 2008.
I'm privileged to have worked with some wonderful people in 2007.
Thank you to Mike Carney for the new visual identity and to Darren Ratcliffe for my new website and blog.
Thanks to Merseyside ACME and Smiling Wolf for publishing my book 'T-Shirts and Suits: A Guide to the Business of Creativity' as a free eBook.
The 'T-Shirts and Suits' group on Facebook has grown rapidly since the summer to become a network of more than 800 creative entrepreneurs from all over the world.
As well as working in Liverpool, Manchester, Derbyshire, London and elsewhere in England, international projects took me to Norway, Germany and Holland during the year.
Best wishes to all my consultancy clients and to everyone who attended my training workshops and seminars. I have enjoyed helping your creative enterprises to become even more successful - and I've learned a lot from you.
As well as my ongoing business advice sessions and training workshops, I will be initiating some new projects in 2008. I'm also looking forward to publishing more useful information, ideas and articles for creative businesses in the forthcoming year. Watch this space!
Have a great holiday and see you again in the new year...
David
There is now a group on the social networking site 'facebook' for creative people to share smart business ideas and make useful contacts.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2404983690
The more people join and network, the more useful the 'T-Shirts and Suits' is all about bringing together creativity and smart business ideas and facebook provides a forum to enable creative businesses and cultural organisations to share smart business ideas, publicise what they do, and create partnerships.
It is an international group and already has over 1,100 members including James Purnell MP, the UK's top government minister for the creative industries and John Howkins, author of the acclaimed book 'The Creative Economy'.
The group is open creative entrepreneurs and to everyone directly or indirectly involved in the creative industries, arts enterprises, creative business or cultural industries world-wide. The creative industries include advertising, architecture, fine art, music, crafts, photography, film and video, fashion, computer games, performing arts, TV and radio, design and publishing.
The 'Wall' feature makes it easy for businesses to publicise their product and services and the main business themes for discussion are marketing, intellectual property, collaborations, business strategy, and other matters of interest to creative enterprises.
Anyone can join the group once a member of Facebook, which is free, quick and easy to join.
The facebook group is called "T-Shirts and Suits (Creativity and Business)"
If you're already on facebook, you can go direct to the group here:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2404983690
The more people join and network, the more useful the group will be to everyone involved.
At the last count, creative entrepreneurs and creative industry professionals have joined the group from countries as diverse as Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England, Estonia, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, Romania, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States, Venezuela, and Wales,
Join us!
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Download the free eBook version of 'T-Shirts and Suits: A Guide to the Business of Creativity' by David Parrish.
The eBook of T-Shirts and Suits is the full version of the book, in interactive PDF format.
We want you to download it, distribute it to friends and associates, and add it to your website so that your readers can download it and distribute it too.
Go to website download page.
You are free to copy it, distribute it and print it - provided you do not claim it as your own work, amend it, or sell it.
Copyright David Parrish and Merseyside ACME.
Some Rights Reserved.
The eBook is made available for free distribution under a Creative Commons licence.
See full details of the copyright and licensing arrangements.
The ISBN of the eBook is 9780953825455
MAiLOUT Magazine interviewed me about T-Shirts and Suits in 2005, and the interview has been republished by CIDA on their Creative Portal.
Link to MAiLOUT interview on Creative Portal
Link to MAiLOUT Magazine online
This blog section contains new information for creative people who want to make their businesses and organisations even more successful.
Written by David Parrish, these articles add to the ideas and examples published in his book 'T-Shirts and Suits: A Guide to the Business of Creativity'.
Blog posts are listed by category - see below right.
Or go to a complete list of blog posts.
I work internationally with creative people to help them make their businesses and organisations even more successful.
We do this by combining the best of their creativity with intelligent marketing and great business ideas that fit with their objectives - and their values.
My approach to business development combines the creative personality [the T-Shirt] with business thinking [the Suit].
I call this approach: "T-Shirts and Suits".
T-Shirts and Suits is my way of thinking, my profession and my mission.
My book is called 'T-Shirts and Suits: A Guide to the Business of Creativity'.
T-Shirts and Suits is also my brand for my business advice, training and consultancy work in the creative industries sector.
In my capacity as director of T-Shirts and Suits Ltd I am also involved in various cultural industries projects including researching best practice in the creative industries internationally in partnership with UNESCO.
More about David Parrish
"Some people regard creativity and business as being like oil and water - they just don't mix. They think it's a question of choosing creativity or business. I disagree."
The above is an excerpt from the book 'T-Shirts and Suits: A Guide to the Business of Creativity' by David Parrish.
Download Chapter 1: Creativity and Business (PDF, 92KB)
Download PDF
You can download this file and distribute it freely (subject to a Creative Commons licence).
Copyright Information. David Parrish's works
Most copyright work has the phrase "All Rights Reserved" attached to the copyright notice, for example: "Copyright © David Parrish. 2007. All Rights Reserved."
Strictly speaking, this means that it is forbidden to copy the work in any way, shape or form, without the express written consent of the copyright holder.
But this is too restrictive for many circumstances.
I often want you to copy, share and distribute my ideas, articles and publications. I ask only that you keep my name attached, don't change anything, and don't make money from them without getting me involved.
So instead of always having an "All Rights Reserved" policy, I often have a policy of "Some Rights Reserved" and use the Creative Commons licence known as "Attribution-Noncommercial-NoDerivativeWorks", which states that:
1. Attribution. You can copy and distribute the work so long as I am attributed as the author of the work.
2. Non-Commercial. It cannot be used to make a profit. (We can do a different deal for this - see below.)
3. No Derivative Works. The work must not be changed or built upon.
NB: If you want to make a profit from my work, please contact me for permission.
I'm always happy to talk about how we can work together for mutual benefit!
When republishing my work, please add the following copyright notice:
"Copyright © David Parrish. 2007. Some rights reserved.
This work is released under a Creative Commons licence, which allows you to copy, print and redistribute it so long as you credit the author, do not change the work, and do not use it for commercial purposes.
For further information see: www.davidparrishcopyright.info"
The full license is available online at the Creative Commons Website:
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.
For more information about the great work of Creative Commons, visit their website
Download chapters in PDF format from the book 'T-Shirts and Suits: A Guide to the Business of Creativity'
Creativity and Business (PDF, 92KB)
Download creativity_and_business. Excerpt from T-Shirts and Suits. A Guide to the Business of Creativity.pdf
The Magic of Marketing (PDF, 92KB)
Download the_magic_of_marketing. Excerpt from T-Shirts and Suits. A Guide to the Business of Creativity.pdf
You can download these files and distribute them freely (subject to a Creative Commons licence).
T-Shirts and Suits: A Guide to the Business of Creativity
by David Parrish
First published November 2005 by Merseyside ACME
Reprinted November 2006 with new foreword by Shaun Woodward MP, Minister for Creative Industries.
ISBN 9780953825448. Paperback £15.00 (UK)
The book provides both inspiration and practical advice for all those involved in running or setting up a creative business.
David Parrish draws on his own experience of running creative businesses and the insights he has gained from helping hundreds of people in creative enterprises. He combines his own perspectives with research from successful businesses to offer sound advice and some new ideas to help creative enterprises to develop and grow.
Written in an engaging and common-sense style, the book provides useful advice about managing creative enterprises, using established techniques and some new ideas. It's a book which can be read straight through - or dipped into for specific ideas and help - or both. There's something for everyone involved in the business of creativity, whether established enterprises or those about to start up.
The best creative businesses integrate creativity with good business practice, hence the need to mix the approaches of both T-Shirts and Suits into a workable business formula. This book demonstrates through its ideas and examples how the apparently different approaches of the worlds of T-Shirts and Suits can come together to create successful enterprises.
"The business of creativity is the art of turning recognition into reward, and the science of turning intellectual property into income streams."
- from T-Shirts and Suits: A Guide to the Business of Creativity
Designed in a readable and user-friendly way, the book covers marketing, intellectual property, competition, assessing feasibility, finance and company structures. It also helps the reader to clarify their own ambitions and values in relation to their creativity.
The book's themes are illustrated by snapshots of how creative enterprises are successfully using the ideas presented in the book.
In short, this book makes a practical contribution to the development of successful enterprises in the creative sector.
Link to book on Amazon
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