The IW Creative Network Development Programme offers a range of Creative Training Sessions, in-person and online, all geared to inform, inspire and help develop your business skills working in the creative industries.
As a member of the network, you get access to all of our previous online Creative Training Sessions, which are recorded and posted on our Resources page of the website.
All Creative Training Sessions must be booked via the Eventbrite links which will come available in the News & Opps section of the website. Look out for these sessions via our Instagram & Facebook pages, and monthly e-newsletter – double check your Spam/Junk folder for our newsletters and mark as ‘safe’.
Please note, spaces for these sessions fill up fast – so make sure to book your place!
Creative Training Sessions coming up in 2025…
COFFEE & CHAT SESSIONS for 14-25 year olds
Next session: Tuesday 23 September, 12.30pm – 1.30pm at Ventnor Exchange
This year we are working in collaboration with Brave Island, to provide a series of ‘Coffee & Chat’ sessions for 14-25 year olds. Each month, along with a small group, you have the chance to meet with a different industry professional and find out about their job, how they got to where they are today, or ask for any advice they have to offer.
For this months session, come and chat with the Brave Island and IW Creative Network team! With a wealth of knowledge across the creative industries, this is a great opportunity for anyone looking for information or advice either on your own creative interests or either of these programmes.
Brave Island is a platform set up through Ventnor Exchange, to provide more creative opportunities to 14-25 year olds living on the Isle of Wight. They offer mentoring, funding, experiences, and training, there’s something new every week and everything is completely free to take part in.
Venue address: Ventnor Exchange, 11 Church Street, Ventnor, Isle of Wight, PO38 1SW
To attend a Coffee & Chat session you must be aged 14-25 and need to sign up at www.braveisland.uk. Then just book your place HERE and tell us why you would like to take part.
GROUP CRIT SESSION: Monday 29 September, 6-8pm at Quay Arts, Newport
Provided in collaboration with Quay Arts, members are welcome to join in these bi-monthly group Crit Sessions, chaired by specialist in Artist Support Alys Scott Hawkins. Alys provides guidance and advice to Artists & Creatives to overcome barriers, plan projects and make funding applications. She is a member of the Artist Council: the advisory panel for a-n: the UK’s largest membership organisation for visual artists. Previously she led the Artist Development programme at ‘a space’ arts, Southampton, drawing on her long-standing networks within the arts sector across the region.
A crit is a critique where one creative will be invited at each session to share their work with a group and speak about their work, idea or a project they are pursuing, looking for honest, constructive feedback from other artists. These sessions will be limited to max 20 places within each group.
Presenting at this session: Visual Artist, Kathy Williams.
Kathy Williams is an artist whose practice is based in the present moment and is responsive to context- place, space, people, themes and ideas. She identifies her methodology as play and is currently putting together an interchangeable toolkit where she can rock up to places and make / co-create work that can only be assembled in that way, at that time and in that particular format. Kathy has always worked with process and is now expanding her knowledge by exploring the “doing” of her practice which she affectionately refers to as “the middle bit”. As process hints at a system and end point, doing focuses on the action of making.. the middle bit between idea and outcome.
If you would like to be considered for a future group Crit Session, please email georgia@iwcreativenetwork.com a brief outline of what you’d like to present, along with any links to your work and technical requirements to show your work.
Book your place HERE!
Arts Council England x Digital Culture Network Online Session
EVENT UPDATE: This online session is currently on hold. We are working with Arts Council England to confirm if it can take place on the specified date below and will update this page shortly.
Thursday 2nd October, 10am-12pm, Online via Zoom
Explore how to access Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants, Developing Your Creative Practice, and Grassroots Music funding – plus learn what support the Digital Culture Network can offer you. Includes optional 121 advice sessions with Arts Council England.
During this online event you’ll learn more about:
- What National Lottery Project Grants can support and how to apply
- How to develop a strong application for Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP)
- Grassroots Music funding priorities and eligibility
- What support the Digital Culture Network offers and how to access support.
This event is open to members & non-members of the IW Creative Network.
Click here for more info
GO FOR GROWTH TRAINING SESSIONS
This autumn, we’re teaming up with Go For Growth again to bring a programme of practical workshops to Building 41 in Cowes. These sessions are designed for creatives at all stages, whether you’re a freelancer, artist, maker or running a small organisation – who want to strengthen their skills and grow their business.
You don’t have to be a Go For Growth member to book, and if you’re an IW Creative Network member, the Thursday sessions are free! (12 spaces available). All other workshops are just £2.50 each. Booking link to find out more below.
All sessions will take place in person at: Building 41, Newport Road, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 8BX
To find out more about each session & to book your place, CLICK HERE!
The sessions:
Digital Marketing Strategy: Thursday 25th September, 1–3.30pm (FREE for IWCN members)
Facilitator: Effie Moss – Marketing Strategist & Business Growth Mentor
Take the guesswork out of marketing. Learn how to define your audience, choose the right channels, and build a simple 90-day digital marketing plan. Useful for artists, performers and makers who struggle to reach beyond word-of-mouth and want to connect with the right audiences online.
AI Tools for Small Business Owners: Thursday 2nd October, 1–3.30pm (FREE for IWCN members)
Facilitator: Gareth Kemp
Explore practical AI tools that save time, boost creativity, and help you work smarter. Ideal for freelancers juggling admin, content or planning – free up more time for making!
Social Media & Content Planning: Thursday 9th October, 1–3.30pm (FREE for IWCN members)
Facilitator: Zoe Stroud
Design a clear social media strategy. Learn to plan content, pick the right platforms, and grow an engaged audience. Great for musicians, designers and artists who feel overwhelmed by social media and need a simple, consistent approach.
Pricing & Sales Strategies: Thursday 16th October, 1–3.30pm (FREE for IWCN members)
Facilitator: Tash Rebuck
Set the right prices with confidence. Covers pricing models, negotiation, sales planning, and overcoming self-doubt. Perfect for makers and freelancers unsure how to value their work or that might be undercharging.
Customer Value Proposition & Journey Mapping: Wednesday 5th November, 1–3.30pm (£2.50)
Facilitator: Ross Findon – Strategic Communications Consultant
Understand what your customers value, create a strong proposition, and design journeys that meet their needs. Helpful for creatives who want to build lasting relationships with audiences, clients, or funders.
Online Visibility & SEO in an AI World: Wednesday 12th November, 1–3.30pm (£2.50)
Facilitator: Ross Findon – Strategic Communications Consultant
Discover how AI is reshaping online visibility. Learn tools, trends, and steps to stay competitive. Relevant for writers, musicians, and artists who want their work to be discoverable online but aren’t sure how search engines (or AI) might affect them.
Business Finance Fundamentals: Wednesday 19th November, 1–3.30pm (£2.50)
Facilitator: Sally Casterton – Finance Consultant, Coach & Mentor
Gain control of your finances. Learn to manage cashflow, set goals, and calculate break-even points.
Essential for creatives who dread spreadsheets but want to run their practice sustainably.
Building a Sales Funnel & Closing Deals: Wednesday 26th November, 1–3.30pm (£2.50)
Facilitator: Tash Rebuck
From outreach and pitching to follow-ups and conversions – strategies to fill your pipeline and close deals.
Handy for freelancers, theatre companies or makers pitching for commissions but struggling to secure work.
Automation & Productivity Tools: Wednesday 3rd December, 1–3.30pm (£2.50)
Facilitator: Gemma Pybus – Digital Groundwork Ltd / UWL
Streamline your business with automation and AI tools. Design your own 90-day productivity plan.
Useful for busy creatives wearing multiple hats – automate repetitive tasks so you can spend more time creating.
Your Business Plan on a Page: Wednesday 10th December, 1–3.30pm (£2.50)
Facilitator: Gavin McWhirter – Small Business Advisor & Founder of Digital Islands
Plan your business growth with the Business Model Canvas. Define your value, customers, and goals on a single page. Great for creatives moving from hobbyist to professional, or organisations needing a clear plan to share with funders.
Past 2025 Creative Training Opportunities:
GROUP CRIT SESSION: Monday 21 July, 6-8pm
Jubilee Stores Studios, Newport Harbour, PO30 2EF
Provided in collaboration with Quay Arts, members are welcome to join in these bi-monthly group Crit Sessions, chaired by specialist in Artist Support Alys Scott Hawkins. Alys provides guidance and advice to Artists & Creatives to overcome barriers, plan projects and make funding applications. She is a member of the Artist Council: the advisory panel for a-n: the UK’s largest membership organisation for visual artists. Previously she led the Artist Development programme at ‘a space’ arts, Southampton, drawing on her long-standing networks within the arts sector across the region.
A crit is a critique where one creative will be invited at each session to share their work with a group and speak about their work, idea or a project they are pursuing, looking for honest, constructive feedback from other artists. These sessions will be limited to max 20 places within each group.
Presenting at this session: Interdisciplinary Fine Artist, Trudie Wilson.
Trudie’s work explores landscapes and the experience of landscape through interdisciplinary practices. Through a wide range of media, she investigates the memory of land and deep time. Her practice is intrinsically connected to the island, reflecting a deep engagement with place, process, and material.
To view Trudie’s work, please visit the following links:
https://www.instagram.com/trudie_art/
https://trudiewilson.co.uk
If you would like to be considered for a future group Crit Session, please email georgia@iwcreativenetwork.com a brief outline of what you’d like to present, along with any links to your work and technical requirements to show your work.
Book your place HERE!
Coffee & Chat Sessions for 14-25 year olds – monthly via Brave Island
Next session: Friday 30 May, 4pm – 5pm at Ventnor Exchange with Theatre Maker, Peter Higgin.
This year we are working in collaboration with Brave Island, to provide a series of ‘Coffee & Chat’ sessions for 14-25 year olds. Each month, along with a small group, you have the chance to meet with a different industry professional and find out about their job, how they got to where they are today, or ask for any advice they have to offer.
Brave Island is a platform set up through Ventnor Exchange, to provide more creative opportunities to 14-25 year olds living on the Isle of Wight. They offer mentoring, funding, experiences, and training, there’s something new every week and everything is completely free to take part in.
To book a space on the Coffee & Chat sessions you must be aged 14-25 and need to sign up at www.braveisland.uk to get involved.
GROUP CRIT SESSION: Monday 24 March, 6-8pm at Quay Arts, Newport
Provided in collaboration with Quay Arts, members are welcome to join in these bi-monthly group Crit Sessions, chaired by specialist in Artist Support Alys Scott Hawkins. Alys provides guidance and advice to Artists & Creatives to overcome barriers, plan projects and make funding applications. She is a member of the Artist Council: the advisory panel for a-n: the UK’s largest membership organisation for visual artists. Previously she led the Artist Development programme at ‘a space’ arts, Southampton, drawing on her long-standing networks within the arts sector across the region.
A crit is a critique where one creative will be invited at each session to share their work with a group and speak about their work, idea or a project they are pursuing, looking for honest, constructive feedback from other artists. These sessions will be limited to max 20 places within each group.
Presenting at this session: Visual Artist, Sara Truckel.
Sara Truckel’s current body of work explores the erosion of identity following trauma, abuse, motherhood, and late-diagnosed neurodivergence. Through 3D lace forms – referencing her Nottingham roots – alongside plaster of Paris installations and life drawing paintings, she examines what is taken, hidden, or reshaped over time. Layers are built up and stripped away, mirroring the fragile and fractured nature of selfhood after profound life experiences.
Members CLICK HERE to find out more & book your place
FUTURE-PROOF YOUR CREATIVITY: Combine artistry and technology to realise your true worth and shape the future of your creative business. Thursday 6 March, 9.30am-4pm at Building 41, Cowes
IW Creative Network and Go For Growth are joining forces and running an exciting one-day training and networking event for creative professionals. Designed to help artists, designers, writers, and creative entrepreneurs on the Isle of Wight, turn their passion into a sustainable and financially rewarding business, this event will explore the true value of creative work and how to align artistic vision with business strategy.
With expert-led sessions from leading AI consultant Jocelyn Burnham, award-winning voice actor Emma Topping, and business strategist Ross Findon, attendees will discover how to leverage AI, redefine their value, and build a business model that works.
This interactive, hands-on event is an essential opportunity for creatives looking to develop, grow, and thrive. Book your spot now and take the next step in your creative career! FREE tickets available for IWCN members & £5 for Go For Growth members and £25 for non members. Includes a light lunch and coffee / refreshments.
This event, hosted in collaboration with the IW Creative Network and Go for Growth. Go For Growth, is a programme to support micro businesses and small businesses thrive through online, in-person, 121 programmes and mentoring.
CLICK HERE to find out more and book your place
ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND FUNDING – An introduction to National Lottery Project Grants: Thursday 13 February, 1.30-4pm at Building 41, Cowes
This event is an opportunity to learn more about Art Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants application process and guidance with Ginny Graham, Senior Relationship Manager at the Arts Council, Joe Plumb, Founder of Horse Box Theatre, and visual artist Trudie Wilson. Ginny Graham will provide 121 support for individuals looking to develop their applications. There’ll also be time for coffee and networking after the session.
CLICK HERE to find out more and book your place
GROUP CRIT SESSION: Monday 20 January, 6-8pm at Quay Arts, Newport
Provided in collaboration with Quay Arts, members are welcome to join in these bi-monthly group Crit Sessions, chaired by specialist in Artist Support Alys Scott Hawkins. Alys provides guidance and advice to Artists & Creatives to overcome barriers, plan projects and make funding applications. She is a member of the Artist Council: the advisory panel for a-n: the UK’s largest membership organisation for visual artists. Previously she led the Artist Development programme at ‘a space’ arts, Southampton, drawing on her long-standing networks within the arts sector across the region.
A crit is a critique where one creative will be invited at each session to share their work with a group and speak about their work, idea or a project they are pursuing, looking for honest, constructive feedback from other artists. These sessions will be limited to max 20 places within each group.
Presenting at this session: Artist, Steve Baxter.
Steve’s work explores disorder by making the familiar unfamiliar, inspired by walking the coast and Flann O’Brien’s fictional philosopher, De Selby. Coastal landscapes reveal instability and the shared forces of survival and growth. His work reflects this, uncovering life’s hidden instabilities and the changing fabric of a world often assumed permanent.
If you would like to be considered for further group Crit Sessions, please email georgia@ a brief outline of what you’d like to present, along with any links to your work and technical requirements to show your work.
Members CLICK HERE to find out more & book your place
MASTERING SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CREATIVES: Thursday 16 January 2025, 11am-1.30pm at Building 41, Cowes
If you’re looking to refine your social media presence and take your digital strategy to the next level – then make sure to join us for an intermediate-level workshop led by the marketing and social media teams at Visit Isle of Wight – the organisation responsible for promoting the Isle of Wight as a top destination in the UK and beyond.
This workshop is ideal for creatives, artists, designers, photographers, musicians, writers, and more who already have some experience with social media but want to enhance their effectiveness on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
Members CLICK HERE to find out more & book your place
