Developing communities of practice

What is the course about?

Our professional practice suite is a set of one-day workshops that you can pick and mix to design your own modular course, to learn core skills and knowledge essential to the professional creative practitioner in craft, design or fine art. Whether you require expert technical knowledge, deeper critical and contextual understanding, or need to know how to go about setting yourself up as an independent professional, these workshops will allow you to build your own modular course of study to ensure you develop the skills you need.

What will we cover?

By definition, each workshop is different, but every one of them is designed to enable you to develop knowledge and skills that – whether directly related to your subject or not – will enhance your professionalism and understanding of the context in which you make your work. Content ranges from technical skills to promoting your work, from collaboration to critical understanding.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

Obviously, while this depends on the workshop you take part in, the primary purpose of all of them is to build confidence and expertise, so that you are better able to pursue your professional/creative aims and aspirations independently and more effectively, and to know what you are doing. To that end, each workshop has a relatively narrow focus to ensure that you get what you need out of it, as set out in the intro paragraph above.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

No prior knowledge or experience is necessary to take part in any professional practice workshop, however, the expectation is that you will be participating in order to strengthen your understanding of a particular aspect of practice, or a subject related to your work, to acquire underpinning technical knowledge, to discuss or consider alternative creative practices, or to engage in communities or networks of practice with your peers.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

Again, every workshop is slightly different, and the teaching will reflect the subject or the focus of the session: technical sessions might consist of instruction and/or troubleshooting, while workshops focusing on interpretation, writing or collaboration are likely to involve more discussion and reflection of individual and shared experience. Generally speaking, however, as these are not beginners courses, most of them do not feature introductions to techniques or processes, unless specified.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

Other than basic stationery for making notes (or if the workshop is being delivered online, a computer or tablet and an internet connection), nothing else will be required, unless it is explicitly mentioned in the introduction.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

Advanced art and design professional practice modules are designed to support your creative practice: you can do one, many, or all of them, depending on what you need at the time. There is no set order, and there are no entry requirements. If you see a workshop that provides the professional skills or knowledge that you need, just sign up!