Lucy Wright reflects on her recent experience at a conference on ‘care-fuelled’ leadership in the arts and explores the often-brutal reality of being an artist.
I hadn’t, perhaps, read the conference description carefully enough. Delivered by Clore Leadership as part of their Emerging Futures programme, this exploration of ‘care’ in the arts was aimed squarely at leaders (and emerging or aspirant leaders) in the arts sector. Clore has a specific professional remit which it does very well, but it’s not necessarily one that speaks directly to my own particular patchwork career as a part-time freelancer, part-time producer for an arts charity.
I am not a leader in any titled or remunerated sense. When asked to chat with our neighbour about why we had chosen to attend, I expressed my slight discomfort with the term ‘leader’, and the friendly national collection acquisitions manager sitting beside me said, ‘but you lead your own practice’, which I guess is true, theoretically at least. I decided to expand my definition of ‘leading’ for the duration of the event, as someone whose leadership is currently…under a bushel, let’s say...Keep reading on Axis.
I hadn’t, perhaps, read the conference description carefully enough. Delivered by Clore Leadership as part of their Emerging Futures programme, this exploration of ‘care’ in the arts was aimed squarely at leaders (and emerging or aspirant leaders) in the arts sector. Clore has a specific professional remit which it does very well, but it’s not necessarily one that speaks directly to my own particular patchwork career as a part-time freelancer, part-time producer for an arts charity.
I am not a leader in any titled or remunerated sense. When asked to chat with our neighbour about why we had chosen to attend, I expressed my slight discomfort with the term ‘leader’, and the friendly national collection acquisitions manager sitting beside me said, ‘but you lead your own practice’, which I guess is true, theoretically at least. I decided to expand my definition of ‘leading’ for the duration of the event, as someone whose leadership is currently…under a bushel, let’s say...Keep reading on Axis.