Reaching your Goals: Career Management for Curators & Artists

Online course by Node Center for Curatorial Studieswith Doris Friedl

Duration: Aug 22 – Sep 12, 2022
Fee: 174€
Max seats: 30
Enroll before: Aug 18, 2022
Live sessions: 2 hrs/week

Working in the art world involves a wide set of skills and challenges, from knowing how to manage multiple projects simultaneously, engage with a variety of people and negotiate working conditions. To carve out your own career path, it’s crucial to know how to prioritise, how to choose the right projects to work on, how to request fair fees and handle your time to not burn out.

This course provides self-employed curators and artists the tools to impact their career by learning how to plan and work toward their career goals, increase their networks, and communicate professionally in both spoken and written word, including dealing with conflicts. Participants will also think through the day-to-day ways of working including methods of personal time management as well as techniques for (self) motivation.

Throughout this practical and interactive course, participants will have the possibility to test the learned methods in small groups and expand their network. A buddy program will also be set up to facilitate personal support and closer learning.

Program

Session 1. Planning your career

• Check-in – Getting to know each other

• Career Management in the art world
  • The importance of good relationships
  • The advantage of good planning

• Planning your successful career
  • The advantage of goal setting
  • Methodical career goal setting (short-, medium- and long-term goals)
  • Practical exercise: work on goals
• Methods to improve focus
  • Prioritizing and organizing

Session 2. Self-motivation and time management

• Time or self-management
  • What is self-management?
  • The elements of self-management
  • Methods to manage and motivate yourself (and others)
  • Practical exercise – method testing

Session 3. Self-presentation & networking

• Building a network
  • Building relationships in the art world
  • How to approach art professionals and enhance your network
  • Your contact database

• Self-presentation in a very short time
  • Identifying your major experience and skills
  • Establishing your elevator pitch with AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action)
  • Practical exercise – voluntary presentation to the group

Session 4. Professional communication

• Communication types
  • Communication tools & methods
  • Professional email writing

• Conflict management
  • Positive conflicts – a mindset
  • Integrative approach to managing conflicts

• Negotiating and calculating fees

• Contracting
  • The importance of contracting
  • Contract types in the art world