Dave Harte of Digital Central has been doing a sterling job of putting together some rather irreverent digests of the gigantic strategic type reports that come his way and although it's kind of funny he does manage to pull out some of the salient points as well as highlighting some useful documents. As some one who generates some pretty hefty reports myself I am wondering what scope there is for a 'digesting service' or perhaps that is the challenge for the author - try to do a txt message version maybe! Certainly that might increase the audience size.
It was reminding me of a service that I would like or something I would like to encourage and that is a sort of literature alert service. Wishful thinking on behalf of the researcher I know. But trying to stay on top of all that is published both academic and other is a permanent job. So here is a request readers these are my key words phrases:
- Gender and entrepreneurship in the creative industries
- Widening participation in the creative industries
- Entrepreneurship in the creative industries
- Enterprise and entrepreneurship curriculum for creative industries
If you come across anything that you feel relates to these topics then please let me know - send me the link or title or synopsis - I'd like to think I was kind of on top of things having just completed a literature review for a paper to be delivered at this years ISBE - but low and behold within a week of submitting I come across more!! Now not everything is relevant I need to be selective but some key works just can't be missed out.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Me me me
I have a new blog - not sure if another one is really necessary but feel like I need to go off topic and this new one is for more general ranting and not so related to work or my research.
Feel free to take a look
Charlotte
Feel free to take a look
Charlotte
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Birmingham power 50?
The Birmingham Posts Top 50 most powerful people list was published today, I've had a quick look through and some interesting statistics:
45 of Birmingham's top 50 are male
4 are female
Encouragingly 14 of the list are involved in the Creative Industries from the following sectors/roles (by my reckoning).
- Arts council Chair and Arts centre Director * - Marketing - Dance - Music - Software designer - Architect - Music maker - Publishing - Radio presenter - TV maker - Artist - Curator Gallery Director - Music administrator * - Journalism
(*2 of the 4 women listed are involved in the Creative Industries (neither are on the list as practitioners)
I do not wish to belittle any of the contributions those on the list have made to the city, region and beyond, but the list as it stands begs some quite obvious questions namely: where are the women on the list? Does this mean there are only 4 influential women in Birmingham? this is not my experience? where are the creative women in Birmingham, why aren't they listed here? and finally what can one do to redress the balance, to highlight and similarly celebrate their contribution?
It would be good to have a look at the criteria and try to develop an alternative listing and I do not mean a women only list. Any suggestions for whom should be considered?
45 of Birmingham's top 50 are male
4 are female
Encouragingly 14 of the list are involved in the Creative Industries from the following sectors/roles (by my reckoning).
- Arts council Chair and Arts centre Director * - Marketing - Dance - Music - Software designer - Architect - Music maker - Publishing - Radio presenter - TV maker - Artist - Curator Gallery Director - Music administrator * - Journalism
(*2 of the 4 women listed are involved in the Creative Industries (neither are on the list as practitioners)
I do not wish to belittle any of the contributions those on the list have made to the city, region and beyond, but the list as it stands begs some quite obvious questions namely: where are the women on the list? Does this mean there are only 4 influential women in Birmingham? this is not my experience? where are the creative women in Birmingham, why aren't they listed here? and finally what can one do to redress the balance, to highlight and similarly celebrate their contribution?
It would be good to have a look at the criteria and try to develop an alternative listing and I do not mean a women only list. Any suggestions for whom should be considered?
Friday, July 06, 2007
Busy busy busy
What a week? I have done a whirl wind tour of the Midlands (exciting honest).
First my week started with a bunch of interviews with students on our school of art and designs MA in Media Enterprise - it is fascinating seeing how these students are responding to the curricula, their own perceptions of enterprise and how enterprising they feel they are. More on this later an interim report is due (from me) sometime over the Summer. So will try to make something available online.
Tuesday saw me over at Staffs university for the TE3 open day - TE3 being the Technology Enhanced Enterprise Education project which held I believe their third 'open day' and this time supported by UKSEC. Here I was presenting the findings of the evaluation which I have been carrying out recently - it was a pretty intimidating experience Staffs have a state of the art fully functional TV studio so the 80+ audience (of quite serious and senior looking academics) sat behind the much scarier cameras and the whole thing was filmed and web streamed. Anyway having said that it was a great opportunity to see what some of the partners have produced in terms of pod-casts and electronic portfolios and I didn't get camera shy after all.
For me one of the interesting aspects of this project has been the lessons learnt from the efforts to develop teaching materials across disciplines i.e. teaching enterprise outside of a business school. These have been lessons from sports management to the creative industries and it's interesting to see how issues vary across these different disciplines and how each benefit from their own 'flavour' of enterprise ed. Kelly Smith and I will be presenting a paper on this at this years ISBE conference - more on that another time.
The week continued a pace with various trips around a day in beautiful Warwickshire countryside - being trained at Wroxall manor I am amongst other things and 'innovation mentor' and will shortly be providing service design consultancy on behalf of my institution. Thursday some different training at Harbourne Hall (which has the most ornate Victorian interior) here I am learning how to be a teacher - strange really I did 4 or 5 years of lecturing prior to my current role with no training now I do very little lecturing but at least have a better idea how to .
Finally today more interviews for the MA.
First my week started with a bunch of interviews with students on our school of art and designs MA in Media Enterprise - it is fascinating seeing how these students are responding to the curricula, their own perceptions of enterprise and how enterprising they feel they are. More on this later an interim report is due (from me) sometime over the Summer. So will try to make something available online.
Tuesday saw me over at Staffs university for the TE3 open day - TE3 being the Technology Enhanced Enterprise Education project which held I believe their third 'open day' and this time supported by UKSEC. Here I was presenting the findings of the evaluation which I have been carrying out recently - it was a pretty intimidating experience Staffs have a state of the art fully functional TV studio so the 80+ audience (of quite serious and senior looking academics) sat behind the much scarier cameras and the whole thing was filmed and web streamed. Anyway having said that it was a great opportunity to see what some of the partners have produced in terms of pod-casts and electronic portfolios and I didn't get camera shy after all.
For me one of the interesting aspects of this project has been the lessons learnt from the efforts to develop teaching materials across disciplines i.e. teaching enterprise outside of a business school. These have been lessons from sports management to the creative industries and it's interesting to see how issues vary across these different disciplines and how each benefit from their own 'flavour' of enterprise ed. Kelly Smith and I will be presenting a paper on this at this years ISBE conference - more on that another time.
The week continued a pace with various trips around a day in beautiful Warwickshire countryside - being trained at Wroxall manor I am amongst other things and 'innovation mentor' and will shortly be providing service design consultancy on behalf of my institution. Thursday some different training at Harbourne Hall (which has the most ornate Victorian interior) here I am learning how to be a teacher - strange really I did 4 or 5 years of lecturing prior to my current role with no training now I do very little lecturing but at least have a better idea how to .
Finally today more interviews for the MA.
Friday, June 22, 2007
What's in a name?
Where was I? Oh yes
The Scene: Private view, surrounded by the great and good, I bump into an old friend, an artist and design lecturer who is chatting to a senior colleague.
Friend: Charlotte and I went to college together
Me: Hi, yes we did time-based media, through Fine Art
Friends colleague: Oh really what are you up to now?
Me: I work in a Business School
Friends colleague: Oh dear
Me: but I do work around the creative industries (apologetically and slight pleading in voice)
Friends colleague: oh dear
Me: It's all about gender and entrepreneurship in the creative industries
Friends colleague: what? oh dear entrepreneurship? oh dear what's that!
Me: well....
Friends colleague: Right I must go and find.. (Read: I'm off to do much more important things, heard it all before, I'm an artist)
Anyway this exchange took place recently and left me in a rather confused state. Apart from the fact that the said Friends colleague had been utterly dismissive and rude I kind of got it - his attitude - I understood, I have been in that mindset and now I am in another. But it is very hard to articulate what had happened.
A couple of days later I was regaling this story to another friend, who also is a an artist who had this take on the exchange: 'It's just sort of defensive arrogance, the creative sector is just so competitive and that attitude stems from that. The idea that somehow a creative individual is different you know - creative not entrepreneurial - that's almost like a dirty word'.
Anyway I know from an academic perspective that the literature picks up on this, that creatives don't identify with being called entrepreneurs etc. But to be frank most of my dealings with educators from creative disciplines is generally much more down to earth and frankly realistic.Recognising what life is like for graduates and the need to prepare them as best possible for careers that are very likely to involve some level of enterprising behaviour - if not entrepreneurship..
The Scene: Private view, surrounded by the great and good, I bump into an old friend, an artist and design lecturer who is chatting to a senior colleague.
Friend: Charlotte and I went to college together
Me: Hi, yes we did time-based media, through Fine Art
Friends colleague: Oh really what are you up to now?
Me: I work in a Business School
Friends colleague: Oh dear
Me: but I do work around the creative industries (apologetically and slight pleading in voice)
Friends colleague: oh dear
Me: It's all about gender and entrepreneurship in the creative industries
Friends colleague: what? oh dear entrepreneurship? oh dear what's that!
Me: well....
Friends colleague: Right I must go and find.. (Read: I'm off to do much more important things, heard it all before, I'm an artist)
Anyway this exchange took place recently and left me in a rather confused state. Apart from the fact that the said Friends colleague had been utterly dismissive and rude I kind of got it - his attitude - I understood, I have been in that mindset and now I am in another. But it is very hard to articulate what had happened.
A couple of days later I was regaling this story to another friend, who also is a an artist who had this take on the exchange: 'It's just sort of defensive arrogance, the creative sector is just so competitive and that attitude stems from that. The idea that somehow a creative individual is different you know - creative not entrepreneurial - that's almost like a dirty word'.
Anyway I know from an academic perspective that the literature picks up on this, that creatives don't identify with being called entrepreneurs etc. But to be frank most of my dealings with educators from creative disciplines is generally much more down to earth and frankly realistic.Recognising what life is like for graduates and the need to prepare them as best possible for careers that are very likely to involve some level of enterprising behaviour - if not entrepreneurship..
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Enterprise education: and another thing...
Previously I have identified two areas where enterprise is inadvertanly (or not) taught within creative disciplines (at least art and design). These briefly were:
- Lecturer as practitioner
- Experiential learning - project based real-life briefs being responded to
Today I am going to cover a third and perhaps the most obvious - I am surprised I haven't made mention of it before - the Degree Shows!
Yesterday, speaking to a very senior colleague here at the university I was reminded of the time and investment spent on putting together ones final show. The degree show, for the uninitiated, is an exhibition of all final year students work that takes place right about now in all art and design institutions in the UK (and possibly beyond). The exhibition generally lasts for four or five days and is kicked off with a Private view.
My ISBE conference paper last year discussed the characteristics of the creative industries. In it I make mention of the night-time social element of the creative industries. I guess for some of these students the degree show private view gives an opportunity to experience some of this night-time activity, the start of things to come maybe, the boozing, schmoozing and apparent (fingers crossed) constructive networking that might take place. Maybe:
- meet potential employers/clients, future collaborators.
- present and talk about work
- have a professional experience
- showcase work
Anyway I'd be interested to know how useful these events actually prove to be to students, as my own is all a bit of a blur and a rather long time ago now. Interestingly this showcasing concept has been expanded upon at UCE, where I work, with the New Generation Arts festival. This festival includes current, recent and past graduates and is a much wider celebration of creative talent originating from the university. I like the fact that it recognises the need to continue to highlight and showcase ones work beyond the degree show.
Also other thoughts I would like to share are some observations around the whole concept of entrepreneurship and how in some quarters it is still very much not recognised as relevant to the art and design community. But I'll save this for when I am a little more awake.
- Lecturer as practitioner
- Experiential learning - project based real-life briefs being responded to
Today I am going to cover a third and perhaps the most obvious - I am surprised I haven't made mention of it before - the Degree Shows!
Yesterday, speaking to a very senior colleague here at the university I was reminded of the time and investment spent on putting together ones final show. The degree show, for the uninitiated, is an exhibition of all final year students work that takes place right about now in all art and design institutions in the UK (and possibly beyond). The exhibition generally lasts for four or five days and is kicked off with a Private view.
My ISBE conference paper last year discussed the characteristics of the creative industries. In it I make mention of the night-time social element of the creative industries. I guess for some of these students the degree show private view gives an opportunity to experience some of this night-time activity, the start of things to come maybe, the boozing, schmoozing and apparent (fingers crossed) constructive networking that might take place. Maybe:
- meet potential employers/clients, future collaborators.
- present and talk about work
- have a professional experience
- showcase work
Anyway I'd be interested to know how useful these events actually prove to be to students, as my own is all a bit of a blur and a rather long time ago now. Interestingly this showcasing concept has been expanded upon at UCE, where I work, with the New Generation Arts festival. This festival includes current, recent and past graduates and is a much wider celebration of creative talent originating from the university. I like the fact that it recognises the need to continue to highlight and showcase ones work beyond the degree show.
Also other thoughts I would like to share are some observations around the whole concept of entrepreneurship and how in some quarters it is still very much not recognised as relevant to the art and design community. But I'll save this for when I am a little more awake.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Coming up
I am busy completing a report for some evaluation I have been involved in. This has been of the TE3 (technology enhanced enterprise education) project, a generally successful collaboration between 12 regional (West Midlands, UK) universities who have been developing electronic teaching materials for teaching enterprise.
I presented a paper in Lancaster based on this research a couple of weeks ago and am now writing, as I say, the final report which will be available at the TE3 open day in July - this is a free event and I will be doing a brief turn in the afternoon reporting back on this evaluation.
I presented a paper in Lancaster based on this research a couple of weeks ago and am now writing, as I say, the final report which will be available at the TE3 open day in July - this is a free event and I will be doing a brief turn in the afternoon reporting back on this evaluation.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Nesta, Ugly Betty and other TV moments
Disclaimer: one or two popular culture type references which will be meaningless to some are included.
Last Monday I took the slow train down to London - I was heading for the launch of the HEA, NESTA and NCGE funded ‘Creating Entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship education for the Creative Industries' research. En route I bumped into someone else who was also attending. As we headed over to Nesta together they asked if I'd ever seen 'Ugly Betty?' (U.S TV show for the uninitiated) "Yes, why?" I said. "You'll see" they said. Low and behold the NESTA HQ could have been a set; from the all white, glass covered surfaces right down to the 'blue tooth head-setted' receptionist. I did chuckle.
Here the similarities ended as proceeding and eye ware took on a more serious nature (sorry so many funky/fashionable glasses in one room was heady). Anyway enough of this trivia. The presentation of the authors offered a little insight into what had been found, and from early indicators it would seem that little in terms of 'know-how' and 'evidence of what works?' has changed in the last year (since our Creative Enterprise conference findings were published)- although the extensive evidence base is very welcome and I shall certainly make use if it in my own work(they interviewed and consulted widely across creative inds HE).
Sir Christopher Frayling, the Rector of the Royal College of Art and Chair of the Arts council made a point about the ‘importance of the practitioner teacher with in art and design’ and that ‘there seemed to be little research out there that had picked up on this’. I was struggling to keep quiet at this point as in January I presented a paper at the MeCCSA-AMPE 2007conference making this very point having analysed various strands of data that highlighted the teacher as practitioner influence and potential entrepreneurial role-model.. aaggh. As a good colleague of mine says: 'if it isn't published, it didn't happen', or something like that. That said a version of this paper should be published in the next 12 months.
Later that day I had another TV moment as I checked myself into the Travelodge in Lancaster, having disembarked my London to Lancaster train sometime shortly after midnight all suddenly felt very Alan Partridge. The Travel lodge in Lancaster doesn’t boast proximity to the lake district as other Lancastrian hotels do. No it boasts access to a Burger King as it is situated in a motorway services. Nothing ‘Mode magazine’ about that I can promise you!
Last Monday I took the slow train down to London - I was heading for the launch of the HEA, NESTA and NCGE funded ‘Creating Entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship education for the Creative Industries' research. En route I bumped into someone else who was also attending. As we headed over to Nesta together they asked if I'd ever seen 'Ugly Betty?' (U.S TV show for the uninitiated) "Yes, why?" I said. "You'll see" they said. Low and behold the NESTA HQ could have been a set; from the all white, glass covered surfaces right down to the 'blue tooth head-setted' receptionist. I did chuckle.
Here the similarities ended as proceeding and eye ware took on a more serious nature (sorry so many funky/fashionable glasses in one room was heady). Anyway enough of this trivia. The presentation of the authors offered a little insight into what had been found, and from early indicators it would seem that little in terms of 'know-how' and 'evidence of what works?' has changed in the last year (since our Creative Enterprise conference findings were published)- although the extensive evidence base is very welcome and I shall certainly make use if it in my own work(they interviewed and consulted widely across creative inds HE).
Sir Christopher Frayling, the Rector of the Royal College of Art and Chair of the Arts council made a point about the ‘importance of the practitioner teacher with in art and design’ and that ‘there seemed to be little research out there that had picked up on this’. I was struggling to keep quiet at this point as in January I presented a paper at the MeCCSA-AMPE 2007conference making this very point having analysed various strands of data that highlighted the teacher as practitioner influence and potential entrepreneurial role-model.. aaggh. As a good colleague of mine says: 'if it isn't published, it didn't happen', or something like that. That said a version of this paper should be published in the next 12 months.
Later that day I had another TV moment as I checked myself into the Travelodge in Lancaster, having disembarked my London to Lancaster train sometime shortly after midnight all suddenly felt very Alan Partridge. The Travel lodge in Lancaster doesn’t boast proximity to the lake district as other Lancastrian hotels do. No it boasts access to a Burger King as it is situated in a motorway services. Nothing ‘Mode magazine’ about that I can promise you!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Travels and thoughts
I have been extremely busy in the last couple of months. To give a flavour of life as a researcher, at least where I work, here is a snap shot of my working life. I am in the process of completing the evaluation of the TE3 project, this has been a fascinating insight into what appears to have been a really successful multi-university collaboration looking at technology enhanced enterprise education (hence the three Es). Well on Monday evening, following a flying visit to London to hear the HEA and nesta research findings of creative entrepreneurship I am off to Lancaster to the Symposium: Engaging HEIs in business and the community: A learning perspective where I will be presenting a paper co-authored with Dr Kelly Smith from Birmingham University. I am back in Birmingham from Thursday and hoping to get back on track with some of my other projects specifically the MA in Media Enterprise course which I am involved in some research work - you may recall the Creative Enterprise conference last year, we are now in the process of putting together a follow up conference for next year (please do email for any info) as well as this I am going back to the students to interview them as part of my tracking their progress.
Last week I was in Sardinia on a study visit for the Agender project (Challenging gender stereotypes in the work place). Apart from 30 degree blue sky conditions we got taken on a tour of various incubator projects and university spin-offs, a trip to Tiscalli's head quarters and all the projects we were taken around had a focus on supporting women and in most instances in new technologies or entrepreneurship. Sardinia have similar issues to the West Midlands in terms of graduate retention but very high unemployment, currently 10%. It's interesting some of the schemes they have for attracting ex-Sardinians back. While away I got an email through from EQUAL works an organisation that flag up good practice that the funding has generated (the ESF EQUAL funding that funded the Agender project). I was a little surprised to see this little gem (apparently I don't look like this in real-life... I do hope not).
Other things that are bubbling under and which I will no doubt mention in more depth soon are the 'post graduate researcher teaching course' I am doing, a possible cross-faculty project I have some involvement in and service design - a new project for the university which I am learning more about.
And breath....oh yes my PhD 14 x hours per week. I think my daughter thinks my laptop is attached to me!
Last week I was in Sardinia on a study visit for the Agender project (Challenging gender stereotypes in the work place). Apart from 30 degree blue sky conditions we got taken on a tour of various incubator projects and university spin-offs, a trip to Tiscalli's head quarters and all the projects we were taken around had a focus on supporting women and in most instances in new technologies or entrepreneurship. Sardinia have similar issues to the West Midlands in terms of graduate retention but very high unemployment, currently 10%. It's interesting some of the schemes they have for attracting ex-Sardinians back. While away I got an email through from EQUAL works an organisation that flag up good practice that the funding has generated (the ESF EQUAL funding that funded the Agender project). I was a little surprised to see this little gem (apparently I don't look like this in real-life... I do hope not).
Other things that are bubbling under and which I will no doubt mention in more depth soon are the 'post graduate researcher teaching course' I am doing, a possible cross-faculty project I have some involvement in and service design - a new project for the university which I am learning more about.
And breath....oh yes my PhD 14 x hours per week. I think my daughter thinks my laptop is attached to me!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Thinking
Apologies for previous post it probably made little sense to anyone other than those involved a sort of 'had to be there' type thing. Anyway I have subsequently had some thoughts on how my blog can help facilitate and maybe be a kind of layman's version of my PhD. I have had over the last couple of years some extremely useful feedback from folks on the general stream of consciousness that seems to make its way onto these 'pages' I have also found it a useful place to direct people when my university webpage is really rather static and gives only a snapshot of what I am working on (although a much more recent pic). Still I thought to get my head into gear and think through how I might use this blog for the purpose of my PhD I would start by cataloguing where I am now and where I am struggling and what will happen next. Although I didn't think this was going to be a 'diary' type thing I think it may turn into one.
Incidentally is it just me or does Safari not like the spell check in blogger?
Incidentally is it just me or does Safari not like the spell check in blogger?
It is public!
Some time ago I pondered on the pros and cons of blogging from a researchers, even academics, perspective and on the reluctance of some colleagues to engage in the blogging world. Today I have been reminded of something key to this argument that is your blog is public. Now I try to be reasonably careful with what I write (grammar and punctuation I know are problematic) and I am aware of anyone (or please someone) being my audience. So far so good.
However this morning I was reminded of how what one writes can be construed or misconstrued by the reader reading. Apparently according to one such reader I'd previously referred to it as an 'impromptu PhD'. I couldn't recall writing this or for one moment considering it even vaguely impromptu on the basis that it took a good couple of years to settle on a subject which I felt sufficiently interested in to spend (fingers-crossed) 3 years working on.
Anyway looking back over my previous postings I noticed this:
'An example of this impromptu PhD chat came yesterday'
Women and Men again, Wednesday, August 23, 2006
So I did say it. However for clarification I was referring to the 'impromptu' conversations I was having all over the place at any given tome with anyone who happened to look even vaguely interested about my PhD. So there we have it - vindicated. I do see my PhD as 2nd only to parenthood or there abouts after all.
Now what about this blog? I need to figure out if I am going to continue with it and what role it plays in my PhD.
However this morning I was reminded of how what one writes can be construed or misconstrued by the reader reading. Apparently according to one such reader I'd previously referred to it as an 'impromptu PhD'. I couldn't recall writing this or for one moment considering it even vaguely impromptu on the basis that it took a good couple of years to settle on a subject which I felt sufficiently interested in to spend (fingers-crossed) 3 years working on.
Anyway looking back over my previous postings I noticed this:
'An example of this impromptu PhD chat came yesterday'
Women and Men again, Wednesday, August 23, 2006
So I did say it. However for clarification I was referring to the 'impromptu' conversations I was having all over the place at any given tome with anyone who happened to look even vaguely interested about my PhD. So there we have it - vindicated. I do see my PhD as 2nd only to parenthood or there abouts after all.
Now what about this blog? I need to figure out if I am going to continue with it and what role it plays in my PhD.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Creative industries - belch
Blah blah blah Is it possible to have audio indigestion? The Creative Industries! Possibly the most over used term, one I myself use way too often and one I can't help feeling is kind of like the emperors new clothes. But then this has been said all before. Researchers who were once wax lyrical about the possibilities (and I am not denying they exist) of this growing sector now pour scorn as yet another 'creative quarter' emerges or portal purports to be a 'one-stop-shop' for some aspect or other of the sector.
Rant over
I will move onto something far more constructive shortly.
Rant over
I will move onto something far more constructive shortly.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
New Year, fresh start
So another year begins and as usual the new year provides an opportunity for reflection and future speculation. Looking back over the last year I started by reading my last new years blog and noticed I'd made some resolutions which I imagined were quickly forgotten, but here they are and here's what happened:
1. PhD - get started
Yeah!! I got started finally - settled on 'Does gender have an influence in entrepreneurship in the creative industries?' or something like that struggling somewhat with my questions - but more about this soon, much background and literature review stuff underway/done but relevant articles, academic or otherwise would be gratefully received.
Down side: have acquired reading glasses too much squinting at screen and arms not long enough
2. keep on blogging
Well I did some....Admittedly not as much as I'd have liked as the feedback and contacts made are really useful as is the committing thoughts to writing.
3. Network - make connections get the whole 'linked in' thing working for me properly
Well this is an interesting one, I seriously had my head down last year, have probably never worked so hard in some aspects this hermit like activity doesn't lend itself so well to networking but in a job where you are constantly coming into contact with people I'd like to think some areas have strengthened and some have inevitably been let go.
This time last year I was heavily involved in the organisation of the first ' Creative Enterprise conference' by UCE Birmingham (my work place), this went well and lead to a number of national connections being made, especially with in the research community interested in this area. Later in the year I had similar involvement in a smaller conference specifically targeting researchers and those interested in 'Female entrepreneurship'.
Other interesting connections have been through my Agender work where I chair a transnational working group looking at:
Women in non-traditional employment' this has offered some fantastic opportunities to network with European partners from: Catalonia, Germany's Rhur region, Sardinia and Milan.
So apart from keeping up my blogging I did okay with my resolutions so will think of some more for 2007.
For now Happy New Year and here's hoping 2007 proves peaceful, prosperous, exciting and satisfying for us all.
1. PhD - get started
Yeah!! I got started finally - settled on 'Does gender have an influence in entrepreneurship in the creative industries?' or something like that struggling somewhat with my questions - but more about this soon, much background and literature review stuff underway/done but relevant articles, academic or otherwise would be gratefully received.
Down side: have acquired reading glasses too much squinting at screen and arms not long enough
2. keep on blogging
Well I did some....Admittedly not as much as I'd have liked as the feedback and contacts made are really useful as is the committing thoughts to writing.
3. Network - make connections get the whole 'linked in' thing working for me properly
Well this is an interesting one, I seriously had my head down last year, have probably never worked so hard in some aspects this hermit like activity doesn't lend itself so well to networking but in a job where you are constantly coming into contact with people I'd like to think some areas have strengthened and some have inevitably been let go.
This time last year I was heavily involved in the organisation of the first ' Creative Enterprise conference' by UCE Birmingham (my work place), this went well and lead to a number of national connections being made, especially with in the research community interested in this area. Later in the year I had similar involvement in a smaller conference specifically targeting researchers and those interested in 'Female entrepreneurship'.
Other interesting connections have been through my Agender work where I chair a transnational working group looking at:
Women in non-traditional employment' this has offered some fantastic opportunities to network with European partners from: Catalonia, Germany's Rhur region, Sardinia and Milan.
So apart from keeping up my blogging I did okay with my resolutions so will think of some more for 2007.
For now Happy New Year and here's hoping 2007 proves peaceful, prosperous, exciting and satisfying for us all.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Writing writing writing
Being a researcher (which I thoroughly enjoy incidentally) seems to go something like this: Have an idea, read, read, read then read a bit more, figure out whether your idea has been done before, go a head and pilot your idea (i.e ask some people some questions about some stuff), read a bit more, analyse the answers to the questions figure out how they fit with what other people say and think, have some of your own ideas, read a lot more and then write, write, write and write a bit more with intermittent reading.
Now for someone like me who went to Art School and struggled a little with English, Grammar etc this writing bit can be tough. However this research gig is giving me no end of practice and I am delighted to have received, today, a copy of the most recent edition of Education and Training (a refereed, academic journal no less) where on page 518 can be found:
Enterprise curriculum for creative industries students; an exploration of current issues and attitudes
Written by myself and co-authored by Annette Naudin, the recently appointed lecturer for Screen Media Lab and BIAD's MA in Media Enterprise, of which I am the researcher - capturing the journey of the students.This paper highlights some of the key issues and features of creative industries curriculum related to enterprise and entrepreneurship, taking as it's basis the findings from our Creative Enterprise Conference way back in January 2006 - check back for an update as a new paper is in the pipeline following up on some of these findings....
As ever any feedback welcome.
C
Now for someone like me who went to Art School and struggled a little with English, Grammar etc this writing bit can be tough. However this research gig is giving me no end of practice and I am delighted to have received, today, a copy of the most recent edition of Education and Training (a refereed, academic journal no less) where on page 518 can be found:
Enterprise curriculum for creative industries students; an exploration of current issues and attitudes
Written by myself and co-authored by Annette Naudin, the recently appointed lecturer for Screen Media Lab and BIAD's MA in Media Enterprise, of which I am the researcher - capturing the journey of the students.This paper highlights some of the key issues and features of creative industries curriculum related to enterprise and entrepreneurship, taking as it's basis the findings from our Creative Enterprise Conference way back in January 2006 - check back for an update as a new paper is in the pipeline following up on some of these findings....
As ever any feedback welcome.
C
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Women and Men again
Having finally got around to applying for my PhD, I find myself almost incessantly thinking about the possibilities and realise I am often high jacking conversations. My proposed research area is 'The role of gender on entrepreneurship in the creative industries' - you may recall earlier postings which cite a pilot study that I carried out in the West Midlands.
An example of this impromtu PhD chat came yesterday while working on the Agender project, which seeks to break down barriers and gender inequality in non-traditional fields, I met with a film crew, some of whom were beneficiaries and some of whom were film makers. We were recording some footage about men into caring profession but the ongoing conversation was all about the sector that the film-makers found themselves in and a very insightful conversation it was to.
The film makers, both male, highlighted a number of issues:
1. In their opinion women make far better negotiators and producers, they are less ego driven so more inclined to manage the projects better.
2. Going into a meeting in order to get funding worked better if you had a mixed team (although one of the men cited a number of occasions when working with his female partner, funders preferred to deal with him when negotiating got to a certain point, even though by his own admission she was actually much better equipped than he at these types of negotiations.)
3. They both identified that it was a very tough industry and felt that it was more so for women' they have to make a choice they either have children or not, but it is much harder for them if they do'.
4. They both said they came across a lot women working in the sector, however a bit of digging around and like my small sample identified, a great deal of women work in the sector but few run businesses. Interestingly they felt that a lot of women were responsible for distributing public funds to the sector.
So anyway these are just some insights offered, but for me the useful part of this discussion was it helped me to think about how I might capture the different genders attitudes to one another within this sector and their perceptions of the role of gender with in the sector.
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