Workshops | one to one private sessions available for 2024

Looking for a personalised one to one session? Convenor Anne Masters can tailor any of the workshops listed below specific to your needs. Often artists prefer a one to one guided session which can be to improve an application - whether its for a grant, award or residency. Or even write a better CV or Artist Statement. She will help you to build your confidence so you can walk away with smarter documents to demonstrate your professional practices whether emerging, mid-career or established. To book a session contact Anne for the initial discussion and set a date!

Topics

Spark your CV
Writing artist statements and biographies
Pricing your artwork
Branding you
Creating social media
Engage your website
Approach galleries
Residencies, grants & awards

How do the workshops work?

The workshops listed below are designed to be delivered whether it’s one to one or as a group. Art institutions or groups / collectives can contact Anne to arrange a group workshop tailored to their needs*. Each workshop includes a brief pre-activity for participants to complete prior to attendance. Handouts and other support material will be provided during the workshop. Each workshop is designed to have a maximum of five participants to ensure a more focused outcome for each artist. Business basics has focused topics to help you to improve, explore and grow as a professional practising artist. All workshops can be delivered face to face or via Zoom.
*Anne can take more than 5 participants and teach 1, 2 or more days to suit each group.

Who should attend the group workshop/s?

These workshops have been devised for visual artists. Whether you are an emerging, re-emerging, mid-career or established artist these workshops are designed to build and sustain your career in the arts as a professional practitioner.

Do you host group workshops outside of Canberra?

Yes, Anne is working with galleries and tourism centres to create workshop opportunities for artists that live in regional Australia. At this stage, she is focusing on regional NSW with her most recent successful 2 day workshop held at The Corner Store Gallery in Orange late 2019. In 2020, Anne converted a group workshop to one to one sessions due to travel restrictions. She was able to hold a small one day session with Goulburn Regional Art Gallery in November.

Testimonials

I was struggling with the administration side of my visual arts practice so I engaged the services of Anne from GOST.  In a matter of days, Anne was able to pull together the disparate pieces of information I had accumulated over the years and guide me through the process of compiling it a way that was professional and could be used for a funding application I was working on. Look forward to working with Anne again and recommend her services to all.
RK (Canberra private tuition)

Thank you again for all your hard work (& preparation!) and for making the workshops so enjoyable and informative! Embarking on a new online platform for profiling my artwork, though daunting, is exciting. So learning the ins and outs of social media and the paperwork required for gallery exhibitions, residencies and grants is invaluable. I look forward to staying in touch (and following GOST (and you all!) on Instagram!). 
AH (Orange participant from Sydney)

Anne Master’s workshop exceeded my expectations in content and the manner in which the workshop was conducted. Anne did not just finish at the close of the workshop, she asked participants to forward their updated information for CV, artist’s statement and also bios so she can check if they are spot on and ready for submission to galleries.
GL (GRAG participant from Goulburn)

I am a “re-emerging” artist after a few years lost to one thing and another as can happen to anyone. I had lost all confidence about returning to an art world that had changed in my absence. Not only did Anne have the grace and generosity of spirit to honour all the passages of my life with great respect but in working with me to reshape my CV and Artist’s Bio restored my belief  in myself empowering me to resume my art practice with an energy that I thought I had lost.
JS (East Gippsland, Victoria, private tuition)

Spark your CV

Long CV - this is for you. Nothing is too small to be on a long CV. It is your life and work life history. The long CV is your memory. It is from the long CV that you pick and choose what is needed for purpose specific CVs.

At the end of the 2-hour workshop you will have a better understanding of a 1 page and long 2-page CV tailored to focus on your arts practice. You will learn the difference between an arts CV and a non-arts CV. Your CV will assist you to sell you and your art practice to arts organisations; complete residency applications and create grant applications with a more focused, current and relevant document that reflects you and resonates with your professional arts practice.

Writing artist statements & biographies

Writing about yourself! It can be the hardest thing to do. But with practice you will understand how to write short or long statements and refine your biographies. This workshop will make your words flow!

After the 2-hour workshop you will know the difference between your artist statement and your artist’s biography. Each one has a purpose. An improved statement or biography will distinguish you from other artists as someone who is clear and concise about their work and who you are. 

Price your artwork

The most common questions I’m asked as a gallery owner: How do I price my artwork? What is my artwork worth? Can I have different prices for my artwork?

This 2-hour workshop will help you to understand why valuing and pricing your artwork is crucial to your survival as an artist. Your revenue minus costs equal profits. Yes, you need to understand financial language and be on top of it every day! You will learn about different pricing methods and the etiquette of pricing your work so it’s consistent no matter where you exhibit / display locally, interstate and / or overseas.

Branding you

I’m not sure what 'branding' means and does that apply to me? 

This workshop is focused on understanding the buzzword 'branding' and how it applies to you as an artist and to your artworks. Branding is simply about the way you market a product / service to customers who in turn are enticed to buy / act on. In the arts world, I liken it to your look and feel - as in the way you project your image and your artworks. I will help you to brief a photographer on the look and feel you want to project as an artist. It’s more than head shots but rather a personal stylized approach to help you to think about your clothing, think about the location you want to be  photographed in and how to create a bank of images that can be used regularly rather than as a once off. I also help you to plan photographing your artworks and understand why different photos are needed for press / media vs competitions and awards.

At the end of this two hour workshop you will be equipped to write a photographer's brief and have more confidence in creating a consistent visual look and feel that will work across social media, websites as well as impress galleries, funding bodies and your audiences. 

Creative Social Media

Telling your story. This is your chance to visually showcase you, your work and your life. For some artists, Instagram is enough; and for others, a mix of Instagram, Facebook and a website is needed.

After the workshop you will learn the difference between a personal account and a professional account. You will gain a better understanding of the basics of Instagram, layouts, hashtags and consistent branding of you and your artwork. Your social media will assist you to provide your audience, arts organisations, and industries with a visual story of you as an artist.

Engage your website

Content is crucial for an engaging website. It is part of your branding and consistency of your look and feel, it tells your audience who you are and what you do. It is a platform to tell your story across different mediums.

At the end of the workshop you will have developed an understanding of websites and whether you need one or not. You will learn the difference between an e-commerce website and a personal website. You will learn about the key basics to create a website. This includes content, imagery, fish-bone structure (how each page works from home page to last page).It will touch on marketing platforms such as Mailchimp which are crucial for building customer lists. This workshop points you in the direction of companies that build templates for anyone to create their own website with confidence and ease (rather than exploring coding and technical aspects).

Approach Galleries

How to approach an art gallery - GOST takes the mystery away to make it accessible for you. We provide practical tips before you enter the door, communicating with confidence and being prepared for that first meeting.

This workshop will assist you to understand best practices when approaching a gallery to showcase your artwork. You will develop skills to respond to a call for proposals, build confidence in submitting future proposals and liaise with gallery staff. 

Residencies, grants & awards

I liken applying for residencies, grants and awards to a first date. They are always nerve-wracking! Often, it’s because we don’t really know about the process and mystery surrounding how some artists are successful and why others are not.

This workshop helps you to understand the processes involved in the selection of residencies, grants and awards. You will develop skills to find the right mechanism that suits you and your practice. You will learn to cope with the ‘sad’ letters – it’s not personal, you simply were not chosen and we will discuss how to receive critical feedback. This workshop will put you in the shoes of the administrators / panels that make the decisions so you can improve on your application and / or your artwork.