Creative NAGRENTS - Why Do They Interest Me?

I said in the last blog that I would talk about how I chose the creative NAGRENTs that I am following. However, I think that first it would be better for me to explain how I got into this in the first place.

Where it Started

It all started about 5 years ago, when I first got involved with running start-up workshops for DigitalCity Fellows at Teesside University. I remember asking some of the DigitalCity staff how on earth these graduates could possibly make a living out of their creative degrees. I didn't get a good answer, perhaps because they knew, as I do now, that it is a very difficult thing to do.

The Fellows I observed then were ducking and diving to try and scratch together some income. Starving digital artists - creative, technical, passionate, well-supported, but penniless!

The Zig-zag Route to Success

We know that it is normal for start-ups to zig and zag initially. We all did it at some stage. I have been emphasising this for years, using the diagram below, and more recently it has been featured by Mullins and Kosimar in their 2009 book 'Getting to Plan B' (or even 'Plan G', in the case of PayPal)

However it seemed to me that the Fellows' business plans were much more based on hope than reality compared with typical ones for other sectors. Could they implement the plans and if not, how did they cope with the personal,artistic and business shifts they would have to make?

The research objective

The objective of my research is therefore to find out what happens to a small selection of creative NAGRENTs as they struggle to make there way in the sector. Its a longitudinal study so I can observe their development over the first four years of their business - and even that might not be enough to see them reach any degree of business/career stability.

Now that the purpose is clear, I will describe the sample selection process next week. I promise!