Our series of Thematic Overviews draw out a selection of work from across the community-led participatory arts projects that make up the Culture Collective network. They’re intended to give an insight into some of the themes that have been identified as important by communities, and offer a starting point into the ways that creative activity can be used to address wider topics.

Creative freelancing

A key intention of Culture Collective funding was to support those building their careers in the creative sector, with a minimum of 50% of Culture Collective funding restricted to be spent directly on artist fees. Furthermore, the Culture Collective network is prioritising support for training, networking, access and development opportunities for creative freelancers at all stages of their careers, building our ethos of creating a programme that exemplifies “how we want things to be”. In their interim findings for the Culture Collective evaluation, Queen Margaret University found that the first 20 months of the Culture Collective programme has created 493 employment opportunities for creative practitioners. The evaluation found that “projects have able to create dedicated posts in response to local needs and conditions on the ground, due to flexibility of the programme funding”, and “training, mentoring and support activities for emerging or early career practitioners is strengthening the workforce in readiness for post-Covid recovery”.

The wider context

41% of creative workers in Scotland work freelance – around 21,000 people in total (source: Culture Counts). In 2021 the (then) Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop noted: “The impact of COVID-19 has been particularly devastating for creative freelancers and those involved in events”, adding to the precariousness, lack of training and isolation already experienced by many creative freelancers.

The Culture Strategy for Scotland sets out the Scottish Government’s aims to strengthen culture and sets an action to review the current status of Fair Work, leadership and workforce development across the Arts, Screen and Creative Industries. It identifies a key ambition to strengthen culture through support for the cultural workforce.

A review of Fair Work in the creative and cultural sector in Scotland, carried out by Culture Radar for Creative Scotland in 2021, summarised that “pressing priorities have almost universally been around low pay and precarious work which is acknowledged as a huge, difficult and long- term issue, and which has been a significant contributing factor to skills loss during COVID-19”. The report “surfaced a consistent trend in the desire for broad cultural change in how people work, practice and lead across the creative and cultural sectors in Scotland… [with a desire] to shift behaviours, mindsets and (longer term) the structures which many feel have held the sector back, particularly in terms of sustainability, equality, diversity and inclusion”.

Culture Collective work in action

Arts in Moray (AIM) Collective SHOWCASE Opens in a new window →
As the first phase of the Arts in Moray’s work came to an end, the artists of the AIM collective came together at the end of September to present a showcase of their work and the process behind it. Here, Laura Johnston-Scott, AIM Collective Co-ordinator, reflects on how the showcase came together and the benefits of celebrating creativity within the community.
Tom Arthur MSP, Minister for Public Finance, Planning, and Community Wealth Opens in a new window →
"We want everyone – no matter who you are or where you live – to be able to experience the transformative potential of culture." To mark 18 months of Culture Collective activity, Tom Arthur MSP, Minister for Public Finance, Planning, and Community Wealth, shared his thoughts on the impact of the work of the network so far.
Impact, North Lanarkshire Culture Collective Opens in a new window →
With interviews and contributions from Reeltime Music, this video explores how North Lanarkshire Culture Collective came together to deliver creative arts projects in the community and how local creative practitioners have also benefitted.
The power of drift… Opens in a new window →
At our Culture Collective Open Space in November 2022, creative practitioners were invited by facilitators Improbable to ‘call a session’ on any topic they’d like to explore with others. Artist Lesley Wilson – who works with Aiseirigh on the Isle of Skye, called a session entitled ‘The power of drift’. Here, you'll find Lesley's recollections of those discussions.
Coaching the Collective Opens in a new window →
In this blog post, Morvern reflects on their own experience of coaching, as well as coaching within the Culture Collective itself. She explores the challenge that comes with the lack of personal and professional opportunities for people operating outside of institutions and how Culture Collective's coaching package attempts to combat this.
A New Approach to Culture in Scotland? Opens in a new window →
Matt Baker is a public artist based in Dumfries and Galloway and is one of The Stove Network’s founding members. Here, he looks at new models for supporting both professional and community cultural practice post-Covid.
Arts and the Community Opens in a new window →
Creative Producer for Safe Harbour: Open Sea, Martin Aitken reflects on the interdependence of art and communities in Fittie and further afield and how as practitioners, we can engage the communities around us in creating meaningful work.
Is failure always failure? Opens in a new window →
EVOLVE Culture Collective Project Coordinator Rebecca Livesey-Wright writes about the opportunities afforded to us when we get things wrong and how a supposed failure can actually be a blessing in disguise.
Starting Points events, SPOTLIGHT: Creative freelancers Opens in a new window →
For this key event in our winter 2021 event series that took place on 24 November 2021, we were joined by people and projects who are exploring new ways of creating opportunities for artists. Speakers – from the Culture Collective and beyond – discussed their experiences, questions, learning and hopes for the journey ahead.
Future Culture Podcast: Episode 4, SPOTLIGHT Opens in a new window →
In early 2022, the Future Culture podcast set out to explore ‘What does the future hold for creatives and their importance for communities across Scotland?’. The series was based on – and drew its themes from – Culture Collective's 2021 Starting Points event series. Episode four, SPOTLIGHT, explores the experiences of creative freelancers, and the support that enables wider participation and more sustainable careers in the arts. With event host Heather Parry, this episode looks at protection for freelancers, precarity and Covid 19, and placing value on our work. The episode also features as extract from Leyla Josephine’s ‘Freelancifesto’, written for the SPOTLIGHT event.

Other Culture Collective thematic overviews

Continue exploring themes that have emerged as important to artists and communities through our other thematic overviews, on: