On Thursday 26 May 2016, Creative Edinburgh and Creative Dundee joined forces to run Mass Assembly, a one day forum, in West Ward Works during Dundee Design Festival, which brought together 130 people who are part of hubs, collectives, networks and clusters to explore the future of collective working for creatives and the places they are based. #Mass16 These are the findings from the Live Audit on the day.

1. What would you do to improve the situation?
Try harder to create a network in the place i live - ask for help and make new connections - it needs to be led by
creatives.
More opportunities for networking - improved guidance on individuals funding streams.
Go private sector?
Refuse to accept low funding from national funding bodies.
Collaborate.
Campaign, tweet, write manifestos, create spaces for discussions.
Take it away from LAs!!!
Keep on making and hopefully meet the right people networking.
Encourage openness about pay rates - have clear pricing structure in my work/time.
Create a network or hub where people can charge for workshops, exhibit, and sell their work in communities where
this is not the norm.
Create more opportunities for artists and designers to get themselves out there.
Stop using the word CREATIVES.
Good creative and business practice. No promises of exposure.
Work.
Find solutions to local problems and find ways to reach those who require solutions.
For support services to have more knowledge of the creative industries.
Focus and plan ideas and then act!
Keep doing it and be an example!
Have a group of creative people around me - support network.
Money isn't the answer - be less materialistic - stop personalised number plates.
Be NICE, OPEN, a balanced dialogue and TRY to solve concerns for all parties.
Mass Assembly, 26th May 2016:
Live Audit Feedback
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2. What would help improve the place you are based?
A space to meet - a creative hub! (Inverness)
Lower rent, better wifi.
More transparency - more opportunities for individual growth and development.
Transport links (good bus pic!).
Remove some needed managers and replace em with space-makers.
LESS CORRUPTION.
High-speed broadband! Aye.
A cafe - we would see each other more and leave studios now and again!
Complete control of the building.
Better public transport.
More things to do other than drink and shop.
Help cultivate creative communities and encourage accessibility to those outwith.
Better communication and a local focal point for gathering.
A building!! An industrial lift.
Not being alone in it.
More events like this, more collaboration, mixed groups of creatives and business and start up networking in cool way.
Less creative pigeon-holing.
Wider contributions to our arts and science festivals - let’s mobilise!
Pop up spaces, shops and markets - temporary and interesting.
More joined up, focused, and strategic approach.
Wasps - communal cafe, selling space.
Funding, local council support, free studio/office space.
Stop bureaucracy.
A better communal area where everyone can connect.
Better understanding/awareness of the creative economy and community.
The positive stories being communicated to wider community. Better understanding of each others local and creative communities.
Time for R&D not always focused on existing programmes and projects but future potential instead.
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3. What would help improve your understanding of the international context of your work?
As a researcher I know academic interests - who else is interested (business/civic/etc)?
Cash to travel.
Independence.
Time off to travel!
Connections to other youth run festivals, a website, a collective, a space.
Connecting with similar hubs/designers doing similar things.
Speak more languages.
Time and funding to travel and ‘research’ work in other international contexts.
Seminars and workshops.
Travel.
Speaking another language.
Knowing who’s out there - connecting.
Continued travel proactively setting up projects.
An event like this.
Meeting and connecting with more people.
Time to travel and some international connections.
Being able to connect to people doing the same thing - somewhere else.
Travel to conferences, events, to see work.
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4. What would help improve your understanding of the business value of your work?
Discuss the outputs, outcomes and impact - and how to measure these.
Connections and support.
Better rights and funding. There is not enough understanding of the arts.
Meeting other people in similar businesses to share knowledge.
Working with great businesses.
Other creatives talking about the business value of their work. A culture needs to take place.
Better valuing ourselves helps raise everyone up.
Support with budgeting and knowing how much ‘I’m worth’. How do I ‘value’ my work? Where
do the numbers come from?
Creating the narrative.
Maybe more networking events tailored to it? Talking around this,
An event like this.
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6. Energy Experimentation
Enthusiasm.
Creative excitement.
Beware burnout!
Time.
Momentum - building it and keeping it.
Where do i get it from? it… runs… out. Time to
replenish.
Running.
I need more.
Will, self-care, support, pacing yourself.
What everyone should get from what they do.
Colour.
Alternative.
Motivation.
Lucozade.
Ideas and people and place.
Music.
People.
Transference - from what? into what?
Creativity gives me energy.
Maintaining it and growing it.
Friends.
Need a day fuelled by coffee.
Time, focus and motivation.
Yoga.
Enthusiasm, can do approach, drive, determination.
Make a goddamn mess and figure it out later.
Exploring and challenging.
Vital.
Collaboration - not worry about the outcome.
Muddle, mess, creativity.
Is everything.
Is a constant, is a daily thing mostly.
Laboratories (should be studios).
Risk (and excitement).
Barriers, risk adverse.
Pushing your boundaries outside your comfort zone.
Opportunity and challenge and reward.
Try and fail fast.
Don't be afraid to fail.
Innovation and encouraging change.
Fun, play, creativity, exciting.
Sometimes takes too long.
Stop talking and just do it!
No preconceptions.
Fundamental.
Freedom.
People.
Fun.
Entrepreneurial behaviour.
Risk (positive thing).
Alchemy.
Key part of my practice and creative communities.
Openness - risk appetite.
Is a lesson every time.
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7. The ripples of your work - would you rather they… Impacted the economy? (Total dots: 6), or Impacted society?
(46), and in-between (4).
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8. Would you rather risk? Annoying people off by asking too many questions? (48), or Not growing fast enough by
asking too few questions? (8), and in-between (2).
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9. Do you get more satisfaction: Creating work entirely by yourself? (13), or As part of a team? (21), and in-between (9).
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10. What keeps you up at night? Facing financial uncertainty because of your work? (26), or Nagging feeling that you are not
doing your best work? (40).
(sticky says “inspiration. Too many ideas (you can never have too many ideas)”.
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11. Would you rather? Recharge your batteries (10), or Keep on creating? (42), and in-between (2).
(sticky says “You can’t do one without the other. Balance is essential but tough to achieve”).
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12. DOES YOUR HUB SUPPORT SPECIFIC DISCIPLINES/SPECIFIC LOCATIONS?
Creative Hub data gathered from the registration bookings
before the Mass Assembly forum - 26/05/16
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
At the idea stage
Less than a year
1 - 3 years
3 - 9 years
10+ years
HOW LONG HAS YOUR HUB BEEN
ESTABLISHED?
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Cluster
Incubator
Makerspace
Student
Festival
Just interested to find out more
Gallery/Art Space
Other
Individual
Company or organisation
Network
Co-working space
WHAT TYPE OF CREATIVE HUB ARE YOU PART OF?
Pre-Mass Assembly >
Mass Assembly 2016 was produced by Creative Dundee + Creative Edinburgh.
The forum was supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.
European creative hub attendance was supported by British Council.
Full details of day: mass-assembly.eventbrite.co.uk and social media Storify found
here.
Thanks goes to:
All speakers and contributors.
Live audit concept: Steven Drost.
Live audit illustrations: Dominic Kesterton.
Mass Assembly graphic identity: Slurpp.
Photography: Justina Smile - view album here + Graham Black - view album here.
Filming: Bonnie Brae Productions.
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