CraftSmarts are the OCC's year-round series of professional development workshops. Taking place both regionally throughout Ontario and in Toronto, CraftSmarts are programmed to address your needs. The focus is on developing skills required to be successful as a small business owner, as an exhibitor, and overall, as a maker that needs to 'make it' in the greater cultural community.

• Grant Writing Workshop - September 19, 2011
• Photo Clinic - September 24, 2011
• From Maker to Making a Living - October, 2011
  
• Metamorphic Numerals - October 1, 2011
• Precious Metal Clay Bootcamp - November 19, 2011
• The Fundamentals of Money for the Self Employed Maker - Saturday, February 18, 2012
• From Maker to Making a Living: Three Day Workshop Series - April 13 - 15, 2012
• Social Media and Marketing Workshop - Saturday, June 9, 2012
• Grant Writing Workshop with the Ontario Arts Council - September 10, 2012
• Photo Clinic Workshop - September 15, 2012
• Working in the United States - November 7, 2012

Working in the United States

Wednesday, November 7, 7 - 9 pm

Location:
OCC Gallery 990 Queen Street West
Time: 7 - 9 pm
OCC Members: $35 + HST
Non-Members: $40 + HST

How often have you wished that you could crack the U.S. market?  How often has an unexpected opportunity knocked on your door, only to be refused because you cannot work legally in the U.S.?

For many creatively talented Canadians, including artists, actors, athletes, cabinet makers, directors, and even standup comics, it is clear that Canada is a wonderful country in which to nurture and develop individual skills. However, it is often the case that in order to advance one's career to the next level, the American market cannot be ignored. For a career to grow to the next level, the successful craftsperson/artist/performer will want the option of working in the U.S. and must be prepared when the opportunity presents itself.

This seminar will outline options that can be tailor-made to fit your own career, as well as give you the chance to ask any follow-up questions that may arise.

Janice P. Warren is a Toronto-based immigration lawyer, with a special focus on helping people in the arts secure work visas for the United States.

www.yourpassporttoamerica.com

Working in the United States

OCC Member Fee $35.00 CAD Non-Member Fee $45.00 CAD

2012 Past CraftSmarts

Photo Clinic Workshop

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Location: Wise Daughters   
3079B Dundas Street West Toronto
Time: 2 - 6 pm
OCC Members: $50 + HST
Non-Members: $55 + HST

Learn how to professionally photograph your art to be used for portfolios, catalogs, websites, exhibition submissions and grant applications!

Bring two pieces of your work to the workshop, and you will take home brand new images to revitalize your portfolio.

Dean Palmer will first introduce participants to the basics of how a professional photographer documents 2D and 3D objects. The group will examine issues such as lighting, composition, filters, texture, white cards and unwanted glare to allow participants to document their own work on a shoestring budget. 

Finally, each individual will have two pieces of their work professionally photographed onsite. Following the workshop, participants will be sent high resolution digital images of their work for their own personal use.

Dean Palmer is a professional photographer living in Guelph, Ontario. Specializing in portraiture, commercial and editorial photography, Dean Palmer Photography boasts an impressive - and ever‐growing ‐ list of clients that include Fortune 500 companies, municipal governments, educational institutions, magazines, and other creative businesses. The studio works collaboratively with regional cultural organizations including art galleries and museums, and is favoured among area artists for accurate documentation of artwork. Dean founded his own studio, Dean Palmer Photography, in 1995.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Location: Metro Hall, room 310   
55 John Street, Toronto
Time: 7 - 9 pm
FREE ADMISSION (RSVP required)

Join Lisa Wöhrle, Associate Visual Arts and Crafts Officer at the Ontario Arts Council, to learn the ins and outs of writing a great grant.

Bring your pressing questions and pick up some great tips.  We've scheduled it in early September to give you lots of time to complete your grants for the Fall OAC Submission Deadline on October 15th, 2012.

To RSVP please email Christine Lawrance, Programs Coordinator, at clawrance@craft.on.ca and write “Grant Writing Workshop” in the subject line.

Social Media and Marketing Workshop

Saturday, June 9, 2012  10 am - 5 pm

Location:
CSI Spadina
215 Spadina Ave. Toronto
Innovation Lab

Workshop Fee:
OCC members $65 (+HST)
Non-members $75 (+HST)
        
Space is limited, register early.

Don’t know a Tweet from a hashtag? Overwhelmed and confused by the amount of social networking sites out there? You’re not alone. Social media is a relatively new phenomenon, and, while it is low-cost to participate in and has the potential to reach thousands; learning the interface and the etiquette can be overwhelming.  

This full day workshop aims to provide participants with the basis for their social media strategy and to be able to use and manage these tools to meet your business goals.

Part 1: 10 am-1 pm
Social Media Marketing Theory

The marketing game has changed. The internet’s offer of instant global communication has given us a new tool kit to reach our customers. To succeed in this new arena you first have to understand its language. There’s no point in learning how to pull the levers until you know why you’re standing at the controls. In this morning session, Lindsey  will discuss the paradigm shift in marketing from its traditional forms to the social internet. She will talk about what it means to join a social network, the etiquette required and how to choose the platforms that are right for you.

Social media platforms such as Blogs, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have been met with measurable success for several years now, and Lindsey will pass on the lessons she’s learned and then examine the art of communicating and building relationships within this compelling new world.

Part 2: 2-5 pm
Theory into Practice

In this afternoon follow-up of the morning’s Introductory Workshop, you will move from theory to practice, as Lindsey shares clear, concrete methods and tips for building your social media marketing plan using the most effective sites in the landscape of platforms: Blogs, Facebook, E-mail newsletters, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, LinkedIn and Flickr This is where we will answer all those nagging questions about the weird and wonderful world of Social Marketing. The techniques may have changed but the abiding principle of Marketing is the same as it’s always been, and always will be: building relationships based on trust. And that is the heart of Social Media.

Lindsey Fair has taught in the School of Business at St. Lawrence College for the last seven years. She also works as the Web Marketing and Social Media Specialist at 14 Theories Web Development. Currently she is finishing her Masters of Business Administration from Cape Breton University. She is also co-author of Trucker: Driving ANY Small Business to Success; offering readers easy-to-implement routines and provides specific, practical tools to help small business owners “drive” their businesses towards success.

The Fundamentals of Money
for the Self Employed Maker

Date: Saturday, February 18, 2012
Location: 401 Richmond Street, Suite 408, Toronto
Time: 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

OCC Members: $38 + HST
Non-Members: $45+ HST

It's that time of year again. The tax deadline is fast approaching. If you're like most of us, you're trying to ignore that shoebox full of receipts in the corner, but you can procrastinate no longer.

This workshop will answer the most common questions people have when they start their own business. It will also go over the tax implications of working for yourself and things you can do to be better prepared for tax time.

The primary message of this workshop is: money is not rocket science. Money is adding and subtracting; money is not math––it's Grade Two Arithmetic. Most craftspeople are required to be able to create proposals, budgets, cash-flow projections in order to get the backing to create their work. They need to feel that they are competent to understand what these documents reveal and why they are important. 

In this workshop you will learn:

How to set up and handle the financial side of your business, from keeping your books to calculating HST remittances to organizing your business for income tax; finding your financial strengths; how to avoid the wake of debt; what non-financial assets are and how important they are to a craft practice; how to choose the proper business structure; how to evaluate a supplementary job; how budgeting and cash flow work. 

Presentor Amanda Mills is a freelance accountant and financial advisor whose clientele includes many non-profits and local artists. Founder of Loose Change, Amanda has 30 years experience as a management consultant for small business and the arts. She is also is a Certified Financial Counsellor, a tax professional, and financial trouble-shooter.