Northings | fiona | Friends Activity

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, How do people engage with culture in Scotland?, on the site Northings

Wed, 29 May 2013 07:58:40 +0000

Each year the Scottish government conduct a Scottish Household Survey that gives us an insight into the composition, characteristics, attitudes and behaviours of Scottish households and individuals. The […]

Marcus J Wilson wrote a new post, Northings Podcast 3: Highlands and Islands at Edinburgh Fringe, on the site Northings

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:45:07 +0000

MARCUS J WILSON reports on three Highlands and Islands shows at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe Festival – Dogstar Theatre’s The Tailor of Inverness, The Sorren Maclean Band, and Mull Theatre’s production of Right […]

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, sound Festival shortlisted for prestigious RPS Music Award, on the site Northings

Wed, 08 May 2013 08:31:51 +0000

“sound’s 2012 edition opened up the world of music theatre to creators and audiences who feel inhibited by opera’s institutional conventions and gave us a whiff of the creative zeitgeist”
opera magazine
sound, […]

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, Invitation for New and Emerging Deaf & Disabled Scottish Film Talent, on the site Northings

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:00:26 +0000

Invitation for New and Emerging Deaf & Disabled Scottish Film Talent to a 2 Day Film Workshop
At the Edinburgh International Film Festival
Delivered by 104 Films in partnership with Edinburgh International Film […]

Pamela Conacher wrote a new post, HI-Arts Reflections: Gilly Langton, on the site Northings

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 09:04:16 +0000

Pamela Conacher explains how jewellery designer Gilly Langton made her move to the Highlands & Islands.
GILLY LANGTON is a highly regarded international contemporary jewellery designer living and working in […]

Marcus J Wilson wrote a new post, Andy White, on the site Northings

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 06:24:59 +0000

ANDY WHITE is a poet and powerbook-toting troubadour. He grew up in Belfast, surrounded by Irish beauty and terrorist violence. His 13th international release, Garageband, is released this month to coincide […]

Marcus J Wilson wrote a new post, Learning Another Life: The Vashti Bunyan Interview, on the site Northings

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 06:06:45 +0000

MARCUS WILSON spoke to singer/songwriter VASHTI BUNYAN about the importance of her journey to the Highlands and Islands four decades ago

In July 1968, Vashti Bunyan had set off by horse and cart for the Isle […]

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, Looking for ways to boost your online sales?, on the site Northings

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 15:36:18 +0000

Improve your online sales with these 21 Tips

If you are selling directly from your website as an artist or crafts maker then you might be wondering how you can increase your traffic, improve your website […]

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, Digital Participation in Scotland, on the site Northings

Fri, 18 May 2012 11:04:48 +0000

We are working online, networking online and promoting online more and more these days. Most of my work revolves around online marketing and audience development, partly because there is a learning curve involved […]

Marcus J Wilson commented on the post, Fund-raising Tea Party at Dingwall's Tea Posy, on the site Northings

Mon, 07 May 2012 11:40:27 +0000

Sounds great!

Marcus J Wilson wrote a new post, The Nub, on the site Northings

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:27:58 +0000

Nub of the Art
MARCUS WILSON investigates the weird and wonderful world of ‘Nub’.
INHABITANTS of Easter Ross are witnessing a strange phenomenon, as the cream of Highland-based artists gathers to plot the […]

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, Creative Blogging*, on the site Northings

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:18:38 +0000

Creative Blogs

Blogging has become quite the social media phenomenon in the last 2 years. They’re a fantastic tool to be using for both marketing and promoting yourself, your artwork, your organisation, […]

Pamela Conacher wrote a new post, From Lochaber to Manhattan, on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:05:32 +0000

After all the preparation and planning we have finally arrived in New York after an early start, straightforward flight and taxi to the hotel. ‘We’ are a group of twelve Craft curators/officers who are […]

Pamela Conacher wrote a new post, First we take Manhattan!, on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:04:39 +0000

Before I went on my travels, my son took it upon himself to organise my MP3 player – alphabetically, by genre and with a special section of music for New York! The one song that keeps playing through my […]

Avril Souter wrote a new post, Plannishing in Plockton, on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:00:04 +0000

The best part of working in the Crafts Team at HI-Arts is that I get to know the work of so many great makers from throughout the Highlands and Islands.

Early on in my job we featured the work of Plockton […]

Pamela Conacher wrote a new post, Craft overload?, on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:50:11 +0000

September has been so jam packed with events, I felt it best to chart them from the beginning and work my way through!

From Skye to London via Inverness, I have seen work that has ranged from community knitting […]

Pamela Conacher wrote a new post, Travels through the Highlands (and beyond!), on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:40:49 +0000

One of the many great plus points about my job as Craft Development Coordinator for the HI-Arts is that I get out and about throughout the Highlands and Islands to meet many inspiring and positive people.

On […]

Pamela Conacher wrote a new post, I think I am having a dream!, on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:39:57 +0000

After being overwhelmed by SOFA on Wednesday evening it was great to return yesterday and actually meet some of the makers and talk to people involved. We still came to the conclusion that the European and […]

Pamela Conacher wrote a new post, The Highlands in NYC, on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:39:41 +0000

When I was a girl growing up in Arisaig, a friend of my mothers came to stay. Norma Morgan was an artist from NYC who was on a sabbatical to the UK as she was fascinated by moors and mountains and wanted to […]

Pamela Conacher wrote a new post, HI-Arts invasion of Mull, on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:39:25 +0000

In the depth of winter, we planned a Makers Day with An Tobar on Mull.

May would be lovely we agreed, as we battled against snow and gales and thought of spring, sunshine and calm seas! Little did we know […]

Pamela Conacher wrote a new post, Collect at the Saatchi Gallery, on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:39:11 +0000

I always look forward to visiting Collect – ‘the international art fair for contemporary objects’- in London. For the past 5 years it has been held at the V&A and at the beginning of the year, around the end of […]

Pamela Conacher wrote a new post, Taking Time, on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:38:07 +0000

Taking Time

Taking the West Highland train home from Edinburgh takes around 6 hours compared to 3 ½ hours in the car. It is a spectacular journey in daylight and one I have done numerous times since […]

Avril Souter wrote a new post, Picture Perfect, on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:37:39 +0000

I always love getting new images sent through to me, whether it is for the crafts newsletter which we send out every month, the online galleries or for Making Progress web pages on the HI-Arts website – it’s […]

Pamela Conacher wrote a new post, Travelling Makers, on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:37:15 +0000

Travelling Makers

From Shetland, Westray, Iona, Lochaber and Inverness, we arrived by trains, ferries, buses, taxis, planes and in some cases, all five!

Organising Highland invasions like this seems to be an […]

Avril Souter wrote a new post, Textile Fever in Stroud, on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:36:57 +0000

Stroud International Textile Festival – May 2010

Having read through the selection of events and talks in the Stroud International Textile Festival brochure, I was thoroughly looking forward to our visit to this […]

Pamela Conacher wrote a new post, Collect, on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:36:43 +0000

Collect

Our group visit last week was for makers who aspire to participate at Collect in the future. It was good to have a group who, once more spent time together catching up, discussing their own practice […]

Pamela Conacher wrote a new post, Making Progress, on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:36:27 +0000

Eileen Gatt, beaker

On the 4th June we had our afternoon event to Celebrate Craft and our Mentoring Project, Making Progress. It also saw the opening of our exhibitions, Made It! and Laura West’s Spotlight.

As […]

Pamela Conacher wrote a new post, Assemble, on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:36:11 +0000

Assemble

On Tuesday I was in a very hot London for the Craft Council Conference, Assemble. Set in the lovely surroundings of LSO St Lukes, I had high expectations for the day, hoping to come home inspired and […]

Pamela Conacher wrote a new post, Time Out, on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:35:56 +0000

Time Out

This is the time of year when many of us try to take a break and escape from our usual routine by relaxing with family and friends, hoping to return refreshed and inspired.

How many of us devote […]

Pamela Conacher wrote a new post, Crafting Together, on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:35:05 +0000

Crafting Together

Many of our projects address the need for our makers to get together; sometimes in a formal way through events such as Makers Days and at other times it just happens that the people involved […]

Pamela Conacher wrote a new post, We need Exhibitions!, on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:33:46 +0000

On Wednesday I spent the day in Edinburgh with a group of colleagues discussing, amongst other issues, curating craft exhibitions.

Amongst all the doom and gloom of funding cuts and the difficulties of making […]

Pamela Conacher wrote a new post, Selling the Sizzle, on the site Northings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:31:20 +0000

On the first hot and sunny day for several weeks makers came from far and wide to listen to inspirational speakers for our summer event in Inverness.

‘Selling the Sizzle’ was Tina Rose’s suggestion for a […]

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, What is the Impact of Facebook Timeline?, on the site Northings

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:15:32 +0000

At the end of last month Facebook users saw one of the biggest refurbishments to the social network there has been, since it went global. The introduction of the Facebook Timeline has created a lot of […]

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, Social Media: Some Helpful Advice, on the site Northings

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:21:50 +0000

Social Media and Social Networking is not only becoming an essential way of marketing and promoting but also for networking and raising awareness of your online profile. However, there is still alot of concerns and fear around using social media. So I’ve pulled together all the information that I have to hand that has helped […]

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, What do you know about your audience?, on the site Northings

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:54:31 +0000

My name is Sian and I like to hoard information. Often or not people are surprised at how excited I get about statistics, data and research information. It’s a genuine excitement as well, I often refer to myself as a bit of an information geek. The reason why I love cold hard statistical evidence is […]

Northings User wrote a new post, Marketing at the Right Price Point, on the site Northings

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:03:51 +0000

I was reading an interesting article in Gift Focus Magazine recently about getting the price point right for your creations. Gift Focus is a gift ware trade magazine sent to retailers throughout the UK. In the first edition of 2012, an ‘Industry Insight’ article was focused on getting the right price point for your goods. […]

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, Crowdfunding: A New Fundraising Approach, on the site Northings

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:58:46 +0000

‘It was the revolutionary fundraising model that swept Barack Obama to power – and it could help arts bodies in Britain stay in business.’ Are you constantly looking for the right funding route but coming up empty handed? Are you looking for alternative routes to fund your project that doesn’t rely on public bodies? Would you like […]

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, Cultural Engagement is on the Agenda, on the site Northings

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:30:22 +0000

The Scottish Government published its new National Performance Indicators this year, which are designed to measure progress towards the achievement of the Government’s purpose and national outcomes. 16 new outcomes were identified to deliver sustainable economic growth, of which Cultural Engagement is one. This is encouarging for the Cultural and…[Read more]

Karen Ray commented on the post, HI-wireless: Morrison's Van, Episode 2, on the site Northings

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:21:39 +0000

roll on tomorrow!

Karen Ray commented on the post, HI-wireless: Morrison's Van, Episode 1, on the site Northings

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:03:49 +0000

Good fun. I wonder whodunnit?

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, Barriers to Engagement and Participation, on the site Northings

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:55:01 +0000

What is it that stops, prevents, or puts people off attending or participating in the arts? One of the biggest hurdles we face when considering marketing or audience development is how to attract those who have not engaged before or have become a lapsed attender. Of course there are numerous reasons why individuals may not be […]

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, Asking the Right Questions, on the site Northings

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 14:47:05 +0000

Some of the more tricker aspects of Audience Research is thinking about the types of questions that you might like to ask your audience, or even knowing what questions to ask in the first place. Tomorrow I am off to Melrose in the Scottish Borders to talk to a network of venues and promoters in the […]

Northings User wrote a new post, Making Progress maker's films: Filming with Jennifer Cantwell, on the site Northings

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 15:51:06 +0000

In the run up to starting on my fourth and final Making Progress maker’s film I was pretty excited for a variety of reasons, not least because finally I was to be working on my home turf! Throughout this project I have loved very much travelling around new and strange parts of the Scottish Highlands, meeting […]

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, Measuring the Success of your Live Event, on the site Northings

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:46:49 +0000

Typically in the marketing and audience development field we collect data about audiences based on attendance, sales and the demographics of our audiences. Sometimes there will be questions added into surveys and box office systems about the quality of the performance, whether the audience member enjoyed the performance, and possibly about how…[Read more]

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, More Family Friendly Tips, on the site Northings

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:50:16 +0000

The Tip Sheet: Family Friendly Initiatives is my most popular blog post, recieving 719 views last month. With that kind of interest I have complied some more practical help guides, tips and advice which could help you on your way to developing a family friendly initiative, organisation and/or event. The Family Friendly Iniative – Making Your Arts […]

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, European Cultural Values, on the site Northings

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:19:32 +0000

“Culture and creativity are important drivers for personal development, social cohesion and economic growth.” European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. Back in 2007 the Education and Culture Directorate-General of the European Commission commissioned the TNS Opinion & Social to carry out a survey of public opinion on culture and its…[Read more]

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, Culture Segments, on the site Northings

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:19:21 +0000

Carrying on with the theme of segmentation, at last week’s Arts Marketing Association Conference (you can still watch all the keynote speeches here … AMA Conference 2011 ), I attended a breakout session presented by Andrew McIntyre, of Morris Hargreaves McIntyre . If you haven’t come across this particular consultancy agency then it’s about time…[Read more]

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, Using Posters to Promote your Event, on the site Northings

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 09:56:08 +0000

Posters are a controversial issue, different people have different ideas of what works and what does not work. Of course one important factor for an effective Poster is the ‘white space’ left for venue details, dates and ticket availability when touring a production. Equally important is the impression that posters leave on potential…[Read more]

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, UK Tourism in Scotland, on the site Northings

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:18:00 +0000

Knowing who your audience is, and who it could be, is not only essential when marketing, promoting or selling, but it also makes it much easier for you when thinking about potential new markets or opportunities. One particular group which presents us a regular opportunity is Scotland’s tourism market. We all feel the surge as tourists […]

Sian Jamieson wrote a new post, Tip Sheet: Family Friendly Policies, on the site Northings

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 12:08:10 +0000

Family Friendly Thank you for visiting the Audience Development Blog – this is one of the most popular posts – and I was wondering if I might be able to ask you for a little bit of your time before reading about Family Friendly Policies for Arts Organisations. I am keen to find out if this tip sheet […]