Developing the arts entrepreneur: The ‘learning cloud’

To help people address and (re)solve problems and seize opportunities, we need the vision and leadership that emerge from a deeper connection between creativity and empathy. There is emerging acknowledgement in higher education that a significant training gap exists in the teaching of entrepreneurship and leadership skill sets for ‘creatives’. An educational paradigm shift is needed to ensure that creatives can maximize their intellectual capital and are empowered to fully contribute to the economic, social and cultural growth of communities. This paper discusses the development of the arts entrepreneur using a new model of teaching and learning that places creativity and empathy at the core of learning. By helping creatives build their uniqueness into creative enterprises, we enable them to impact their communities and regional economies with creativity, entrepreneurship and sustainable values.