Creatives: Why you want to be in Canberra right now!
By Lauren Hayes-Day
The Australian Capital Territory, home of such national treasures as Questacon, Skywhale & Mooseheads - and also the perfect set of conditions to start a creative-based business.
“I beg your pardon! What?!” I bet you’re thinking.
Have spent considerable time here? Especially in your formative years? If so, you’ve probably come to think of Canberra as the uncool Dad of Australia… but you couldn’t be more wrong.
From the very beginning, we’ve been a city devoted to the arts. You’ve probably heard of Sir Walter Burley Griffin & Marion Mahony Griffin, who won a competition to design the new National City in 1911. Well, over 100 years later, we’re still building from the plans (Hello, Arboretum!). As a Canberran, you’re actually living in a work of art.
We’re also home to two Universities offering arts degrees, national gGalleries and a plethora of creative-focused cultural festivals. Once you consider all of this, it becomes pretty obvious that Canberra is also home to an abundance of creators.
I know people all over Australia - heck, even across the globe - who’ve at least at one stage called our great little town home. Considering that we’ve a population of less than 400,000, it seems pretty incredible that we have managed to nurture some influential and creative minds who’ve gone out into the world and conquered it.
Just think of the late Robert Foster, whose Fink jugs are available in design stores from New Delhi to New York. The same goes for Brian Tunks – owner of Bison Home ceramics with an international reputation, or even Patissez’s ‘freakshakes’ that sent thick, chocolatey waves through the world’s media in 2015.
Even putting the creators on the back-burner for a second, I’m constantly surprised by the sheer number of people I meet within the arts industry who started in Canberra. From tour managers, venue managers and business owners; it seems like we’re taking over.
Why?
Well, anyone who has undertaken anything to do with arts/events/entertainment will tell you that you’re bound to fail to begin with. In Canberra, we don’t really have room for that. The city isn’t big enough to hide in, but it’s also so full of people who want to succeed that if you slack for a moment you’ll be overtaken.
On the other hand, it’s also little enough that you’re almost guaranteed to have someone in common with everyone you meet, which makes networking a breeze. Combine the fact that everyone who’s maintained work in a creative field here has had to be as tough and hardworking as humanly possible, with the fact that they’re also probably better-connected than the average politician; and you’re looking at someone unstoppable.
Having trouble? There are so many opportunities available to you – have a look at the ACT Government-supported Stir, or The Studio – with shared workspaces in Braddon and O’Connor –targeted at designers and creative types. These are great programs and places to exchange ideas and find potential partners.
So, before you think about jetting off to Melbourne so you can start your artistic career… pick up your paintbrush and start with Telstra Tower. If you can do it, Canberra is definitely the place you want to do it in.
Lauren Hayes-Day can be found at LozDogPhotog or hunting around Sydney and Canberra shooting the cities' nightlife