Matt Jackson launches The Affectors Academy

Matt Jackson, owner of the Drawing Book Studios, is launching The Affectors Academy  as an institution which aims to bridge art and commerce, teaching each the skills of the other.

The announcement:

An increase in the popularity of creative degrees with few career prospects is leading to an under-employment epidemic in Australia. New education provider, the Affectors Academy, aims to address this by teaching graduates of creative degrees the necessary skills to run a business or find their place within the wider business community.

Matt Jackson, owner of the respected Drawing Book Studios, which helps illustrators find a lucrative place in the world of advertising, is launching The Affectors Academy this month as an institution which aims to bridge art and commerce, teaching each the skills of the other.

“We are all in the business of creating an affect, whether through beautiful accounting software or emotive music. Art and business have more in common than they think,” says Jackson, Founder of The Affectors Academy.

Australian artists and businesses can benefit from closer ties

“Creativity is not just a cultural ‘nice-to-have’, Jackson says. “It is key to the success of mature economies like Australia’s. Artists need to learn to value their own contribution in monetary terms and to see where their particular brand of creativity can help. The value of artists lies well beyond the discipline they think they are in.”

“The growth in applying design thinking and UX to business demonstrates that business is catching on to the capacity of the artist to bring emotional insight to complex systems.”

“All companies, regardless of their field, are in the business of moving hearts and minds. The companies that do it well, do better in business.”

Are Australian arts graduates ready to make it in the burgeoning creative industries?

The Creative Industries in Australia employ over 400,000 people, representing 4.4% of all occupations. There are 123,000 businesses and they are growing at 2% per year. The businesses are small and revenues for 75% do not exceed $200,000 per year, an amount lower than for other small businesses in Australia.

“Despite their claims to produce ‘work-ready’ graduates, too many institutions offering creative courses ignore skills like pitching, negotiation and market-based price sensitivity, which are key to succeeding in the workplace or running your own business,” says Jackson. “There is a perception that artists shouldn’t be concerned with the world of commerce. But artists want to change the world with their work and this is one opportunity for them to do it.”

Source: Thought Broker media release