Creative Entrepreneurship for Material-Based Craft and Design Innovation
Summary
This course turns to craft and design students, as well as professionals, with a BA in craft, design, or art, who are looking to develop their own business. The aim of this on-line course is to strengthen the students resources and skills for a sustainable professional career within craft and design. You will explore innovative processes of material-based craft and design, as well as gaining a deepened and broader understanding of your professional field.
About
Establishing yourself as a creative practitioner is not easy. This course aims to provide and support you with the tools you need to accomplish future entrepreneurial goals and projects that are rooted in making. During the course you will, amongst other things, join a supportive group of peers to discuss and reflect on each other’s work. You are encouraged to be openminded and develop new structures and ideas through creative entrepreneurship. The course starts therefore with an introduction to methodology, theory and methods of artistic and design processes in relation to your entrepreneurial project that aim to lay ground for individual reflection and development of one’s own way of working.
During the course we will support the development of your idea, investigate different economic models alongside traditional production and sale in order to develop innovative ways to approach the market. On a weekly basis “Know how”, examples of business models, and strategies are presented by actors and organizations in the field.
When entering the second half of the course, you will start to develop your action plan and continue to work with innovation and development using craft and design skills. During the latter part of the course, you will begin to implement and explore the launching of your action plan.
The course is given as a part time (50%) distance course. It is an international course that will be conducted in English. All seminars, tutoring and meetings are on-line: Wednesdays (morning) and Friday (afternoon).
Campus Steneby is a center for material-based craft and design educations with large workshops for wood, metal and textiles. The surroundings are rich with art and craft-based artists and communities, and the amazing nature invites to hikes and explorations. You are more than welcome to visit.
Teaching takes place through online lectures, seminars, workshops, and tutoring which will be both individual and group based. During the course each student will receive an assigned tutor who is a teacher at HDK-Valand Campus Steneby.
Prerequisites and selection
Entry requirements
Degree of Bachelor in Craft, Fine Art or Design, or the equivalent. Applicants must prove their knowledge of English: English 6/English B from Swedish Upper Secondary School or the equivalent level of an internationally recognised test, for example TOEFL, IELTS.
Portfolio
Apply in three steps
1. Apply for the course at universityadmissions.se. Deadline April 15, 2025.
2. Submit your portfolio SlideRoom. Deadline April 15, 2025.
3. Submit documentation proving you meet the entry requirements of the course on universityadmissions.se. Deadline June 19, 2025.
Portfolio
1. Letter of intent - describe your reason for applying to the course and how it would be beneficial for you as an artist / maker / designer.
2. Project proposal - A written proposal that describes the purpose and nature of the project / business that you want to deepen and implement during the course. Describe what you want to do with the headlines;
- Background/Context
- Description
- Question Formulation
- Method and Approach
- Aims and Expected Outcomes
Your application must be anonymous. Please do not include your name or any personal information in your application.
Selection
The selection is based on submitted work samples.
After graduation
Studying at HDK-Valand Campus Steneby intends to bring students successfully into the professional field of craft and design. Campus Steneby is a well-known node in craft, art and design studies and is recognized for its outstanding facilities and development of the field. As a center for craft and design, both on an educational and professional level, students expand and build their networks nationally and internationally. After your studies the aim is that you will have benefitted from expanding your knowledge, skills and networks and can apply those to a future sustainable career. Students generally continue with studies on advanced levels, create their own businesses, or continue as employees within private companies or education.
