As a result of the AN blog I receive quite a few enquiries from artists interested in the process of setting up HMS and asking for tips. Here is a reply today…
"We are probably a little different to most set-ups because my husband and I have invested money in a 99 yr lease as well as financing the refurbishment.
To keep down costs we also spent holidays, bank holidays and weekends in 2007 erecting partitions and sorting the floors. Evenings were spent on the web site, business and marketing.
Many studios are set up by groups which has many advantages in terms of time and resources. One of the drawbacks is achieving consensus. We were able to act quickly and we didn't need to seek permission to move things forward – e g buying the property, choosing the name, designing the layout etc, etc, etc.
We did apply for Arts Council funding but the process is so slow and risky in terms of successful outcomes that we had to budget on going it alone. In the end we applied for a contribution of £5k towards upgrading the electrics ( the limit for grants taking less than 6 weeks to process). We were successful and v grateful for the help.
As a commercial enterprise, it wouldn't appeal to someone who isn't a practicing artist. However, that said, I don't regret investing both time and money in HMS. I am v proud of the achievement and pleased to have set up studios which are both viable and sustainable."
Setting up studios requires enormous committment, however it is achieved – but the rewards are massive. We have a great community at HMS and I've also learnt loads on the way :)
