Creative skills

Jane has been the Director of Creative Skills since it started in January 2001.

Before joining Creative Skills she worked with Kneehigh Theatre, Cornwall’s international theatre company, for ten years. Initially she was their administrator and subsequently the Marketing Manager.

Her role within Creative Skills ranges from providing Practice Development Planning sessions to lobbying on behalf of the creative industries in Cornwall with agencies such as the Skills Funding Agency. She liaises with practitioners, arts organisations both within and outside Cornwall and also with training providers to ensure that Creative Skills remains responsive to the needs of the sector and that our training is both accessible and relevant.

Last year she successfully completed an AS level Fine Art Textile course at Truro College and has just graduated with an MA in 20th Century Art and Design, Histories and Theories from University College Falmouth.

Carole works part-time for three days a week, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, as our Business Development Coach and offers one to one advice on your creative practice or business. Since joining Creative Skills in 2004 she has developed seminars on starting a creative business, marketing and presentation skills and delivered programmes for Creative Skills, University of Falmouth, NESTA Insight Out and NCGE Flying Start.

Carole also runs her own training and coaching business - newmetaphor - specialising in working with creative businesses. She is a SFEDI accredited Business Adviser and Mentor, a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and Master Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).

Alison has been working for Creative Skills since 2005 as a Professional Development Guide. She works three days a week, mainly offering the Practice Development Planning sessions. Alison also manages the Cornwall Visual Arts Forum, BUILD residency, the new online Creative Community ‘Outhere’, designs the Creative Skills paper update which goes out four times a year and develops seminars particualury relating to the visual arts.  In her other life Alison has a practice as a visual artist, having curated and shown in many projects around Cornwall including co-managing the artist run space Back Lane West.

Karen works part time as Project Administrator, sharing the role with Lesley, looking after the day-to-day administration of Creative Skills and ensuring all funding paperwork is completed and processed. Karen also runs Cornwall Open Studios and is jointly responsible for Outhere and the Creative Skills website. She works three days a week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Outside of Creative Skills she is a Mum and also enjoys making pretty things out of textiles.

Lesley works part time as a Project Administrator, sharing the role with Karen, looking after the day-to-day administration of Creative Skills and ensuring all funding paperwork is completed and processed. Lesley has also written and continues to maintain the Creative Skills Database. She works three days a week – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Outside of Creative Skills Lesley is a self employed Textile Designer Maker, with her own studio here at Krowji. She specialises in textile making, screenprinting and bookmaking.  She also writes databases and admin systems for creative practitioners (see Lesley's Outhere profile for more information).

Elisa is an administrator for Cornwall Arts Centre Trust working one day a week for Creative Skills, updating the Opportunities page of the website and assisting Lesley and Karen with the Sectors project. She manages the studios here at Krowji and works closely with the Director, Ross Williams, on community projects such as the Redruth Christmas Events and Art in Shops. As a painter, her work very much compliments and supports her practice (see Elisa's Outhere profile for more information).