When we applied for funding for the Creative Collective project we knew that we wanted to look at ways that the project might become sustainable and not reliant on funding, so people could come together and enjoy Arts and Crafts and not be excluded because they couldn't afford it.
Like any hobby or pastime Arts and Crafts costs money, you need tools and materials, possibly a venue and if you want to learn new skills you may want to bring in a tutor to teach you them - so how do you pay for this?
We had a lot of conversations about ways we might afford to continue with an Arts and Crafts group when the funding runs out - we talked about weekly subs or a membership payment, but those options may not raise enough money to continue without becoming too expensive for some people. An idea we kept coming back to was to use the workshops to learn crafts and use these crafts to make items to sell and to set up a craft market.
So the plan is to apply for funding to get the materials and venue (I know ironic!) to start us off and work towards not having to apply for any more funding. If you have any ideas to help make the project sustainable please let us know.
