Membership
Eligibility CriteriaProspective members of Muswell Hill Creatives (MHC) must be local to Muswell Hill and the surrounding areas, and creating their own original product. Current and past members include a bag designer/maker, illustrator, photographer, florist, jewellery designer/maker, printmaker, ceramicist, glassmaker, print/textile designer, patchwork maker and mixed media artists. The maximum number of members is 12.
The carefully curated collective will welcome members based on how their product range fits with the existing members' work (including any potential conflicts of interest) and whether it reflects the mission of MHC. All members need to be committed to our mission of actively supporting other members either face-to-face or via our online Facebook (FB) forum. All members must fulfil the following:
How MHC works
By joining MHC, you will benefit from being part of a collective which has a dedicated coordinator – Rachael Booth-Clibborn. Rachael is responsible for coordinating the group, its events calendar, website and social media platforms. In addition, her background in PR and event management enables Rachael to proactively seek publicity opportunities for the group as a whole and provides you with access to this expertise should you wish to commission individual PR support (fees to be negotiated separately).
Whilst MHC benefits from having a coordinator/PR, MHC is committed to its collective ethos and the members very much work as a team. Members have an open approach to new opportunities and ideas and jointly assess their value to the development of the collective and to each individual. On the practical side, belonging to the collective may involve doing a shift at a MHC pop up shop or helping with set up/set down of a market or other event. |
Key benefits
The opportunity to show and sell work at a minimum of two MHC events a year. These might include outdoor markets on St James’s Square or Pop Up shops.
A public profile on the MHC public social media pages and offline mailings and publicity. One page for each member on the Muswell Hill Creatives website. Other presence on the website can include photography on the gallery page and mentions on the News & Events page. Blog features on the MHC website. These are generally written by the coordinator but on occasions may be guest written by a member of MHC. They are edited and posted by the coordinator. Monthly social evenings to benefit from being part of a thriving creative community. These are organised by the coordinator or by one of the MHC members. Former MHC members are also invited. Access to all MHC forums, mentoring sessions, social events and public selling events Being regularly informed of sales, PR, networking, training and new business opportunities by the coordinator. MHC members also exchange opportunities via the Facebook forum. PR/publicity: a presence in MHC feature/press story pitches and support in generating individual PR stories. Press materials are prepared by the MHC coordinator. Support/advice in brand, website and social media development by the coordinator or members of MHC. Increased exposure: being exposed to a growing audience with social media profile beyond Muswell Hill. Mentoring support: eg Etsy shop, social media, product development and training sessions (some will be chargeable as an extra depending on the nature of the session). Another member of MHC would be made available as your ‘buddy’ for the first three months of membership to help you maximise the benefit of belonging to a collective |
Fees£130 for 6 months’ membership paid in advance. (Subject to one month's cancellation notice period.)
An additional coordinator fee is charged for the main MHC sales events (including markets and pop up shops) to cover event management and publicity. The coordinator’s fee depends on the scale of the event and time commitment involved. To date these have been £20-£25 per participating member. Additional costs such as launch event refreshments, traders’ licences, publicity materials and equipment hire are shared across the group. Costs vary depending on side of the event but have been from £25-£35r member per event. All members share the cost of the website hosting and MHC branding in addition to their membership fee. Approximate cost per member is £15 and members will be notified of these costs ahead of membership renewal in March and September. Membership (and associated fees) are reviewed in March and September each year. Individual PR support is chargeable separately subject to discussion. "It’s the best thing that’s happened to me for a long time. It’s allowed me to develop as a maker.” Founding member, Isabella Lepri, ceramicist.
"We’re kept informed of what shows are coming up, Rachael has been great at sourcing and collating all that information." Elvira van Vredenburgh, designer
“One of the great things about the group is the interconnections. Things happen to you because you’re part of the group. Being in Muswell Hill Creatives has catapaulted my business from a standing start”
Rob Jones, Romor Designs |
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