Creative Leadership Program

Regional Arts WA

Creative Leadership Program

Regional Arts WA is excited to deliver the Creative Leadership Program across regional WA.

As part of the Regional Arts Network initiative, Regional Arts WA has collaborated with Dr Shona Erskine to create a leadership program meets individual and community needs.



The Creative Leadership Program has its foundations in the neuropsychology and neuroscience literature on creativity and seeks to:

  1. Identify and develop leaders in the regions.
  2. Connect the knowledge of artists and arts organisations to strengthen creative communities.
  3. Build regional collaboration through shared learnings.
  4. Create feedback opportunities to further promote community-driven arts activities and feed into relevant Local and State government policy.

Upcoming Dates

Goldfields Arts Centre, Ensemble Room, Kalgoorlie
Two day program: Date TBC in 2024

Find out more

The Model

The Model is iterative and bespoke: the offer is to bring your own ideas, problems, and communities to play in the Creative Leadership Program as the skills are unpacked and enacted. The Creative Leadership Program is delivered in a series of three modules:

Module 1 – Being Creative: Creative practice skills that everyone can use, no matter the situation. These micro-skills are easy to access and research has shown you will have a better than even chance at being creative when you need to be. No background in creative practice is needed to develop these skills.

Module 2 – Creativity in Groups: Leadership processes for working with groups that need to think laterally and produce creative solutions. Creativity is most often a group endeavour. This module articulates the factors that guide groups toward creative solutions.

Module 3 – Creative Leadership: Leadership practices for guiding organisations and communities towards innovative ideas and entrepreneurial outcomes. The skill of Creative Leadership is a complex task. It is critical to understanding the role a leader plays when striving to embed creativity in an organisation, sector, or community.

Note: As Module 3 is of a higher level of complexity and theory, it is recommended that participants complete Module 1 and 2 before commencing this module. Even if a leader does not employ the micro-skills of Module 1 and the group facilitation of Module 2, it is imperative they understand these skills and how to implement them in their work as a leader.

About Dr Shona Erskine

Dr Shona Erskine is a registered psychologist in private practice. She is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts and retrained as a psychologist through Deakin University and The University of Melbourne following an extensive career as a contemporary dancer.

Shona has expertise in delivering psychology for performing artists through professional companies, universities, and in private practice. Dr Erskine has developed curriculum in areas of mental wellbeing and creativity with interest in disseminating best practice models to performing artist, teachers, and directors.

Shona has dedicated her work as an organisational psychologist to understanding creativity and innovation. She leads workshops on the neuropsychology of creative practice and runs facilitation processes that attend to complexity and perspective. In particular, she coaches artists and directors in thinking processes for their artistic endeavours.

Previous Delivery Dates

Hosted by Arts Margaret River
Margaret River
November 2022


Hosted by Gardiner Street Arts Collective
Moora
August 2022


Hosted by Shire of Harvey
Roelands
August 2022


Hosted by Denmark Arts
Denmark
February 2022


Hosted by Southern Forest Arts
Manjimup
November and December 2021


Hosted by Goolarri Media
Derby and Broome
October 2021


Hosted by North Midlands Project
Geraldton
June 2021


Hosted by Rave About Arts
Ravensthorpe
March 2021


Hosted by Creative Corner
Busselton
March 2021


Hosted by The Junction Co.
Port Hedland and Tom Price
December 2020

The Regional Arts Network is proudly supported by Minderoo Foundation and The Ian Potter Foundation, and with funding from the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund.

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