By Stephanie Fritz, Macon Arts Alliance

Amplify, a program that supports the professional development of creative entrepreneurs in central Georgia, held a Creative Professionals Mixer at the Macon Arts Alliance, a Knight Arts grantee. This mixer brought together 25 different artists from the community.

“This was a wonderful opportunity for artists to meet with one another,” said Stephanie Fritz, special projects manager for Macon Arts Alliance. “Many creative professionals have similar business concerns and this was a great opportunity to discuss concerns with one another.”

Networking is an invaluable opportunity for creative professionals. Through these convenings, Macon Arts Alliance hopes to build a network and support structure that connects creatives to each other and to the resources available in the community. The Creative Professionals Mixer is just the first step in building that community. Workshops and other professional development programs are already in development.

The mixer is a way for artists to meet and mingle with one another. “They help out each other in big ways and sometimes it’s hard for people to step out of that box” said Fritz. “It was a successful night filled with conversation and ideas.”

Invitations to this event were emailed to those who took the Amplify survey and social media outlets also helped spread the word. Anyone who is in the creative industry can come to events like this. Community engagement is a skill that artists have labeled as one of the top five business skills they need help with, based on the Amplify survey. The Amplify survey, that is currently assessing the creative community, is available at AmplifyforCreatives.com and will be up for another month. Join our email list by taking this short survey and to learn more about opportunities like this.