Application deadline: Sunday 9 March 2025, 5pm
We are proud to announce the return of our seminal artist development programme, StudioBook. Led by experienced mentor and curator, Mark Devereux, StudioBook 2025 offers practical, discursive and tailored workshops for artists.
Start Date:
22/04/2025
End Date:
15/07/2025
Venue:
Online (Zoom)
Made up of twelve, weekly half-day online workshops and two, 1-hour one-to-one mentoring sessions, StudioBook 2025 will address your key questions and concerns; providing information, advice and guidance alongside open discussions and peer-to-peer sharing to support the development of your creative practice.
We have programmed the course to address the core professional development questions we receive from artists on a day-to-day basis. Highlighting the often hidden or unspoken aspects of working as an independent artist, the workshops will help you break through some of the barriers you may have faced to date.
Our previous courses have received wide acclaim for the long-term developmental impacts the can have on the participating artists’ practices and careers.
Tuesday 22 April, 9:30am-12:30pm
Course welcome & introductions
An introduction to the course, with short 5-minute presentations from each participating artist.
Tuesday 29 April, 9:30am-12:30pm
Harnessing your superpower
Working as an artist can be a solitary venture. It is not always easy to recognise the core ideas you are communicating within your work when you are in the full throws of making in your studio. Whilst you may be proficient in making, the challenges of imposter-syndrome and sharing your work can disrupt your flow. This workshop will support you to start dissecting your practice, giving new techniques and approaches to ensure your intentions are fully realised and harness your superpower – your artist voice.
Tuesday 6 May, 9:30am-12:30pm
Choosing the right words (session 1)
In this session you will be encouraged to bring together the core practical, conceptual and personal elements of your work to present a short verbal presentation about your work and/or practice. We will critique each presentation and discuss different tips and techniques for how you can make that right impact.
12 May – 23 May
One-to-one mentoring sessions (round 1)
An opportunity to reflect on what you have learned so far and ask any individual questions, feedback and/or critique that you may need for any area of your creative practice in a confidential 1-hour one-to-one mentoring session with Mark Devereux.
Tuesday 13 May, 9:30am-12:30pm
Choosing the right words (session 2)
Good art writing can unlock your practice allowing viewers to find new ways to engage with your work personally, emotionally and/or culturally. We will look at the various forms of art writing to help you highlight which is the most relevant for you and your audience. Using creative writing prompts and practical exercises, you will be encouraged to think beyond the ‘art-speak’ and create written texts that connect to your making.
Tuesday 20 May, 9:30am-12:30pm
Pitch perfect
As your career develops, opportunities and where you find them will change. This workshop will give you the tools to dissect and understand the opportunity available and whether it connects to your practice ambitions. Looking at open-calls and invitations, we will breakdown what should and shouldn’t be included within applications and proposals.
Tuesday 3 June, 9:30am-12:30pm
Making the most of it
It’s a great feeling to receive an exhibition, commission and opportunity to share your work, but how can you make sure it’s worthwhile? In this workshop we will discuss different approaches to showing your work, identifying your audiences and building future legacies. We will also discuss the importance of negotiation and how you can build your practice on your terms.
Tuesday 10 June, 9:30am-12:30pm
I’m here!
Promoting yourself and your work is not always the most natural thing to do for many artists. This workshop will focus on simple strategies to help increase the awareness of your practice. We will look at how you can make the most of social media, online marketing, press releases and documentation of your work to promote your practice, exhibition or performance.
Tuesday 17 June, 9:30am-12:30pm
How to make friends with curators
Often labelled the key-holders and placed on a pedestal, curators can be seen as mysterious creatures that only ever appear at private views! This session will aim to dispel these myths and share approaches for you to start forming meaningful and purposeful relationships with curators, producers and commissioners for your future practice. We will look at how to invite people to your studio or latest exhibition and what you can do to make the best impression.
23 June – 4 July
One-to-one mentoring sessions (round 2)
An opportunity to reflect on what you have learned so far and ask any individual questions, feedback and/or critique that you may need for any area of your creative practice in a confidential 1-hour one-to-one mentoring session with Mark Devereux.
Tuesday 24 June, 9:30am-12:30pm
Waving your flag
In this session we will look at all aspects of presenting your work, from exhibitions to commissions, performances to film screenings. We will discuss different creative methods to share your work in various contexts and environments. Working together to consider how your work is best displayed / shown, we will discuss practical tips and advice to make sure there is a duty of care for both your work and yourself as an artist.
Tuesday 1 July, 9:30am-12:30pm
Show me the money! (session 1)
Selling your work, budgeting for projects and managing your finances can be a daunting task for many artists. Thinking of your practice as a business is important in order to make the right decisions and create a sustainable, long-term career. This workshop will look at the core financial elements that are often required, sharing different processes and systems you can instil within your day-to-day practice management. We will look at pricing work, representation and setting your artist fee to make sure you receive the money you deserve.
Tuesday 8 July, 9:30am-12:30pm
Show me the money! (session 2)
Building a sustainable practice is core to enabling you to make the best work and reach your potential. This workshop will look at the various funding avenues and options available to individual artists including: local & national grants, trusts, foundations and individual giving. Specific focus will be given to Arts Council England’s grants programmes for individual artists.
Tuesday 15 July, 9:30am-12:30pm
Which Way Now?
In the final session we will be taking stock and spending time developing an individual creative plan for the next steps in your practice. Practical exercises will help you identify your ambitions, set financial plans and what to say “no” to. You will also be encouraged to create accountability goals and put structures in place to help make your goals a reality.
Full cost for the course: £720
Our Studio member cost: £612
Payment options are available to spread the cost in instalments across 2-6 months. There is no charge to apply.
* A discretionary discount for the course costs is available for individuals who are unemployed or from low income households. Please contact us in advance of making your application to discuss this on an individual basis.
StudioBook 2025 is aimed at early-mid career artists who are ambitious and developing their professional practices. We are keen to receive applications from a wide range of practitioners including people who identify as disabled, LGBTQIA+, from the Ethnic Global Majority and those that have not received formal arts training / education. All artists must live and work in the UK.
We are committed to creating Safer, Braver Spaces for artists to share, learn and make. All workshop sessions will include breaks to rest and take time away from the screen. Please contact Mark directly at mark@markdevereuxprojects.com if you would like to discuss any access needs in advance.
All sessions will include live Zoom transcriptions and will be recorded and shared via a password protected Vimeo video link for the course participants only.
Application deadline: Sunday 9 March 2025
Artists notified by: Friday 14 March 2025
To apply please send a short covering letter including:
Applications may be made via video or audio to support those with dyslexia or unable to make their application in writing.
Please send your application via WeTransfer to mark@markdevereuxprojects.com. If you do not receive email notification of the receipt of your application within 48-hours please contact us.
We will be holding a Zoom Q&A session on Thursday 13 February (10-11am) for artists who may be interested in applying to meet Mark and ask any questions you may have about the course. Booking is required via Eventbrite.
If you would like to arrange a private conversation with Mark to discuss your application or if you have any questions about StudioBook 2025 please email Mark at mark@markdevereuxprojects.com.
“…I reached a point in 2021 where it all felt a bit ‘why’?’ and ‘what next?’, so I applied for StudioBook and was lucky enough to be selected to take part. I needed to understand more clearly where my practice sat in a wider art world context and StudioBook provided a safe and supportive environment for me to open up and be challenged on all aspects of this. Mark was insightful and guiding, the development programme allowed all participants to share their experiences within the structured modules, something that I absolutely loved and looked forward to each week. I gained much beneficial knowledge, enjoyed the varied practices of my peers, and broadened my ways of thinking about my work. It certainly facilitated a renewed sense of focus and direction, and the programme documentation remains a constant reference point as I push forward on a new long-term project. Friendships have been made and even collaborations are being discussed… and I have continued working with Mark around aspects of my practice, and imagine further collaboration in the future.”
[Alan Ward, StudioBook 2021 artist]
“StudioBook really helped to re-focus my thought processes both for the development of my practice and my professional ambitions. The interaction with other artists was an invaluable element of the programme providing a space for the sharing of ideas, experience and knowledge.”
[Jo Clements, StudioBook 2021 artist]
Watch artist Lucy Wright’s reflections on StudioBook 2021 here.
Further testimonials for our work can be found at:
https://markdevereuxprojects.com/info/testimonials/
There is no charge to make an application for the course.
Selections will be made by the Mark Devereux Projects team. The key selection criteria will be the reasons for applying and the potential impact on the artist’s practice/career. CVs and past experiences are not required.
Up to 12
We have developed the programme to avoid national school holidays to help the course to be accessible to those artists that may have parental, caring or other commitments.
Yes, ideally you will be able to commit to all programmed sessions in order to fully experience and get the most from the course. If your availability changes for individual sessions, they will all be recorded and shared via a secure YouTube link afterwards.
These sessions will be led by curator and mentor, Mark Devereux.
These sessions will be an opportunity for each individual artist to ask questions, receive critique/advice/feedback and have an in-depth discussion about any area of your practice.
Your fee covers the total cost for the delivery of the course and no other overheads. We have tried to make the course as affordable as possible to enable access by all.
We are happy to have a private conversation to discuss this and would aim to come to a mutually agreeable solution if you were to be selected.
Yes. This course would be suitable to be included within an Arts Council England Developing Your Creative Practice application and/or a-n Professional Development bursary. We will also be happy to support your application through a letter or recommendation if required.
Yes. We are happy to set up individual instalment payment plans according to your personal circumstances.