Casting the Vision: Inside R|7.0 Bootcamp
A clear vision is a key ingredient of success, and this year’s Bootcamp was designed to help participants define it. Held at the waterside Bellvista Meeting Place, this intensive half-day program is both a professional development opportunity and the final stage in the selection process for R|7.0, The Refinery’s Creative Business Incubator.
Under the expert facilitation of Dr Hayley Linthwaite, the program moved at a brisk pace challenging all participants to bring their sharpest thinking. A preparatory worksheet set the scene for envisioning each business's future from the perspectives of end-users, investors, and themselves and set a strong foundation for the Bootcamp session.
On the deck of the venue, under a crisp blue sky, Aunty Helena Gulash, The Refinery’s Elder-in-Residence, delivered a moving Welcome to Country setting a tone of grounded presence and shared purpose. A panel discussion followed with alumni, Jules Laidlaw of The Clay Society (2.0) and Sasha Parlett of Red Handed Productions (3.0) providing practical insights and candid reflections on the value of the program to their own business journey and how casting vision and the resilience to navigate change are essential to sustainable business.
The group then participated in a sequence of fast-paced, collaborative design thinking exercises to challenge assumptions and guide participants in defining a clear and compelling Business Aspiration (BA), the guiding star for their ventures.
Armed with new ideas and greater clarity, each participant then shared their short 90-second presentation with the supportive group. Each presentation allowed peers and the assessors to gain further insight into the creative idea, growth potential, purpose and passion of each participant.
With exercises and presentations done the group mingled over lunch with conversations flowing freely with genuine curiosity. Business cards and social media details were shared, and seeds for future collaborations were planted.
Since the inception of the Creative Business Incubator in 2019, Bootcamp has been the beginning of a professional and personal development journey as the ‘how’, ’what’ and ‘why’ of their creative business is challenged. For some in this group, participation in Bootcamp will be the achievement, showing up, building self-confidence and meeting other like-minded creatives. For those selected for the program, they will become the seventh cohort of this transformative program and the Sunshine Coast’s next generation of creative leaders.
Stay tuned for the official R|7.0 cohort announcement, and follow their journey as they build towards Showcase this September.
R|7.0 is delivered by SCCA and supported by Major partners: the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, Sunshine Coast Council through the Regional Arts Development Fund, and in partnership with the Creative Ecologies Research Cluster at UniSC.