FEATURED ARTICLE
Green Grass Thinking
by Monica Davidson When we’re discussing strategic work with creative clients, someone always wants to know if we’ll incorporate any ‘blue sky thinking’ activities into our planning workshops. No. No, we won’t. Blue sky thinking is a luxury only fit for organisations with bottomless budgets, energetic teams and endless runway. For arts businesses, cultural not-for-profits, and independent creative enterprises, unconstrained brainstorming usually leads to giant impractical ideas that get everyone excited in the moment, but then sit in a server folder collecting digital dust. When cash is tight and operational burnout is real, you don’t need high-altitude blue skies. You need...
SEARCH BY CATEGORY
Finance
Marketing
Business Basics

Wellbeing
OR SEARCH BY KEYWORD:
RECENT POSTS
Robots & Rules: Creating AI Protocols for Creative Business
By Monica Davidson In the last few months, the conversation for many of us has moved from “Are you using AI” to “HOW are you using AI?” As creatives, we’re both angry at the IP thievery and...
Planning on Empty
By Monica Davidson The words ‘strategic planning’ are the last you want to hear if you're a freelance creative or running a small arts business, and everything feels like it’s being held together...
Tax Time for Creative Business
By Monica Davidson Sure, it’s boring, but tax is super important for creative practitioners and arts organisations. It’s a weird combination of both boring and scary, but learning how it works can...
The Art of Coffee
By Monica Davidson Coffee is certainly a powerful tool. It certainly has the power to help me dress, drive and think in the mornings, or kick on for a big night (how things have changed). Coffee can...
What Assessors Actually Look for in an Arts Grant Application (And Why Most Artists Get It Wrong)
By Cat Dibley Here’s the thing nobody tells you about arts grant writing in Australia: assessors aren’t looking for the most talented artist. They’re looking for the artist who can best prove...
What Clients Want
I‘ve been working a lot lately with creative practitioners who are really struggling with client management. They’re either attracting clients that micro-manage, or they’re dealing with clients who...
The Imposterism Club: Why Your Success is No Accident
by Monica Davidson “I have written 11 books but each time I think ‘Uh-oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.” Maya Angelou In 1978,...
Learning to Thrive
By Monica Davidson 2026 marks the tenth anniversary of Creative Plus Business, and in those first few wobbly months a decade ago I was on the most epic learning curve I’d had since the start of...
A New Era for Storytelling: Celebrating the 2025 Social Enterprise for Screen Cohort
Creative Plus Business is absolutely thrilled to announce the successful conclusion of our inaugural Social Enterprise for Screen (SEFS) pilot program, and the launch of the program's Impact Report....
Reflections on Strategic Quitting and Spectacular Failure
By Monica Davidson As the end of the year rapidly approaches, it’s easy to look back over the achievements and mistakes of the last twelve months, and vow to make it all different or better or less...
Getting Paid On Time
by Monica Davidson Oh no, that sinking feeling, when you realise that the payment your client was supposed to make has not appeared in your bank account. It doesn’t appear the next day, or the next....
Unicorns vs Workhorses
By Monica Davidson For most professional creatives, juggling a few different income streams is essential to spreading financial risk. We move between employment, freelancing, and side hustles to...












