Article by Sineglossa

The methodology which aims to help artists recognize and improve their Creative Soft Skills

The second phase of the Creative Soft Skills project has been completed, with the creation of the Creative Soft Skills training program, the methodology which aims to connect the world of art to the world of work, and to certify the soft skills of the artists – the importance of which is now recognized by the most important research centers and most innovative companies – through a process of identification and strengthening of the creative skills that characterize the artistic processes.

Part 1: AWARENESS

To strengthen your skills, you must first recognize them: the first part of the program is dedicated to the awareness, with the aim of enabling artists to both identify their Creative Soft Skills (CSS) and demonstrate that they possess them.

The first step of the Awareness path is SELF-ASSESSMENT. To help artists identify their CSS we have created an ad hoc tool for the project: the Creative Soft Skills Circle, a circle to fill with different colors based on how you feel represented by different statements regarding the artistic research and creation processes, finally offering an overview of the six CSS.

The second step of the Awareness path is COLLECTING EVIDENCE. To help artists collect evidence of their soft skills we have created the experience of a hackathon: working as a team to find an original and at the same time feasible solution to a challenge, the artists measure themselves in a practical way with the six CSS: creative thinking, learning to learn, communication, problem solving, leadership and, of course, awareness.

After the hackathon we return to the self-assessment tool, comparing abstract perception with practical experience: how does the Creative Soft Skills Circle change after experimenting with CSS? During this SECOND STEP OF SELF-ASSESSMENT the artists are asked to identify their main creative soft skills.

The last step of the Awareness path is ASSESSMENT: starting from the evidence collected through the hackathon and from their own experiences, the artists create a presentation of their Creative Soft Skills to obtain a certification based on the level of competence demonstrated.

Part 2: IMPROVEMENT

Following the Awareness path, some skills will have been “conquered”, while others will not be present; furthermore, artists may wish to improve their level of competence with respect to already certified skills. For this reason, the second part of the methodology is dedicated to strengthening Creative Soft Skills through an improvement process.

The improvement part is divided into two steps: the CREATIVE SOFT SKILLS TRAINING and the SECOND STEP OF ASSESSMENT. In the CSS training course, artists will be able to practice Creative Soft Skills through heterogeneous tools and activities, collected by project partners based on their experience and field of expertise.

Starting from the new evidence and awareness gathered through the training, the artists prepare a new presentation of their Creative Soft Skills in order to obtain certification during the second step of assessment.

If you are an artist or an organization interested in experimenting with the Creative Soft Skills training program, follow the channels dedicated to the project: the next phases will be dedicated to the development of an open-source toolkit to facilitate the replicability of the methodology and the certification of Creative Soft Skills.