The Art of Digital Leadership with Tom Higham Creative Director and Founder of Mediale

Ceri explores the world of digital art and creative leadership with Tom Higham, Creative Director and founder of Mediale. Tom shares his knowledge and experience, from film festivals to cutting-edge digital projects, and gives his thoughts on artist development, community engagement, and the challenges of running a creative organisation. Ceri and Tom also talk about personal health, leadership styles, and share their visions for the future of arts and technology.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Tom's career highlights the importance of networking and seizing opportunities in the arts, from volunteering to leadership roles.
• Effective creative leadership involves balancing artistic vision with practical considerations like funding, stakeholder management, and team dynamics.
• Community engagement in arts projects requires a genuine interest in people's stories and a collaborative approach between artists and local groups.
• The digital art sector is very international, presenting both opportunities and challenges for UK based organisations and artists.
• Successful arts organisations need to adapt their leadership and project approaches based on the specific context and scale of each initiative.
• Tom stresses the importance of clear communication and boundary setting in leadership, while maintaining flexibility and empathy to be successful.
• Personal health management, including addressing invisible disabilities is essential in sustainable creative leadership.
• The arts sector should critically examine the impact and sustainability of large scale cultural events versus ongoing, community focused initiatives and what they can alternatively offer.

BEST MOMENTS

 "I always found I would tend to let the work expand to fill the time I give it."

"Talking, communicating to different people outside of your inner sphere is quite a skill and there aren't that many people in the arts who do that well, I don't think."

"You have to build the trust to be able to take that risk, I think that's really important, but also to build that trust, you have to tell a compelling story."

"The hardest stuff about being an arts leader is probably, I'm imagining, similar to the hardest stuff about being a leader in the energy sector or in the retail sector. It's people."

"I think you've clearly done so well over your career is actually that trust and that deep love that you have for the artists and their idea, but then finding the language and the synergy, those kinds of moments of alignment with somebody else."

"Clarity is kindness, you know, and sometimes that means even if you're saying clearly, actually, no, that doesn't work for me, it actually helps people to understand and take action accordingly."

"I would suggest to artists that you have to figure out what you want to pursue and figure out how to talk about it."

EPISODE RESOURCES

Connect with Tom Higham:

• Instagram: @tomhigham14
• LinkedIn: Tom Higham
• Website: tomhigham.net

For more information about his work with Mediale, visit mediale.org.uk or follow @mediale_uk on Instagram.

PODCAST HOST BIO

With over 30 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.

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