Catching Fireworks

"I attended an arts in business seminar by Be Smart About Art in January 2016 - Deborah Henry-Pollard was a key member of the panel of speakers. I was really impressed by Deborah's presence as a speaker (and I have seen many, many speakers) - she exudes sincere confidence, warmth and great passion for her subject(s). I found her captivating and would highly recommend her for public speaking events!"

Emma de Polnay

"We invited Debs to give a talk at our local networking group & I think all there would agree just how inspiring she is."

Shona Chambers, [email protected]

I have spoken at events for: Chester Literature Festival; Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize; West Dean College; Be Smart About Art; Cass Art; Art & Design Employability; University of East London; University of Exeter; Artsmart; The Design Trust; Forum Arts; Creatives Hub; Association of Women Art Dealers; Shape Arts; Four Corners; Secret Subterranean London symposium, Illumini; Wellcome Collection.

If you are an organisation who would like me to deliver one of my interactive talks with your group, or be a guest on a webinar or podcast, please get in touch for a conversation.

"Thank you for such an inspiring evening - I was buzzing when I got home … the talk was brilliant" Audience Member

Public Speaking Engagements

Creative Platform: Top Tips for Building Resilience as an Artist: New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth, 2pm - 4pm, 8th May

More public talks and webinars are being planned for 2019, so please check back for details.

Talks

A Vision and Why You Need One

What is visioning and what is the point of it in your creative career?

Do you want to choose where you will be in 10 years or just allow yourself to drift and hope for the best?

Knowing what you are setting out to achieve and how to articulate that so you will stand out amongst other similar professionals can seem like one of the hardest things to do when you set out on your independent career.

I use personal experience, case studies and relevant examples to show the benefits of creating a vision for yourself. These include self motivation, proactivity, engaging others and keeping focus. I will also lead you through an exercise to look at where you want to be in 10 years time.

The session is participatory - please come prepared with pen and paper!

“I still feel as if I've had a caffeine injection from your session. It was quite extraordinary.”

"The energy in the room has been tremendous...I felt totally lifted"

Workshop participants

Format: 1 hour

5 Top Tips for Coping as a Creative

This talk addresses 5 common mindsets which can be stumbling blocks with creatives.

This isn't about how to run a social media campaign, fill in a tax return or get into retail outlets: you are intelligent enough to find sources of information for yourself. It is about those moments when your own thoughts stop you from moving forward. We will look at small steps to help you with issues like confidence, managing overwhelm, working with your fears and business planning - is it really a totally different set of skills? I will offer practical exercises and tools which you can take away to help you cope. This will be light touch coaching - please come with a notebook and pen for the exercises and reflection.

This talk is inspired by my book, What’s Your Excuse for not Succeeding as an Artist.

“This was such a success. Your presentation was wonderful.

I learnt so much.”

"I loved it! It was really helpful! I have adopted the one minute meditation as my new calming trick!'

"Awesome ...I just loved your gentle, kind approach."

Workshop participants

Format: 1 hour

Podcast Appearances