Collectives vs Agencies.

What is an agency?

An agency is 'a business or organization providing a particular service on behalf of another business, person or group.' - Google definition.

In the creative industry an agency works alongside a creative worker to help them negotiate the likes of fees, contracts and even rights. They also help to market and promote the artist(s) in their books (as they can represent more than one creative worker) and can provide guidance and management within the artist's career. In return they usually take an approx 30-40% cut from all commissioned work in return for their services.

Here is an example of an Illustration Agency.

Here is an example of a (branding/web design based) Graphic Design Agency.

What is a collective?

A collective is 'a cooperative enterprise.' - Google definition.

Essentially, in the creative industry, a collective becomes a group of creative workers, usually of the same type (e.g graphic designers, animators, illustrators) who work together on equal creative footing. Each individual is open to using their own, personal style but all work collaboratively with one another.

In the case of Graphic Designers, there is the aspect of working 'in-house' which is effectively the same as a collective ('done or existing within an organization' - Google definition) but can often mean working to a particular style rather than your own.

Here is an example of a Graphic Design Collective.

Here is an example of an Illustration Collective.

Here is an example of In-House Graphic Design.

Collectives/In-House vs. Agencies

The question remains: which is best and why? I personally believe the answer to this relies on the individual you're asking. Both in-house and agencies will have their pros and cons, some which come with what each has to offer whilst others will emerge with personal opinions.

PROS OF WORKING UNDER AN AGENCY:

• Creativity isn't restricted. The pieces and projects you work on usually only come in ones or two's so you can devote more time to them and make them prestigious final pieces for your portfolio.
• Essentially get's the work for you. Agencies can get you opportunities you may not be able to snag on your own.
• Effective way of figuring out pricing for your work. This does, however, come at a price and could be considered a downside also.

CONS OF WORKING UNDER AN AGENCY:

• Job insecurity. With regards to how many other artists work under your agency you may lose out certain job opportunities to the other creative workers your agency has. 
• They take a cut from your commissioned work. They do, after all, need payment for their services. Sometimes these cuts can be potentially harsh on lower paid jobs.
• Your agency represents you. This inherently depends on your personal opinion/views but having somebody else represent you can be a daunting aspect if you're wanting to show a potential client your best side.
• Lack of routine. Jobs can spring up on you via agencies and if you're hit with a last minute job you may have to pull a few unhealthy all-nighters in order to finish which can be a bit of a creative burn out.

PROS OF WORKING IN-HOUSE:

• Job security. Working under an established corporation, whether collective or in-house, gives you stability as you're working in partnership with the other creative workers. It's also more cost-effective for your employers to have you in-house or collective so there's less chance of being laid off.
• Company benefits. One downside to working for yourself of the loss of health insurance, disability claims and retirement plans. Not to mention if you should fall ill and can't complete a job. Working in-house or collective gives you the best of both worlds, allowing you to reap the benefits whilst maintaining your own individual, freelance style.
• Set hours. As you're working under a company you tend to have the standard rule of working 9 until 5 and there is little to no need for overtime unless you're reaching for a deadline. 
• Worthy pieces and projects. Working in-house or as a collective has the potential to bring in big brand jobs - making perfect and respectable pieces for your portfolio.

CONS OF WORKING IN-HOUSE:

• Restricted creativity. Although not always the case, in-house and collectives have a tendency to bring in less creative challenges which restrict the artist to more generic and stylized projects or pieces. There's also a chance that, when working in-house, you may have to work to a specific style, losing your originality.
• Limited range of products. This links in with restricted creativity and shows how working in-house or as a collective could potentially get a bit dull.
• Lack of flexibility. In-house and collectives often have a restrictive budget and a sense of restraint when it comes to branching out with new ideas and methods, something agencies tend to instead welcome.

As evident from the examples above, both areas of the creative industry have their respective pros and cons. However, there is no clear way to derive which is 'better' with regards to which area to apply yourself. This all depends on your personal opinion as a creative worker. For me, personally, each have appealing qualities that would make me consider working under each. However there are also qualities that make me want to stray away from both. That being said, if I had to choose, I would most likely opt for the in-house route as I feel I work better with routine. Both would be an experience and I think it's important to consider each as an opportunity.

SOURCES:

1. http://playgroundinc.com/blog/defining-creative-agencies/
2. http://www.sessions.edu/notes-on-design/in-house-vs-agency
3. http://www.fonttalent.com/about-us/blog/articletype/articleview/articleid/214/agency-vs-in-house-which-is-the-better-place-for-your-career#.VwJ_X_krKM8

Creative Cultures.

What is a 'Creative Culture'?

"A creative culture is one in which people are able to be effectively creative." - Source.

This often means that a creative culture is, in fact, a particular country, county, or region which has an impressionable and strong reputation for their place within the creative industry, whether they have a creative expertise or merely a large number of placements for work. These types of areas in particular are perceived to be almost always metropolitan areas or capital cities (such as New York, Japan or London) but in some cases creative cultures can expand and flourish within lesser known areas such as small towns or cities (such as Sunderland, Newcastle or even Hartlepool). One key element to a creative culture is the potential resources within the area it has established.

How does a 'Creative Culture' develop?

As with any development there are several elements which often play a part in it's initial set up and, for creative cultures, one of the most common lies behind there already being an established industry in the area - allowing other professionals within the creative industry to flock to it. On lesser occasions, creative cultures may begin to establish themselves where the expenses for things such as living costs (rent and overhead) are fairly cheap, giving them an opportunity to base themselves somewhere and work fairly well without having to scrape by, This, of course, also has its setbacks.

Established Industries -

In a specific location the likes of a developing and pre-existing industry can allow creative cultures to thrive and grow, making it a base point for many creatives to seek out within their career. Although this often results in success, moving to a particular creative culture doesn't always ensure this factor - it merely breeds potential. For example, London in particular is a creative culture that holds a wide variety of commercial industries, perfect for a graphic designer. These commercial industries can be anything from pop-up shops to national companies and even global corporations. With all of these based in London, it becomes understandable as to why it is considered a creative culture, and it is more than evident that it hosts plenty of client based opportunities. It also means that there is already an existing creative industry within that specific location, allowing you to mix with other creatives that bare the same profession as you - this gives plenty of opportunity for new contacts, collaborative work ad even inspiration and influences.

Established industries also have other appealing factors for creative cultures other than their massive creative bases. In the case of London, one of the cities main features is its composite transport connections which allows access to every corner of the city. Well established cities that host creative industries are also often plentiful in the likes of creative resources (such as printing or publishing companies) making it easier for creatives to output their work effectively.

Moving to or closer to a creative culture network such as London can be an effective choice within your career, however, it is important to be mindful that both accommodation, living facilities and studio spaces come at an eye watering price tag which is often too high for many new creatives. This is often due to the large, competitive demand of the pre-exising creatives who have already made their bases within this creative culture and it is these types of setbacks that may cause a creative culture to uproot and shift.

Undeveloped or newly developed areas -

On the other end of the spectrum, creative cultures may also branch out and establish themselves within more lesser known or undeveloped areas. Undeveloped, of course, referring to a lack of creative competitors - meaning it has plenty of potential employment and client opportunities and will often be cheaper than areas which are more developed. Examples of undeveloped areas fall onto the likes of Sunderland, Newcastle or perhaps Hartlepool. Newcastle in particular is a strong example of the potential undeveloped areas hold for creative cultures as it is a city which already holds secure corporations which have the potential to become creative clients for those in the area and it is also known that renting or buying a space in Newcastle, whether for living or studio purposes, poses much cheaper than trying to make space for yourself down in the likes of London.

Despite having smaller portions of it viewed as individual creative cultures, it could be perceived that as a whole the UK is, in fact, one large creative culture in itself as it is home to the second largest creative industry in the world.

SOURCES:

1. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/property-market/10564090/Britains-best-places-to-live-for-artists.html
2. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2262893/Englands-best-cultural-cities-From-Newcastle-Portsmouth-iconic-metropolises-offer-visitors-host-treats.html