SHAH ALAM, Oct 25 — Creatives must empower themselves with entrepreneurial skills and learn how to market their work so they remain sustainable, said state executive councillor for youth, sport and entrepreneurship Mohd Najwan Halimi.
He said relying on talent alone is not enough, as creatives would miss out on fully engaging in the creative economy and making their passion sustainable and profitable.
“Talent alone is not enough. Creatives nowadays must understand that building a career and having the ability to market themselves is the reality. When we are involved in the arts, it doesn’t mean we can’t make entrepreneurship one of its platforms.
“Because art is a product and it is a marketable product that can bring in income, we need to instill this understanding to those involved in music making and arts. Talent used in the right place can provide them with an income,” he said on the sidelines of the launch of the Selangor Talent in Arts and Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP) at the Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam campus.
The programme saw some 500 students participate in a day-long event where they attended workshops, activities and musical and arts shows.
Done in collaboration with UiTM, Najwan said the programme is part of the state’s overall strategy to raise the profile of the creative or orange economy as another growth engine for the state’s economy.
At the event, Najwan disbursed RM5,000 aid to 30 low-income students and singer Yazid Alias of local band Sejati, who suffers from a physical illness.
Among local creatives who graced the event included Datuk Ramli MS, Man Kidal, Edrie Hashim from the band Subculture, Datuk Ahmad Lothfi Ibrahim, Jaferi Achip, and local bands Dukes, Kombat Pilgrims, and The ExActs.
