DECATUR, Ill. – Millikin University School of Art & Creative Media students recently headed to the University of Missouri-Kansas City to attend the second annual SCALE Conference. The Student Creatives & Artists Learning Entrepreneurship (SCALE) Conference is designed to help student creatives and artists learn the skills and knowledge they need to launch and manage successful entrepreneurial careers.
Director of the School of Art & Creative Media Jessa Wilcoxen led the group of Big Blue students on the Performance Learning excursion. The group took in speakers and panelists who are experts in their fields, as well as networking opportunities for students and faculty to connect with the arts entrepreneurship community.
“The SCALE conference programming included sessions teaching students the art of giving a pitch, how to develop business plans for creative-based businesses, pricing, cash flow, and time management strategies, and how they can use these techniques to create a life and living in arts and entertainment industries,” Wilcoxen said. “Students left not only inspired but also more confident in their own abilities and how to present themselves to the market.”
The SCALE Conference covered topics such as starting a legal business entity and obtaining the required licenses and permits, the legal aspects of running a creative business, budgeting tips, keeping books, paying taxes, and setting fair and profitable prices for products and services.
The group also made a stop at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, known for its oversized badminton shuttlecocks, a pop art installation by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen.
Millkin’s Center for Entrepreneurship (CFE) funded the trip to the SCALE Conference. The CFE is dedicated to cultivating the entrepreneurial spirit at every level and is a hub for collaboration. It offers various programs and opportunities for professional development, networking, mentorship, business planning, and more.
Next year’s SCALE Conference is set to travel to Decatur as Millikin is set to host the 2026 edition.
