Success stories

New entrepreneur:
Volodymyr Khodak (Ukraine)
Age: 43
Company name: DecArt Studio | https://www.instagram.com/decart.studio/ (Start-up)
Sector of activity: Crafts, art materials and accessories

Host entrepreneur:
Česlovas Lukenskas (Lithuania)
Age: 63
Company name: CHESIUX gallery | https://chesiux.com (30 years of experience)
Sector of activity: Crafts, art materials and accessories

New entrepreneur Volodymyr Khodak started his business in Ukraine by making murals in offices, murals on street buildings and paintings. This was Volodymyr's first experience of marketing his art as a commercial product; previously he had engaged in creativity for personal fulfilment, with little regard for income. Volodymyr needed the help of a more experienced mentor to suggest how to develop his activity. Participating in the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme and getting to know the experienced entrepreneur Česlavas Lukenskas was a big step forward for Volodymyr. Česlavas is a well-known Lithuanian artist and art professor famous for his performances. He was able to accurately identify Volodymyr's potential as an artist and tell him in which area it was worth developing it further. Česlavas introduced Volodymyr to Lithuanian gallery owners and artists. Volodymyr visited many galleries and museums and spoke with Lithuanian artists to understand how they develop a personal brand. This cooperation has brought great benefits for both sides.

Volodymyr and Česlavas worked together for 6 months. During this time, Volodymyr learned about Lithuanian art, visited many museums and galleries, met with gallery owners and artists to understand how an artist can develop their brand and what artworks galleries are interested in. Together, Česlavas and Volodymyr organised an art plein air, the opening of an exhibition and a presentation of works for guests and art critics, designed a mural for the façade of the gallery, created a website for the gallery and developed an art souvenir. Česlavas was able to show Volodymyr in which field of art he can be successful, what exactly is appreciated about artworks. Now Volodymyr knows how to adjust his business plan and how to expand his unique advantage for the customer. The collaboration was also useful for Česlavas. Volodymyr participated in the design of the mural on the gallery's façade and the gallery's website. All this together helped to put the gallery's work online.

Participation in the programme was very useful for Volodymyr and Česlavas. Before participating, Volodymyr did not understand how to develop a personal brand as an artist. Now he has a clear idea of what steps need to be taken and in what direction the art should develop in order to succeed. As a result, a portfolio page for Volodymyr and a site for the CHESIUX gallery were created. Česlavas used his own example to show how to systematise works for the artist portfolio and position himself. In return, Volodymyr took over the design of Česlavas' website and YouTube channel, which will help introduce the gallery and Česlavas to a wider audience. The artists agreed to continue working together and to participate in projects together. It was a rewarding experience for both the new entrepreneur and the host.

For more information, please contact the local contact points involved in the exchange:

New entrepreneur's contact point:
Alfred Nobel University (Dnipro, Ukraine)

Host entrepreneur's contact point:
European social entrepreneurship and innovative studies institute (Kaunas, Lithuania)

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