This website or its third-party tools use cookies which are necessary to its functioning and required to improve your experience. By clicking the consent button, you agree to allow the site to use, collect and/or store cookies.
I accept

The Thriving Creative

Where creativity and business collide

  • About
  • Blog
  • Coaching
  • The Thriving Freelancer Beta Workshop
  • Contact
You are here: Home / About

About

Steven Sparling, Founder of the Thriving Creative wears a burgundy shirt, black glasses and has a grey and white beard and hair.

Steven Sparling: Strategic Guidance for Creative Entrepreneurs

With over three decades dedicated to the creative industries, I am an expert coach and trainer committed to helping creatives and artists build sustainable side hustles and cultivate successful freelance careers. My comprehensive background ensures you receive strategic, actionable guidance.

My qualifications and experience include:

  • Pioneering leadership roles in both academia and industry, such as Head of Department at Kingston School of Art and Course Leader at London College of Music.
  • Accredited Coach with a focus on brand storytelling, effective pitching, and impactful sales conversations for founders and creative professionals.
  • Advanced degrees: PhD in Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship (Goldsmiths, University of London) and MA in Creative Entrepreneurship (University of East Anglia).
  • Recognized professional standing: Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts (FRSA) and Fellow of Advance HE (FHEA).
  • Global teaching and training experience at universities and institutions in Canada, the UK, and beyond, delivering masterclasses on creative entrepreneurship.
  • Practical industry insight from diverse roles spanning performance, journalism, and senior management.

I combine deep academic understanding with real-world, high-impact strategies to elevate your creative business.

 

I am available for consulting and coaching.
Contact me to arrange a free 30-minute consultation.

Recent Posts

  • The Mindful Freelancer: Nine Attitudes for Thriving in the Creative Economy – Part 2 – Patience
  • The Mindful Freelancer: Nine Attitudes for Thriving in the Creative Economy – Part 1 – Non-Judging
  • Pivoting When You Don’t Know Where the Other Foot is Going to Land
  • Help! My Child Wants to Go Into The Arts
  • Confidence Doesn’t Exist. Quit Chasing It.

Social Icons

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Archives

Search Form

Social Media Connections

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Search Form

Recent Posts

  • The Mindful Freelancer: Nine Attitudes for Thriving in the Creative Economy – Part 2 – Patience
  • The Mindful Freelancer: Nine Attitudes for Thriving in the Creative Economy – Part 1 – Non-Judging
  • Pivoting When You Don’t Know Where the Other Foot is Going to Land
  • Help! My Child Wants to Go Into The Arts
  • Confidence Doesn’t Exist. Quit Chasing It.

Post Categories

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Contact

"Go on working, freely and furiously, and you will make progress." Paul Gauguin

Privacy Policy