Grow your creative practice, together.
A peer-led community for designers, makers, digital creatives and artisans. Free workshops, one-to-one mentoring, and people who get it.
Register your interestStart by joining the Collective, a network of other creative businesses across East Sussex. Turn up to a Hack, meet people who’ve solved the same problems, and get matched with a mentor once you know what you need help with.
Free to join, open to any actively trading creative business in East Sussex. Meet other creatives, build relationships that last, and get matched with one-to-one mentoring once you’re part of it. This is the network that carries on long after the programme ends.
Free, 2-hour working sessions, and the easiest way in. Real challenges, tangible takeaways, and a room full of peers rather than a lecture, covering pricing, audience building, hiring, AI tools and accessing grants, across Lewes, Hastings and Eastbourne.
Six hours of one-to-one time with a mentor who has built a creative business themselves. A short diagnostic call comes first to find your focus, then structured sessions built entirely around what you need.
Being part of the Collective is how you get here: real mentoring, matched to your actual needs. Getting started is simple. Come to a Hack, free and open to anyone, meet people, and see whether going deeper is right for you. No pressure either way.
Once you’ve been to a Hack, or simply told us you’re interested, you’re invited to start mentoring.
A short survey, then a 30-minute call to talk through your situation and agree the focus for your mentoring Sprint.
You’re matched with a mentor and begin your 6-hour Sprint, at whatever pace suits your practice: a few short weekly sessions, or a couple of longer deep-dives.
Once your Sprint ends, you’re an alum: you’ll get a short summary of next steps, keep your invite to future Hacks, and, if it’s a fit, come back later as a mentor yourself.
Places on the mentoring Sprint are limited and matched to fit, so we can’t guarantee mentoring for everyone who applies. Everyone’s welcome at the Hacks and the wider Collective regardless.
And through all of it, you’re part of something bigger: a community of creative people across East Sussex, at the Hacks, in the mentoring, and beyond. You’re not doing this on your own.
Not sure if you fit? Come along to a Hack or get in touch, and we’ll help you work it out.
Create East Sussex is delivered by Studio Zao, an innovation and growth consultancy that’s supported hundreds of small businesses across the UK, working in partnership with East Sussex County Council.
Led locally by Sara Carter, who’s spent years mentoring creative founders and building programmes like this one, alongside a team who’ve delivered similar work in Torbay, Croydon and Tamworth.
Real people, not a call centre. You’ll meet the same faces throughout.
Interested in getting involved? Register below and we’ll be in touch with details on the first Hacks as soon as they’re confirmed.
Register your interestThis is an expression of interest, with no dates to pick just yet. We’ll email you first when the first Hacks are confirmed.