career development at fez art residency
Developing how your practice moves forward
For most artists, the focus of their practice is on creating art
Few consider how their work develops once it leaves the studio, and for many, even thinking about this can feel uncomfortable.
Joining us in Fez is not just an opportunity to experience somewhere new. It is an investment in your practice, your time, energy, and in your future as an artist. Understanding this, we encourage you to approach your visit with purpose and intent, using your time in the Medina as an opportunity to reflect how the experience can be used to develop your career.
Few consider how their work develops once it leaves the studio, and for many, even thinking about this can feel uncomfortable.
Joining us in Fez is not just an opportunity to experience somewhere new. It is an investment in your practice, your time, energy, and in your future as an artist. Understanding this, we encourage you to approach your visit with purpose and intent, using your time in the Medina as an opportunity to reflect how the experience can be used to develop your career.
Alongside creative growth, we encourage artists to think entrepreneurially - to consider how their work is positioned in the world, how it connects with audiences, and how this can support a more intentional and sustainable career over time.
This way of thinking is not delivered as a separate programme, but as part of your residency experience itself
Structured around the CARES framework, it takes place through conversation, reflection, and through a shift in understanding that sits alongside your creative work. Sometimes this is structured, sometimes informal, but always grounded in your practice and direction.
Rather than providing fixed answers, CARES encourages you to step back, ask better questions, and begin to see how different parts of your practice are connected. Nothing is forced, and it is up to you to decide the depth you want to go.
Rather than providing fixed answers, CARES encourages you to step back, ask better questions, and begin to see how different parts of your practice are connected. Nothing is forced, and it is up to you to decide the depth you want to go.
The CARES Framework
The CARES framework underpins the work we do with professional development, offering a structured way to understand how your work is encountered, supported, positioned, and sustained over time.
Contact refers to the moments where your work is actually encountered, not just where it appears. It asks you to notice how, where, and on whose terms people meet your work, and whether it is being met too quickly, too thinly, or without context.
Audience refers to the people your work is actually oriented toward, not everyone it could reach. It asks you to notice who recognises the work, who stays with it over time, and whether those encounters are aligned with what the work needs to continue.
Response looks at what follows an encounter. Not likes or praise, but whether interest has somewhere to go. It asks you to notice whether projects lead to conversation, return, or relationship, or whether they reset to zero each time.
Exchange looks at what comes back to support the continuation of your practice. Not just money, but whether time, energy, care, or resources return in ways that allow the work to keep going, or whether it relies on constant personal subsidy.
Sustainability is about whether your practice can keep going without wearing you down. It looks at pace, energy, and alignment over time, helping you notice what’s being sustained, what’s being depleted, and whether this way of working is livable.
