Learning from failure: Why doing a U-turn is OK

Embracing failure is one of the hardest challenges we face as professionals. How we communicate about and use those failures is a lesson all arts organisations need to learn.

In a climate where we are encouraged to innovate as organisations, and in which failure is frowned upon – especially from a funding perspective – it is difficult to find the balance.

At this week’s Communicating the Arts conference in Sydney, two arts leaders offered an inspiring reality check that imbued the audience with confidence – a sign, if you like, that we can find confidence in our failures.

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina