Take the Maker Needs Survey

In Partnership With

Share your feedback to help inform our support for craft businesses

In Partnership With

Textile artist and weaver Jacob Monk in his studio. Photo: Thom Atkinson

The Crafts Council's annual survey of maker needs has landed, and we want to hear from you! Now in its sixth year, the survey gathers vital intel from craft makers and business owners to inform future resources and initiatives and influence government policy.

Understanding what you need to maintain and further your practice is vital to developing our work for artists, designers and makers at all career stages. This is particularly important in the context of COVID-19, Brexit and the future sustainability of your craft businesses.

The survey takes 10-15 minutes to complete and you will be offered the chance to enter a free prize draw. Eight winners will be randomly selected to receive their pick of three prizes:

One-to-one half hour advice session with one of the Crafts Council’s Business Skills team
£50 gift voucher to spend at Cass Art
£50 gift voucher to spend at Jackson Art

The deadline for entries is 31 December 2021. Winners will be selected on 11 January 2022 and contacted by email. Please see full terms and conditions at the end of this page.

Tell us about your craft business to enter the prize draw

Start survey

Key takeaways from the 2020 Maker Needs Survey

In 2020, 850 craft businesses responded to the Annual Maker Needs Survey. The data collected provided valuable insight into the positive impacts and challenges makers are experiencing. Anonymised results are published on our Business Skills page and shared with CraftUK to ensure your feedback has a wide reach.

You said, we listened:

Experience economy is growing, and we want to support you in making the most of this opportunity. Your responses demonstrated an upwards trend in offering craft-based experiences and events, and the challenges that come with hosting. We are now working on a tailored resource full of advice and case studies, due to be launched in January 2022.
Marketing was high on your agendas for business development needs, and this year we hosted ten free webinars to support your business promotion. From identifying brand values and getting the most from Instagram to diversifying your income streams and creating video content. All ‘Spring-back’ talks are available to rewatch on our YouTube channel.
Brexit resource paper was launched in April, to find pragmatic advice for the sector to enable them to continue exporting. We realise this is the start of our journey and our ambition is to relaunch our exporting toolkit in 2022 with more up to date advice.
New business resources have been added to our website to ensure you can access advice when you need it at no cost.
Advice sessions remain a priority as the majority of respondents value the chance to speak to Crafts Council in person about their specific challenges, book now.

If you would like more information on the support and services available, please email makerdev@craftscouncil.org.uk

Data protection

Survey responses will be data controlled and processed by the Crafts Council. We take your data seriously. Your contacts details will only be used to contact you for the purposes you have agreed to. For more information please refer to the Crafts Council's privacy policy.

Terms and conditions

The prize draw closes on Friday 31 December 2021.
One survey response / entry per applicant.
Entries must be 18 years or over.
The winner will be the first valid entry randomly drawn and will be notified on Monday 11 January 2022.
If the winner fails to respond within five working days of notification the draw will be re-run.
The prize draw is open to residents of the UK (excluding employees and families of Crafts Council, Crafts magazine and any persons professionally connected with the competition).
The prize draw is comprised of eight individual winners. A total of eight prizes are available, including four one-to-one half-hour advice sessions with one of the Crafts Council’s Business Skills team or a £50 voucher redeemable from Cass Art or Jackson’s Art Supplies. Once all four advice sessions or gift vouchers have been claimed, the prize will default to the remaining option(s) available.
No cash alternative will be offered, and prizes are non-transferable.
The prize is promoted by Crafts Council, 44a Pentonville Road, London, N1 9BY.

Start survey

Take the Maker Needs Survey

Read more

Spring-back talks

Be a Make! Craft! Live! partner

Cox London