Anna Tiia Sorjonen

Last spring, as graduation came closer and closer, I started putting more thought to what the future holds for me. During my studies, I had already discovered that I had an interest in the business world. Being an entrepreneur in the creative sector seemed like the most suitable career choice after graduation. I was looking for opportunities to grow my understanding of the subject and that was when I learned about the SHIFT programme. The programme seemed like a great opportunity to learn more with like-minded individuals.

During the week of the SHIFT Summer school, we were introduced to different aspects of creative business. We talked about marketing, social media, taxes, networking, business models – basically about everything that one needs to think about when considering turning their practice into a profitable career. Each day we were accompanied by inspiring creative entrepreneurs that each had had a completely different career journey. These “real-life-examples” showed me that becoming an entrepreneur is a path that you can create yourself. The week was inspiring, fast-paced, and filled with opportunities to learn to know talented and inspired people.

During the week of SHIFT we were introduced to different tools to work with our developing business ideas. With the help of these tools, I have created my own business, Rosace Collective, and work now as a performance artist, drama teacher, and consultant. The biggest insight that I gained during the SHIFT summer school was when I realized that dreams are the start of an idea, and it pays off to hold on to the dream. My dream has been to run a theatre, and if the circumstances allow, it seems that we will be opening our very own theatre space in Finland at the beginning of 2021.

Anna Tiia Sorjonen
BA Contemporary Performance Practice, 2019 ​
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland