Pan-Island Survey of the Creative Economy in the Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland: Survey commissioned to establish accurate details around the number of professional practitioners and their subject disciplines contributing to the creative economy in the Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland.

Island communities are facing times of great change with opportunities to develop new infrastructure to meet sector demands. There have also been a number of recent factors that have repositioned the Creative and Cultural Industries: a new community of arts graduates/alumni from the UHI and other HE providers is choosing to live, study and work on the Islands; digital connectivity has increased the Creative and Cultural Industries profile and network; a pan-island partnership between the RFO arts organisations has been established; the emergence of Creative Ageing as a lifestyle and extended career for existing and new island residents; there is an increased interface with arts agencies and organisations working and supporting creative practitioners in the Islands (XPONorth, HE Knowledge Exchange, Scottish Artists Union; readjusting to a new norm and future as a consequence of the Covid pandemic. The survey was commissioned to ascertain the impact of these factors, and to try to establish accurate details around the number of professional practitioners and their subject disciplines contributing to the creative economy in the Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland. In addition, the survey sought information to ascertain the specific resource needs for these professional practitioners and the graduate community in order to retain existing and attract new talent, and to increase island economic growth and prosperity.