Patricia Van den Akker

Patricia is an award-winning creative business adviser & trainer, and director of The Design Trust. She regularly teaches professional development at art schools including Central St Martins/UAL and RCA. For five years she wrote a business column for Crafts Magazine. In 2025 her book ‘Teaching Creative Workshops In Person & Online’ will be published.

Describe your approach to teaching
I am known for my practical, honest and action-taking approach to teaching business and professional development to creatives. I believe that creating and developing a business or professional career is the biggest creative challenge of all.

What inspires your own work?
I get inspired by the many creative professionals I work with each day! Their growth, questions and challenges spur me on to deliver always better, more creative teaching in terms of content, delivery, format and presentation.