Inspired by a love of street art and graffiti, Colour Ways Glasgow CIC was founded by Andrew McGlone in May 2020. The social enterprise aims to support and promote graffiti and street art, and to create spaces and opportunities for practitioners to thrive within the Glasgow area.
“We believe that by supporting artists at a grassroots level, whilst telling a more honest story about the culture of street art and graffiti, we can create a vibrant city for everyone to enjoy.”
Colour Ways curates murals, hosts walking tours, hosts street art and graffiti workshops with young people, and has an online shop for selling artwork.
With no experience in the business world, Andrew needed help and support to get his idea started.
“I had no frame of reference for starting a business, so it was very easy for me to overthink things and get worried about small issues. This is something that was helped massively by being able to speak to a business advisor whenever I needed. I had so many questions that seemed quite silly, but I think those are the ones that are best to ask, because sometimes there might be something important in them.”
The support Andrew received from business advisor Brian McMillan boosted his confidence so that he felt prepared to face the challenge of starting a social enterprise. He has since gone on to receive funding to further develop Colour Ways.
Andrew plans to keep working to get Colour Ways to a position where it is sustainable and can support exciting projects and nurture creative talent for years to come.