Believe it or not, when Artisan turned 11 years old last Monday, July 13th, it seemed to pass by all too easily. With such a massive year behind us to celebrate our decade of existence, it seemed inevitable that our focus was placed firmly into what we can do next. We've had some amazing milestone achievements over the past 12 months, such as making the BRW Fast 100 list, being gold sponsors for AGIdeas and our involvement with organisations such as AFA AdSchool. However, the truth is that the team at Artisan seem more content on building the 'what next factor' and getting our wider community involved.

“You know if I look back eleven years, I don’t recall the business looking this cool!", reflects Artisan's MD, Michael Broderick. "I think I was just looking to make a living and have fun doing it. If you look at that as a goal, I guess that goal has been achieved 10 times over, it’s still fun and Artisan supports over 500 people every year. We have touched thousands of peoples lives and made a difference. That’s just mind blowing.”

“Artisan has had a life of its own, so having a strategic direction to be number one has never been on the table. The business has grown fairly organically, with the help of an awesome team. We all bring something different to the table”, Broderick reflects.

The past year has also seen Artisan cement it's position as the number one supplier of creatives in the Victorian market. Broderick believes wholeheartedly that the relationships formed over the years are paramount to the success of the company. "One great thing is that we have worked hard on building great relationships with our candidates. This is a key to our success, they are our greatest advocates and now, more than ever, we need to be sure to take good care of them. With Messiah (Artisan Software) soon to go online, we have a perfect reason to touch base with them and get them back in our corner.”

However, this doesn't mean that Artisan will turn it's back on more old fashioned and traditional methods of touching base. As their active freelance pool know all too well, Artisan call every week, even if it is just to say hello and check out what is happening for them.

“Artisan has been like a work partner and a good friend for me. Not only are they always trying to find me the next job but are always interested in how I am traveling. From the first moment I visited the website, I knew Artisan was different from other agencies because of the wonderful welcoming community they create” (Wyn Best, Senior Finished Artist). Understanding the key players in the mix is understanding what’s gong on out there, enabling the team to create great opportunities, whether they be in the short or long term.

“I have been with Artisan for 10 years now from the humble beginnings when Michael ran the business from his home. What I love about Artisan is the sense of family. I have always felt that Artisan has been able to balance taking care of the needs of their candidates as well as their clients in the best way. It is a win win relationship.” (Melati Pandji)

As we move forward into the twelfth inning, Broderick reassured me that the vision for Artisan is “to be the BEST & LARGEST employer of quality creatives in Australia, great customers, great jobs, great candidates. The key to all this is being agile and working fast. If we drag our feet, we’ll miss the boat. With the traffic jam we're currently stuck in, we have become more strategic in where we need to be and what we need to do and I think we are making smarter choices to get to where we want to go. My attitude is that the cup is always half full, so obstacles are just bumps in the road. Have I made any big mistakes? Oh yeah! But there’s always been a solution so emergency averted.”

A more strategic and finely tuned Artisan exists nowadays, having learned lessons from the past decade whilst retaining a focus on building relationships that last. Though the vision remains as passionate as it was in the beginning, it is about the people, about the quality of what we do and about the fun that’s had providing a premium service.

“I say this every year but I think it’s worth saying again. I feel extremely lucky. I get to do what I love doing. I work with people I Love. I’ve made friendships that I’ll have for the rest of my life.....My deepest thanks goes out to everyone. You’ve crafted the Artisan dream” - Michael Broderick, Creative Optimist.