STICK at it, persevere and you will get there. Andrew Clay received these sound words of advice early in his career from his boss when he worked at an art gallery in Leeds.

His ambition was to make it in the arts world and he naturally persevered, climbing the career ladder until he landed his dream job as director of Scarborough's Woodend Creative Workspace.

Andrew says: "Sometimes it's difficult to see that next stage when you're in a job but you never know when an opportunity is going to come your way. You do control it to a certain extent though."

Born in Bradford, Andrew attended Batley Grammar School and gained a joint honours degree in art history and history.

Later he studied for an MA in 20th century sculpture at Leeds University before getting his first job at an art gallery, the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, where he ran the front desk and offered information about the exhibitions.

He says: "I loved it because it was the introduction really to a whole world. It introduced me to a wide spectrum of people in the art world. It's how I got to know the people I worked for next."

After six years in the job, he became assistant project manager for Public Arts in Wakefield.

The work would involve putting art in public places such as sculptures and paving schemes.

Andrew says: "They were quite interesting projects to be involved with really because it again involved working with people and artists. I'm a people person.

"I was gradually working my way up the ladder and in a way I knew where I wanted to be. In the last 10 years there has been a rapid progression within the sector and five years ago I set myself an aim to get to chief executive level.

"I never saw myself as ambitious but I think I am really. I think most people are."

His big break came three years later when he was appointed general manager for the Culture Company in Huddersfield.

They would commission public arts and manage exhibitions for other organisations such as Harewood House in Leeds.

The role allowed him to develop his knowledge of the business side of the profession with arts funding and lottery funded projects.

Andrew explains: "I was adding another piece to the jigsaw. It was a natural progression but a big challenge.

"I've never done a job that started off as being easy. With every job I've had there has been a new role, which is probably what attracts me to them. It gives me an opportunity to really create something."

He then moved back to Leeds to run the Round Foundry Media Centre for regional development agency Yorkshire Forward.

The centre is similar to Woodend, providing work spaces for arts groups and individuals.

Andrew says: "It was a brilliant opportunity to again create something from scratch and fine tune this concept of a creative industries centre.

"Subsequent to the Round we've got Woodend and other centres throughout the region."

In June last year he was offered the post of director at Woodend Creative Workspace and immediately signed up.

He reveals: "I had a private ambition to come to the east coast. This role is almost tailor made for me because it brings together everything I've done over the last 10 years.

"It's also the fun elements. I like working with people and understanding working with artists.

"At school I was in the stage crew, which is similar to this because it's supporting other people to do their work.

"Quite early on I realised that was my area, I was the stage crew enabling these amazing individuals with this extraordinary creative talent to do their work."

When he arrived in the town with his wife Dorcas Taylor and children Mimi, six, and Rosa, two, work to the building was several months from completion so his first job as director was to get to know people in the creative sector in Scarborough and he spent a lot of his time in cafés having lunch with them.

He laughs: "The joke at the opening cere-mony was the man who lunched. The serious side to that was finding out who's influential and what projects are happening.

"That was the beginning of the marketing process for Woodend talking about what it meant, asking people how they perceived it and trying to establish what their aspirations were.

"The challenge is to make it appeal to various artists. They've all got this common thread of creativity but on a practical level their needs are quite different. It's trying to find out what these are."

Andrew's main aim now is to get Woodend fully occupied and then start to build a community at the centre.

He says: "People are starting to get to know each other creating those links between different companies and that could lead to
collaboration opportunities."

Other plans include the launch of a Woodend web portal, developing a consultancy business and building relationships with other groups including young people.

He says: "It's impressed me how the schools and colleges have come to me to see what links they can establish."

With all these ventures on the horizon, Andrew's future in Scarborough looks set to shine brighter.