Right. So I have three months left at college. THREE. I've realised that I seriously need to start thinking about life after graduation and not just pretending that it doesn't exist, because it does, and the clock is ticking.
I've had a rough think about plans after graduation, but the thing with creative jobs is that things can be very spontaneous and last minute (something that stresses me out even more). Here are some of the things that I've thought about.
Where to live?
-Leeds: Top choice. I would absolutely love to stay here, Leeds feels like home now! I feel confident here, I have some good connections already that can help me thrive in my creative career. I feel if I were to move elsewhere I wouldn't have the confidence to push myself as much as I'm doing now.
-Nottingham: I could happily live in Nottingham? It's fairly close to home, I am familiar with it and the creative scene is pretty good and I have some connections there. But it's not quite on the same level as Leeds.
-Manchester: I've not really looked into Manchester that much; I've only been there a few times and it seems really big and scary! But there are loads of creative agencies and opportunities there, so if by magic if someone were to offer me a job there, I wouldn't say no...but I would be a tiny bit apprehensive.
-London: To be honest, I can't afford to live in London and wouldn't see myself settling there long term. But if I was offered a job there it would be a shame to turn it down. If worst comes to worst I could live back home and commute? (would rather not though)
-Grantham: Like I said latterly, I am avoiding moving home at all costs! I definitely don't want to get back into the small town mindset, take back my part time job at sainsburys and never leave.
What to do?
It could seem obvious that the first thing that springs to mind is be an illustrator. Although, since learning more about myself and the way that I work since being on the course, I have come to the conclusion that full time freelancing isn't for me. I would like to have a shot at freelancing of course, but I definitely need another job alongside for financial stability. Additionally, being an extrovert, it is important that I have a social element to my practice. If I isolate myself too much in my own practice I will not flourish to the best of my ability.
I have a few options in mind:
-Teaching: I am interested in the idea of teaching part time, but not in a fixed position like at a secondary school or something. I researched into teaching qualifications at the start of the academic year, but I don't feel ready to commit to one just yet with it being such an intense year of study. So the other alternative is that I could potentially visit schools and run workshops? Or even apply for a teaching assistant job part time?
-Full time job working at a creative agency: I'm not sure how likely this is to be honest as most illustrators tend to be freelance. However, this might be a good way of getting experience in a studio environment across other creative platforms too. So the kind of jobs here could be roles such as 'junior creative artwork' etc; not directly illustration but still something hands on that I can apply my skills to.
-Gallery work: When I visited the Hepworth last month there was a school trip on a visit there at the same time. I really admired how the staff encouraged the children (who were quite young) to understand and appreciate the artwork in a more interactive and stimulating way. Naomi actually turned and said to me that she could see me doing something like this! I am also aware that galleries run workshops for children in the school holidays and at weekends, so maybe this is something I could look into as well.
-Generic part time work: This would be alongside freelancing! Just to pay the bills, perhaps some bar/waitress/barista work to keep the ball rolling, meeting new people and having a break from freelancing. If this were the case I would want to work in an artsy independent place in Leeds who support local events and creativity, but beggars can't be choosers!
Conclusion:
I am keeping my options open at this point in time, and I am feeling a lot calmer about the whole thing than I was a few months back. It is important to put myself first in this situation and not commit to anything that wouldn't throw me off too much and that I try my best to realise that I do have potential and the capacity to succeed!
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