November felt like the most significant shift. My time at Labrum had sadly come to an end. I didn’t think I would miss it as much as I did, but the people and environment had really become a part of my routine. Stepping away from this made me realise how much I value structure and a clear role within a team. So far on my DPS journey I had only done unpaid work, and it was starting to have an effect. This was my motivation to persevere with the interview process and keep looking for new roles.
I had a number of interviews throughout the month, but most didn’t lead anywhere. That was difficult and it took a serious knock on my confidence. It also was the wake-up call I needed to realise just how competitive the industry is. To reframe the rejection I forced myself to see this as part of the process and ultimately an opportunity for me to improve my interview skills. Thinking in this way helped me build up my resilience and to not take rejections personally.
At Bang, things felt slightly better as new interns from Boston university had joined. It was nice to be around people my age and connect with people that looked like me, especially in an environment which wasn’t very diverse. It made me realise how important that sense of familiarity is in the workplace and perhaps why I felt far more comfortable at Labrum. I also learned how to use Mailchimp which is a platform used to send mass emails to viewers. I was trusted to manage this on my own.
At Bang, things felt slightly better as new interns from Boston university had joined. It was refreshing to be around people my age and connect with people that looked like me, especially in an environment which lacked diversity. It made me realise how much I valued representation and a sense of belonging in the workplace. Feeling comfortable at work directly impacted my confidence and overall experience. The feeling of being the other was something that I never felt at Labrum and perhaps that was why I felt so comfortable to quickly.
During this month, I also learned a new skill of how to use Mailchimp. Mailchimp is a software Bang used to create emails of a summary of the days top stories to send to their customers. Once being shown how to do this from another intern I was trusted to manage this on my own. I built on my existing design skills to create something which flowed and read easily. Through this task I got a better understanding of how visual communication works within marketing and how important the layout of something is for maximum engagement. Even small things like what time of day the Mailchimp was posted had an impact on the emails engagement. Being given this level of responsibility again increased my confidence when working independently. I found that I didnt have as much anxiety when it came to starting the task and similarly to when I created the press grab I started the task and then asked for feedback after.
To give myself from the constant interview stress I decided to take some time away and enrol in a two-week workshop course at university. One week was focused on Adobe Photoshop and the other week Adobe Premier pro. I found that Photoshop came easily to me as it was mostly going over my existing photography knowledge. But the Premier Pro side was very challenging. I had used this software for a project during first year and had already had trouble with remembering all the steps for sequencing a video. At first, I found it very frustrating as the second week was such a contrast to the first and I was noticing a real gap in my knowledge. However, instead of letting this get me down as I would have done in the beginning of my dps journey I reframed this set back as a positive learning experience. I f everything this year was easy I wouldn’t push myself to learn something new. This made me realise that discomfort is the key step to learning. Instead of struggling in silence I went into the creative suite outside of class and asked for extra help.
I started also talking to other DPS student about putting together an exhibition for ASC. Some of the student went to visit the venue and we started discussing the layout and subject matter for the show. It’s always nice to speak to other creative students, something I have missed over DPS so far. This really reminded me the importance of maintaining my own practice while also completing professional work.
Towards the end of the month, I had an interview with Exhibition hub for a new immersive gallery opening in Shoreditch. I have always liked the idea of working in an art gallery so this felt like a positive step forward after a series of setbacks.
November has been more challenging for me that the previous months. I am a person who thrives in a routine and the constant change has been something that I need to get used to. On a brighter note this whole experience had made me aware of the sort of working environments I wish to work in the future- one that feels supportive, structured and diverse.