The vital nature of the arts, coupled with their under-funding, means that hundreds of people like myself find it increasingly difficult to break into the profession, writes Anna Howitt.
A year after graduating I fell into that gap between being over-qualified and under-experienced, with no obvious way of retrieving myself from this frustrating rut. But starting a career as an administrator is undoubtedly the best way to find out how the nuts and bolts of any industry really work, and this is where I began my search for work. After the ends of several tethers had been reached and tied in knots, I decided to take the matter into my own hands and advertised my skills for free in return for a work experience placement. This was the turning point.
Offers from arts companies, festivals and individual artists found their way to my inbox, from production assistant to general office work, to the more involved mentoring scheme I have now secured. Lightwork Image Performance came up with the best offer and Andy Lavender, the Director of this multi-media performance company, has supported me from the outset. We devised a comprehensive scheme, which basically gave me the freedom to create my own dream job ? something I would not have found in paid employment. Working with Lightwork as their core administrator has benefited me, both personally and professionally, more than I could have imagined.
Having my potential recognised by a professional company is a tremendous confidence boost and their willingness to invest their time, skills and experience into my development is a great compliment. My thoughts and ideas are considered, my input valued, and I am now confident of the contribution I can make to the arts. Most of all, this support helps me affirm the passion I have for the field I want to work in.
I am discovering how the knowledge I have gained can be transferred to the workplace and the mentoring scheme is bridging that gap between work and education. In terms of my career development, I am now practising as an arts administrator rather than dreaming about what it might be like to be one! I am getting to grips with those nuts and bolts and how they work, as well as meeting the right people, gaining the right knowledge, collecting the right skills and learning the right lessons. Not bad for a first job!
Anna Howitt works for Lightwork Image Performance, a company which fuses mixed media and live performance with storytelling. e: anna@lightwork.org.uk