Here’s a few top tips we learnt at last nights Q&A session with Industry leaders at the Creative Futures Event hosted at Exeter College:
1. Work Experience
The most common question from young adults, but what does it mean? Do you have to have work experience in order to get a job? In short, in the creative industry experience is invaluable. You’re working in an industry that is constantly changing, constantly developing and looking for something fresh. Creativity stems from your surroundings, by being around those who do it daily work experience can only help you to grow creatively. It helps for both developing new skills, and networking. Work experience, shadowing, internships – do what you think will benefit you.
2. Finding Inspiration
If the opportunities to volunteer aren’t there, get creative yourself and team up with people around you that inspire you. The Young Collective has been made possible simply due the enthusiasm of a group of people who want to get creative. Want to play music? Gather a few friends, practise playing and going through the creative process, this doesn’t have to be your ultimate goal, but instead gives you a chance to collaborate with like-minded people. You can learn a lot from those around you.
3. University vs Apprenticeships?
It’s an ongoing debate, but the panel agreed they both have benefits. You have to do what works for you, are your friends going to University, but you don’t feel it’s right for you? Hey that’s ok! Seek the experiences that build your portfolio and showcase you in your best light. If you’re progressively learning to be the best you can be, then it’s your choice to choose which route you go down.
4. No Template for the Perfect CV
No consensus from the panel on the perfect CV. This goes to show there is no perfect CV, instead tailor your CV to the job. Your CV has to be relevant to the job you’re applying for, and illustrates the skills you have required for the job. This could mean you have two completely different CV’s for two different jobs…perfect! Take your time in knowing what they’re asking for, the important thing to remember is that the employer wants a taste of who you are and what you can bring to the company, if that summer cleaning job isn’t relevant don’t put it!
I spoke to American-born Artist Julia S. Powell to ask about her stunning oil collections; including her most-bid on piece at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston Summer Auction of 2016. The inspiration behind her nature-based paintings (that with their bold, eye-catching colours change the perspective in which you see the seasons) and how some of her pieces featured on TV’s The Mindy Project.
I’m the first to admit that when I scroll through a new Instagram page, I very much become intensely captivated by the new theme or vibe the creator is going for. I was nonetheless mesmerised by all the colours and textures creeping up on me when I came across Julia Powell. When I saw videos of layers being placed upon layers of paint I was instantly fascinated. Therefore, when I first spoke to Powell I was eager to know how her visuals became so alive: “I like to look at a lot of landscape photographs, trudge about outside looking at nature, and look at paintings that inspire me. I get images in my head and then, when I’m back in the studio, I want to capture those images, but in hyper-colour.” She goes on to illustrate how that textured effect that’s so captivating doesn’t come without its problems in the creation process: “Most of my oil paintings have between four and seven layers of paint so I’m often painting about five paintings at the same time while I wait for some to dry”
Insolent Cow – Watercolour
The majority of Powell’s paintings are done with oil, but every now and again you’ll catch sight of a soft pastel or watercolour: “I prefer oil but it’s messy and hard to clean up as it just gets everywhere! After a while I need to change to something simpler and easier (and something that doesn’t make my eyes hurt!).” Although the practicalities of the medium has its downfalls she expresses “But there is nothing – nothing – like the richness of oil colour, and colour is an important component of my work.” In addition to claiming oils as her favourite she notes that using watercolour gives her a sense of nostalgia towards her early days as an enthusiastic artist: “I grew up using watercolour (that’s the medium I used to teach myself how to paint), so not only is it more relaxing with less clean-up, it also reminds me of when I was a kid experimenting.”
This self-teaching comes as no surprise as Powell confirms art was more of a hobby through her time at University in which she now holds degrees from both Stanford and Yale. Although, she admits to being a serious student she also adds “my notebooks were covered with drawings and I would secretly watercolour from time to time.” Following on, I asked her if art was ever the end objective, and how she feels now that being an Artist is a full time occupation: “Honestly, the harder I worked at it, the better I got, and the more intensely I cared. I still work very, very hard, every single day trying to get better and more creative. This is what makes it such an intense and valuable profession but also, at times, incredibly exhausting. I still practice law twenty hours a week because I enjoy it, but I financially support myself from my art, not my law. My art career is much more financially rewarding than my law career at this point.” I was quite taken back when Powell went on to state: “I actually find law relaxing, as opposed to the ups and downs of art. I also have an amazing and supportive law boss, so I think I’ll practice with him until he retires.” She points out how the balance between her creative and academic sides help her along the way: “I think practising law makes me a better artist and painting makes me a better lawyer. My brain is active and easily diverted so it’s good to force it to switch gears every other day.”
When you scroll through Powell’s website each series has its own individual feel to it, through the colours and tones of the different paintings, each is as fantastic as the next, but when you come across her Birch Series there’s one in particular that captures your eye more than the others. Birch Series 6 was the highest-selling and most-bid on piece at the MFA Summer Auction this year! Flicking through, this particular piece along with 4 & 7 of the same series were personal favourites of mine. I was intrigued to find out what Powell thought made this particular piece such a unique one: “People were just especially drawn to the warm sunset paired with the cool birches.” Whilst the collection provides different perspectives of the same landscape I wanted to find out if she knew it was going to be a showstopper: “The short answer is no. I did a series of ten paintings for my 2016 Winter Birch Series and that was just the 6th. I loved it, but I also loved two others just as much.” Jokingly she adds, “If I knew which paintings would be showstoppers, I’d only try to create those ones”
Julia with her Birch Series 6
Her Ironbound collection is creatively very similar: “Ironbound – like my Birch Series – is based on something in nature that I adore – that place where the land (in this case rock) meets the water. Birch trees and water reflections are probably my two favourite things to paint and when I get focused on something I get really intensely focused…so it’s not surprising to me that I’d get obsessed with certain topics.” Her obsession and enthusiasm with both series clearly comes across as she says she aims to do a Series of both each year to see how they change…“We’ll see if I stick to this!” This fascination with the surrounding nature of her hometown Cambridge Massachusetts is evidently a huge influence on her work. Despite having painted them all, I seemed to stump Powell when I asked which was her favourite season “This is too hard to answer! I have no idea.” I guess if she did have a favourite we wouldn’t see all the beautiful contrasting collections we see today. Yet, adding on she goes: “But I’ll say this: I’m always ready for the next season. I’m full on in fall mode now, but in a month I’ll be ready for winter. And by March I’ll be itching to get to spring.”
Ironbound 1
Ironbound 9
If you’re a fan of FOX’s The Mindy Project you may have noticed the vibrant pieces of art that hang on the wall, which are actually originals of Powell. “Mindy and I went to high school together and she’s a good friend.” In a simple short story, Powell explains the collaboration happened when Mindy [Kaling] came round to her house one day: “She just loved my work at this point I hadn’t told her I had started taking painting seriously, and she had started collecting for the show and for her own personal collection.” Kaling having created the awarding-winning FOX series, obviously shares a creative side of her own: “She’s wonderful to talk to about trying to find creative success in a male saturated profession. Just like writing/directing, painting is dominated by men at the elite levels. We both aim to change this!”
Two Boats -Featured on The Mindy Project
In association in their aim to change the male dominated world of creative profession, Powell partnered up with Agora, founded and run by her brother, Ben Powell. She donates part of her profit to the Agora Campaign Accelerate Women Now which uses digital media to highlight the voices of women entrepreneurs who have faced gender bias on their road to success. She believes “the biggest way that developing countries can continue their growth is to empower women in those countries.” She explains her charitable giving is: “always drawn to two main types: one that helps various causes related to the environment and one that helps various causes related to women. I donate paintings to auctions for nature/environment-related organizations and I give money to various organizations that help women – both in the US and internationally.” When speaking to Powell it’s obvious that her work is a representation of the professionalism in Women in which she aims to promote: although her art may deem challenging at times, she focuses constantly at improving, and aspires everyday at being even better than she was the day before. As a result she produces the most stunning visuals that if you haven’t already checked out you should go and do so now!
Along typically narrow, winding Somerset lanes, the entrance way can be found to the National Trust owned Dovecote in Bruton. A secluded petite hill holding aloft a structure akin to an architectural sculpture. Despite uncertainty about when the Dovecote was constructed (with the general consensus being between the 15th and 17th centuries) the tower could be mistaken for a modern art work with its lack of roof and aesthetic geometry; more suitable perhaps for the nearby Hauser and Wirth art gallery. It was this unique beauty that struck me on first viewing it. An abandoned, ruined tower that somehow seemed to be inviting. The sunshine lit up the limestone to a cool ochre and the brilliantly white clouds glided around it, reminiscent of the doves’ feathers that once would have floated inside the structure itself.
Originally a watch tower, the imposition of doves and pigeons didn’t occur until around 1780. The interior still contains 200 pigeon holes, with six tiers of nest boxes, however, there could have once been four times as many holes as this. The Dovecote was situated within the deer park of Bruton Abbey, where the monks adapted the building from its origin of a gabled Tudor tower. After the dissolution of the monasteries, beginning in the late 1530’s, the estate including the Dovecote came into possession of the Berkley family. The National Trust acquired the Dovecote in 1915, from Sir Henry Hugh Arthur Hoare of the Hoare Baronets. The Hoare family’s seat is the beautiful Stourhead estate in Wiltshire. In 1961, the tower was listed as a Grade II building. Throughout its history, the Dovecote has witnessed seismic change from being a refuge for the monks of Bruton Abbey to the practical use of farming doves and pigeons for produce. This change from refuge to practicality is now changing once more as the Dovecote begins to represent a new perspective in which to see the Somerset landscape. This is most striking on driving into Bruton, where the tower can be seen high on the green horizon, appearing like an other-worldly portal, mysterious enough to rival Glastonbury Tor.
As I walked up the buttercup stained hill, to admire the Dovecote and the kaleidoscope of fields around Bruton, I experienced this historic site as a centre to the tides of human change around it. The history, the construction of the building, and the surrounding landscape harmonies’ perfectly to create a special corner of Somerset. It is no surprise that Bruton is a hive for artistic activity: this environment is endlessly inspiring. Being a painter I found inspiration from the form of the Dovecote and its roots within the landscape. This relationship between the history of the Dovecote and the natural landscape inspired me to create this painting (below). My use of abstract, colourful forms distorts the monument and the landscape, but in so doing heightens the intensity of perception I experienced on visiting the site. At first the Dovecote seems to be a simple structure with a straightforward purpose, yet its complex history, combined with its understated beauty, creates a scene of pure spectacle worth visiting on many a day.
As the summer gets into full swing and A Level exams are a thing of the past, so begins the detailed planning of a novel idea, that up until now has been drafted in the memo section of an out of date iPod. 18-year-old Jordan Edwards is an aspiring novelist from a small town in North Wales and has begun the next step in deriving a novel from his interests in business and politics. Take a sneak peek at the opening chapter of this corporate thriller and be just as hooked as I was!
CHAPTER I
Had one gentleman not decided to depart one of London’s tallest buildings via the seventyfourth floor that day, perhaps Arthur Marshall might’ve made it home for dinner. The moment he saw the roadblocks and police barricades surrounding his office’s headquarters, he realised that he wouldn’t stand a chance of arriving for his wife’s homemade stew unless he left his chauffeurdriven Mercedes Benz and opted for the claustrophobic rush hour Jubilee line.
The socalled ‘jumpers’ got on his bloody nerves. How selfish must a man be for their final intention to be for half of the roads in Canary Wharf to be inaccessible? They seemed to be dropping like flies more often now than ever in the business district, sometimes hitting one a fortnight and always causing a headache for everyone within a square mile.
What’s worse, despite his constant questions and pressuring for answers from the police barricading the roads, Arthur had never been given a single notion as to who jumps from these windows, from which buildings, or how long it would take for them to clear the mess left behind. For a man as nosey as he was, this was torture in its own right. Of course he refrained from calling himself that, and preferred to use the word ‘interested’. ‘It’s just a matter of personal interest!’ he would insist to whichever officer was present to block the roads that day, only to be turned away, forcing him to grumpily waddle back to his car.
The whole ordeal had left him rather miserable, hunched over grumpily in his Armani suit as the tube dragged through London Bridge station, a distant three stops from where he would then have to change to the District line at Westminster. His face, stretched out long by the angled window opposite him, surprised him; it made him look even more miserable than he felt. The tube made him feel sick.
Arthur watched impatiently as the carriage sluggishly rolled through Southwark and Waterloo before finally halting in Westminster, where he would rejoin what looked and felt like hundreds of cattle attempting to clamber onto the same escalator. It seems that the traditional appearance of commuters on the tube should look similar to that of one of the most despondent groups of people on the planet, and yet even amongst this motley crew Arthur seemed to be trumping the competition.
The misery would only continue as Arthur hopped onto the District line for the final leg of the journey. Well, not necessarily hopped. Squeezed, perhaps, pushing his way onto a carriage with limited open space between other sombre passengers clutching the moist poles for dear life such that they did not fall into anyone else as the train jolted from the station and jaunted towards St James’s Park.
There were dozens of newspapers scattered across the carriage, some tattered, a clear sign of being read by passenger after passenger as they boarded the train, browsed quickly, and left the paper as they had found it on the dusty seats of the carriages before leaving the train. Others were newer, freshly bought from the shops and smelling strongly of the presses they’d left merely hours beforehand. What was common throughout the front pages, however, was the fact that a rather large mugshot of Arthur’s face accompanied by columns about his company, Arbicon, seemed to dominate the first few pages of most of these national publications.
It was for this reason that Arthur was grateful for the rush hour traffic of bodies to keep him hidden. At that moment in time, his face was perhaps one of the most acknowledgable in the country. On this tube carriage, it was buried deep between the shoulders of three other passengers, eyes focused on the floor such that Arthur took on the figure of a lowheaded businessman having a tough day. The last thing he wanted was to be recognised.
The train screeched to a halt at Victoria. Almost immediately as the carriages had stopped shifting and shunting, the door flew agape and a flurry of passengers appeared to fly from the carriage and onto the platform. The bodies knocked past Arthur in quick succession and suddenly he was exposed. No longer were three shoulders around him to protect his face from the eyes of other passengers. Bugger, Arthur muttered. It had been years since he had had to ride the tube, and in that time he had completely forgotten that the train almost always empties at Victoria station. Despite the fact that everybody looks as though their heads are down looking at their phones and newspapers and shoes, all riders of the tube are constantly secretly watching each other, and even the tiniest of movements can often be noticed by everyone on the carriage. It could take mere seconds for him to be recognised if he stayed up here holding this pole. In fact, he had noticed a seated passenger wearing a press pass as he had boarded the train, and God knows that was the last kind of thing he wanted to deal with right now. Without tilting his head too high above his shoulder, Arthur gave the carriage a quick scan, covering as much of his face as possible with his fist as though to mimic a cough.
That was the moment he saw his opportunity. An empty spot had just opened up on a chair just a couple of metres away from him. Without thought, he leapt for it. He would be able to rest his legs and cover his face when sat down, which was a double win from his perspective.
Unbeknowingly to him, he was seemingly racing a woman perhaps forty years his senior to this Priority Seat designated specifically for the elderly and disabled, and he had arrived there more quickly not only because he was slim and athletic, but also because she was shuffling across the carriage excruciatingly slowly and relying on a walking stick for balance. The moment his behind graced the grubby purple cover of the seat was when he detected her approach. It was also the moment his expression blushed a deep shade of crimson. Several other passengers were regarding him strangely, and with a brief and particularly embarrassing ‘Sorry’ he was stood gripping the moist poles once again.
Suddenly the press pass reporter was advancing towards him with an outstretched hand. “You’re Arthur Marshall,” the reporter gasped incredulously.
“Last time I checked,” Arthur joked, without laughing.
“Alan Godfrey,” he announced, shaking Arthur’s hand rather too violently. “The press conference, I was there with the Huffington Post. You did such an excellent job”
“I was simply doing my job,” Arthur interrupted. The reporter stopped for a moment, analysing Arthur from head to toe, looking for a cuff out of place on his suit or a nose hair protruding from his nostril. These reporters were always looking for imperfections.
“Well if I may say so, I thought you were very brave. Ridding of the tyranny in the company, giving it a fresh new start. I do look forward to seeing those horrid factories torn to the ground.”
So vocal yet so thoughtless, Arthur thought to himself. “If I may remind you, those factories were my father’s idea.”
“Apologies, sir, I do forget. My condolences for his death.” Arthur felt the floor stop moving beneath his feet. He had lunged from the train sooner than the reporter could utter another meaningless syllable. Sloane Square station. A single stop from where he longed to be. Even so, hailing a taxi would be a world better than remaining on that train. He had heard so many condolences in the past couple of weeks he was beginning to feel like a funeral director. He rushed into the pouring rain without an umbrella and waited in the puddles for a taxi to arrive. Getting wet did not faze him, he just wanted to be home.
It was only when Arthur arrived home, not to the smell of fresh homebaked stew but to his wife leaning forward on the edge of the sofa, her palms cradling her shaking head that he realised something was wrong. Not immediately panicked, he meandered over to her calmly, first placing his umbrella into the bucket by the door and hanging his coat neatly upon its hook. The children were always playing truant and worrying his wife, and her friends were constantly remarking about her behind her back. I wonder what’s got on her back today , he thought.
Although, something seemed different today. Not only was Aleksei Novakov, his personal bodyguard, regarding him worryingly, but the way his wife almost refused to gaze upon Arthur rather than leap up to him for his support was peculiar. He wondered whether she might’ve found out about him and Nikita, and suddenly he was nervous.
Yet as he approached, it was not upset that Arthur saw behind her dewy hazel eyes. It was fear. A fear which made her pupils dilate the moment she saw her husband coming towards her. She gestured towards the television, where a breaking headline story displayed the story of a man who, just hours ago, had leapt from the seventyfourth floor of one of London’s tallest buildings. Arthur recalled the barricaded roads and no entry signs which had forced him to endure such a gruelling journey on the tube.
“Selfish bastard,” Arthur noted. “What of it?” he shrugged towards his wife, who pulled herself away from him as though he was going to destroy everything within his reach. Arthur, in no mood for playing games, placed his cool hand gently upon the area between her neck and breast, pressing upon the sweating diamonds of her necklace. “Tell me.”
“The suicide,” she gasped, without saliva to moisture her throat. “It’s Perry Hart.” A heavy look of defeat immediately broke upon Arthur’s face as he turned backwards towards the television to see Perry Hart’s face appear. The picture they’d chosen was staring blankly at Arthur from the screen as though mocking him. A single word dominated his thoughts like a childhood memory he just couldn’t be rid of;
The Young Collective’s Founder Lauren Edwards spoke to 21-year-old, Laura Elisa Simpson about the beginning of her beautiful handmade enamel and copper jewellery business.
That moment just after you crawl into bed is when we all begin to develop crazy ideas and draw up optimistic business plans. But, for most of us, we wake up in the morning and almost certainly shrug of the spontaneous ideas thought of the night before.
After a period of ill health last year, Laura Simpson decided she needed something to do in order to occupy her time: “I wanted something to do at home when I felt up to it. I read a lot about jewellery making and enamelling was a technique which caught my eye, mainly because it was possible to add colour to the jewellery.” Even with no previous experience, Laura decided she felt up to the challenge, “I had no jewellery making skills, but once I felt a bit better I taught myself. Before I knew it I had bought a kiln and was bringing my ideas to life.”
Not many people have a hobby they believe they can take to the next level and develop into a business, never mind a young adult who has taken on something entirely new. Yet speaking to Laura she makes it sound so simple: “I enjoyed it so much that I just wanted to share my work with others. I shared some pictures of my jewellery on my personal social media and people seemed to like my work, so I took the leap.” With that began the beginning of ‘Gemwaith Elisa Jewellery’.
“At the start, when I was learning I would just saw out simple shapes and enamel them in one colour, just to get my sawing and enamelling techniques up to scratch. I now have a scrapbook where I put down my ideas.” Although, her jewellery is mostly custom made to order there’s still a very much personal touch to her pieces “My Welsh roots reflect in some of my designs, along with the shapes and colours I love. I also love adding text to my jewellery to add meaning.” Her business has only been up and running since earlier this year but, Laura worked on getting the technique down a couple of months prior to ensure the best possible outcome for her designs: “I saw the shape out of the copper sheet, file it and enamel it in a kiln. Most pieces go into the kiln around 6 times. I also make stud earrings and rings, which is of a similar process.”
Her pieces are up on Etsy, you can also find her on Instagram and on her Facebook page. With social media making it easier to spread the word about upcoming designers, there’s a lot to say when Laura takes her pieces to a local fair not too far from her home town, giving her the chance to interact with her customers for an even more personal touch. When asked about whether Gemwaith Elisa Jewellery is full-time she explains: “At the moment it’s a full-time job as I get ill from time to time. Having my workspace at home means I can rest when I need to. I’m planning to continue with my jewellery making as a side-line business as soon as I am able to work away from home again.”
As I’m someone that gets incredibly enthusiastic about ideas that run around in my head I asked Laura what she would say to other people who wanted to get started on a business or idea of their own. “If you have a business idea you’re passionate about, go for it! You don’t need a swanky workspace to start a small business; you can run it from the comfort of your own home. To be honest, starting my own business was never something I wanted to do, things change and life can be challenging; you have to adapt and carry on the best you can. Determination is all you need.”
Go and check out Laura’s social media’s or Etsy page and see her pretty pieces for yourself!
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