During the week 1 tutorial and lecture we spoke as a group about “professional identity” within the creative media industries and discussed in groups where we would like to see ourselves in 5 years time.
This was a great “brainstorming” task where we could discuss with classmates what we’d like to do with our qualification once we graduate and where we see ourselves within the industry.
Many of us mentioned moving interstate or overseas to expose ourselves to more opportunities. We all agreed that in the creative media industry, particularly in Perth, employment opportunities won’t be served on a silver platter once we graduate. Realistically speaking, you will not step into your dream job, or dream pay-packet immediately. As it has been drilled into us, the industry is all about “networking to get work” as they say. This is why we as students are developing an online presence so early in this Bachelor of Audio course here at SAE Institute. It is the process of beginning to expose ourselves as creative employees out in the real world. This also includes an online portfolio of our individual work during this trimester.
In this module of study we are in a combined learning environment with students from other disciplines within the Institute including film, animation, games and design. This is intentional as is encourages us as students to start connecting and collaborating with other disciplines, as we would out in the real world. It’s also a perfect example of networking very early on in our course. Who knows, we could very well be working together in the future once we graduate so it’s extremely important to begin networking with each other during the early stages of the course.
The week 2 lecture discusses the topic of “new media workers” in the industry, and how we are depicted by society. In this article, Rosalind Gill speaks of the way creatives are portrayed amongst the media into 10 key areas:
Entrepreneurism, Short Term, Precarious Work, Low Pay, Long Hours, Keeping Up, DIY Learning, Informality, Exclusions and Inequalities.
Gill discusses these areas in detail and what I gathered from this personally is an understanding that the creative media industry is not something we just “choose” to go into because of the money, or the status, it’s the passion that drives us and keeps us going regardless of hours and how much you are earning. It’s about making sacrifices and taking opportunities as they arise but in the process, loving every step of the way. I think the following quote from Jerry Mitchell sums it up perfectly…
“I believe that entrepreneurs aren’t just building companies or executing business plans. They’re creating their own reality. They’re not in it for the money. They’re in it for the freedom. They’re told that they’re taking a risk. They know that it’s not risk free. They’re not doing it because they can. They’re doing it because there’s no way they can not. They simply can not imagine doing anything else. Each is doing The Only Thing That Matters. And so is everyone else.” (Mitchell, 2014)
This also brings to mind the well known quote that I love and stand by to this day… “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” This is so true and exactly the reason I left my previous flying career of 8 years. It’s so easy to get stuck in a job that simply “pays the bills”. However my creative soul was literally dying by the second. I took the giant and risky leap of faith to leave the career that was going no where and begin my studies in a creative field in which I can work towards a career where passion and drive exists simply because I’m doing what I love. It’s the BEST feeling in the world!
(Wes, n.d.)
REFERENCES
Mitchell, J. (2014, May 31). Just what is entrepreneurism? | Jerry R Mitchell’s Blog. Retrieved from http://jerrymitchellblog.com/just-what-is-entrepreneurism/
SAE_CIU_OverviewofIndustry, & Institute, S. C. (2015, February 2). Week 1: Overview & Your ‘Professional’ Identity — Self-Directed Practitioners. Retrieved 2 October 2015, from https://medium.com/self-directed-practitioners/week-1-overview-your-professional-identity-d3037f34cb8e
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