A Brief Guide on Entering the Creative Industries

The invariability of much of our job is what can make us hate it. Perhaps you just have to live out the rest of your life seeing work as a necessary evil, and spend every shift looking forward to retirement. Alternatively, you might notice there are people out there making a living based on activities that you enjoy doing for fun. Whether it’s drawing cartoons, taking pictures or designing racing games, an entire job sector is based on those activities: the creative industries. Formal education can sometimes help, but not always. Here are some things you can do to give you success in the creative industries.

The first point is to focus specifically on what you like to do. The creative industries is very broad. Film-making, photography, theatre, publishing and broadcasting are just a minor example of what this sector entails. In reality, employers prefer specialists rather than someone with an entry understanding of “related fields”. Take film making as an example: would you be a cinematographer, boom operator, gaffer or a make up artist? In the recording industry, you could either be a sound engineer, or you could design recording studio furniture.

It is also likely your passion is not up to employable standards, and this is the defining difference between a hobby and a career. Consider further tertiary schooling, but always do proper research on the course materials that they provide. Universities are notorious for promising degrees that seemingly relates to the creative industries. But the truth is they are usually too reliant on academic details, and only by signing on as post grads do they acquire substantial practical knowledge – and this basically lengthens your time in schooling and more financial burden. A better way will be to look into a reputable polytechnic school where the focus will be on technical training, which is what the industries actually need.

Your portfolio is what will require your regular attention. This is a collection of every significant piece of creative work you have done, with the show an employer your talent. In the creative industries, your portfolio will speak volumes over any other certifications, so always try and update it constantly. Even if they are just submissions to a contest you never got an award out of, they make great additions to you portfolio.

Also, know that available positions within the creative industries tend not be advertised, as they are frequently filled by people that have been recommended within the circles. Should you find yourself lacking contacts within your desired fields, you need to start making impressions. Volunteer yourself as unpaid assistants for promising employers. Outdoing your competitors in a reputable festival can also draw interests from distributors.

Know this, the creative industries is a job sector defined by stiff, passionate competition, and chances of episodic joblessness is not uncommon. Make sure you have a minimal sort of steady income before you start making that transition towards a more innovative career. You don’t want to join the ranks of starving artists.

If you have a magazine subscription you’ll know that all those words need to be generated by someone. Often, magazines are happy to take contributions by enthusiasts. Find one you enjoy, for example, a classic car magazine, and approach the editor.