Hannah Suarez

Student section, or Part 2, of a previous blog post.

These are some of the key points as to how students can contribute to the Brisbane creative industries.  I am writing this Library from a ‘Go Go Go and do it!’ perspective.

1. Making a Job

2. Getting a Job

3. Run a business while you hold down a degree

4. Run a NFP while you hold down a degree

5. Maintain motivation and passion

6. Work globally

Making a job

You want to contribute by creating products/services beyond your uni assignments but you may have nil to little experience and doing a full-time degree makes it difficult to fill in the hours.  So you need to literally make a job.  Out of thin air.

Create a business plan, but base the business on you.  Do a SWOT analysis of the role that you want to be involved in.  Become a sole-trader.  When I lived in a country town, there wasn’t a lot of opportunities for high school students who want experience in graphic design and digital so I filled out one of those template business plans.

Keep diaries and use your milestones as KPI’s – Key Performance Indicators.

What about exchanging services with other students? A musician looking for a graphic designer, an events student looking for an accountant, a performer needing some tips in marketing.  Students aren’t the cashed up lot so service exchanges do well.  It is an opportunity to work in the type of job roles that you want experience in.

Getting a job

Creative industries involve tangible products and intangible services.  One Twitter user has created a very good point about having the right balance of both creative and commercial work when it comes to catching the eye of an employer.

You need to understand that when you submit a portfolio for an employee, you need to demonstrate the commercial applications of a final piece of work.

Backbone Youth Arts has an annual program where they obtain 14 young people to organise and run a major festival while being mentored by industry.  So for emerging marketers, performers, artists, curators, event managers, project managers, theatre/stage managers and upcoming festival managers, this is an opportunity to be mentored by those within the industry as well.  I highly recommend being involved – I was the online coordinator!

One of the biggest gems that I have learned from the festival experience is learning how to move out of the university class mindset and into a major project with real world results…as well as working closely with others in other industries.

Have you approached an association or organisation to do work experience or intern work?  Think – associations, institutes, industry groups (both formal paid membership bases to even serious Facebook groups), uni groups.

Try getting a mentor within the industry – have you approached someone that you look up to do be in an ‘unofficial’ mentoring type role?

Try volunteering – using your specialisation for charity/non-profit work.  For example, a contact was involved in a children/teen acting agency and I was thinking of approaching her to do online work (until she left!).

Run a business while holding down a degree

If you can choose the hours and the workload, you can work around uni and other work commitments.

A student who is very eager to motivate and help others to make jobs is a guy called Matthew Brown.  You can contact him at Twitter, and email who is studying and holding down his own business, Terra Media.

There are workshops available, some for as little as just a day, that can equip you with skills to run a business.  For young creative industries students, Transit Lounge (part of Youth Arts QLD) hold free one day workshops and a week-long program that is also certified.  Edgeware also holds programs for young entrepreneurs.

You may think that being your own boss may get lonely but that is entirely not true – there are numerous entrepreneur networks, resources, websites, magazines, programs and more out there.

I highly recommend a resource called ‘Creative Business Toolbox’ which was distributed by the government some years back.  If you can request it, you should!

There are also a number of free online tools that can aid with your business.  Not that familiar with digital stuff? Maybe exchange services with someone who is (my hand is up…)

Run a non-profit group while holding down a degree

This is similar to running a business, but you may want to run a group as a way to contribute instead of being involved in a for-profit venture.

I believe that their are similar attributes in running for-profit and non-profit – they are both organisations with a mission, a vision, organisational goals for the success of the group and various aims to ensure that those goals are met.

Non-profit groups/organisations have a very strong community focus – and this ties in with a Journalism student’s question about how she can find or create a market for her specialisation.  Create a market for your specialisation – be in charge of your outcome and products and you will find that others will flock towards your specialisation or niche.

PS: If you wish to officially register your group as NFP that’s an entirely different matter btw

Maintain motivation and passion

Network.  Go to events.  Be with like-minded people, talk to like-minded people, and be inspired from others.  To me, other people and their projects are the greatest sources of motivation and passion for students and professionals alike.

Should you work in an unrelated job while pursuing your practice (ie waitress by day, musician by night!) or should you go for a job that is in direct relationship to the industry that you want to be in.  This decision is up to individuals and this is the kind of road that I thread too.  A friend said that he finds it better to work in a very simple job to focus on his arts practice and another finds great satisfaction in being paid to do what you love.

Work globally

Discussion boards, MSN, social networks, and other communication tools have made it so much more easier to work with others around the world.  When I was in primary school, I did a bit of work for a Pokemon site and the owner was from the Netherlands.  A year after graduating from high school, I briefly got involved with a lifestyle zine startup from Kuala Lumpur.  I have a friend who has a strong focus with Malaysia, another who has forged working relationships with cities in Europe and the US.

There are projects out there where students in Brisbane can contribute to the creative industries here and also work globally. Business & Entrepreneur Asia-Pacific group involves those within the business, arts culture and community sectors who as a relationship with the Asia-Pacific in Australia.

The same principles apply when making a job/group – these communities will not know that you want to be involved with them if you do not contact them.

In conclusion…

Whatever it may be, remember that your contribution can really only help the creative industries grow and develop.  Why start after you graduate?  For a chat about how you can contribute, please don’t hesitate to email me

The key thing here…is to be positive, to be and remain motivated and most importantly, be proactive.

Editor’s Note: The ethos ‘How To Make A Job / How To Get A Job’ were inspired from a workshop/event that I not only find invaluable but I think will be of great help to students in 2009 and beyond.

Filed under: Australia, Brisbane creative industries, Public Interest, Student