Starting Out: Navigating New Opportunities at the Beginning of Your Creative Career
Everyone has their own ‘start’ to working in the creative industries. Networking, internships, work experience, assisting, or shadowing someone are all ways to get new opportunities—whether you’re interested in fashion, media, art, or film. It can be hard to be optimistic in spaces known for competitive jobs and unpaid work.
I find it encouraging to hear about the experiences of others, so today, I’m sharing the thoughts of five 18-25-year-olds on starting out.
Chibuikem Chimbo is a Fashion Designer who “jumped into the industry with no prior experience or network”. Chibuikem had the opportunity to shadow the designer Liberty Rose, Founder of Studio Seventy, where they were able to see first-hand what it really takes to run a brand and develop skills like pattern cutting and sewing. The 23-year-old enjoys getting advice from others who are at different stages in their career. “When I feel stuck on what to do next, I’m confident to go out and network, and in doing so I find answers that help me to go forward. Like collecting puzzle pieces bit by bit”.
Chibuikem Chimbo, Fashion Designer
Riana Rahman, Brand Communications Intern at Adidas.
Riana Rahman is a 21-year-old Brand Communications Intern at Adidas’s headquarters in Germany. “I’m getting hands-on experience in my internship.
Being in an actual work environment allows you to learn so much that you wouldn’t know otherwise. You’re meeting new people all the time”.
To help her stand out in the application process, the Londoner did sneaker design courses, worked part-time in a trainer shop, and travelled to Manchester to attend an internship open day. “In the workplace, you’re getting a bigger perspective on things than you are in education. It feels more like the real world”.
In 2020, the Sutton Trust calculated that the average unpaid internship can cost someone up to £1,000 in London and £850 in Manchester. Unless you can afford to pay for costs like travel and food before being paid back on expenses, an unpaid internship is not an option. I enjoyed doing internships and getting a taste of the fashion industry, but I struggled to afford it and thought I’d have to drop out of my placement year at university as a result.
According to a report by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, working-class people make up 8.4% of those working in film, TV, radio, and photography. Another report on the creative industries estimated that 84% of jobs are filled by white people, 37% by women and 14% by disabled people.
Joining networking groups and mentoring schemes can help to create a sense of community at the start of your creative career. Holiday Club, The Fashion Minority Report and Mentoring Matters are organisations that support underrepresented talent with events, one-on-one advice, and job opportunities.
“I’ve never interned, but I’ve been learning as I go by doing my own work and collaborating with people. Assisting and working with others can be just as important in terms of career building and networking” I’m told by a freelance Fashion Photographer.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so assisting as part of a production team has been really helpful” explains Rose Nepthys Homayoun, a Media and Communications student at the London College of Fashion. Rose experimented by working across industries including game design and theatre before deciding to focus on fashion. This September she supported the PR team at London Fashion Week for the HARRI SS25 show. “Working in different departments can help you discover what you are good at”.
Rose Nepthys, current MA Digital Fashion student at LCF.
Rose Nepthys working backstage at Harri Chapter Five’s SS25 show.
In 2017, 11,000 internships were found to be advertised online- though a lot more than that were likely to be offered without being shared publicly. But what other resources are out there for young people looking to get experience? Fashion Workie is a free jobs board that shares entry-level and graduate jobs, internships, work experience and collaboration listings. The Dots is a professional network for creators and freelancers, and I LIKE NETWORKING is a careers platform for the creative industries.
Holiday Club’s Founder Bisoye Babalola recommends that someone starting should aim to “build up a network and a portfolio” through their experiences, and “maximise the potential for learning opportunities” during a job.
Keeping in touch with a community of peers is a way to stay grounded while starting out in your creative career. It’s important to find people that you relate to for context on your own experiences, even if it doesn’t feel like they are always around you at work.
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