Finding work in the arts
Below is a checklist of things to think about when you are looking for work in the arts.
Obviously the chances of finding work depend on a number of factors. These include whether or not what is on offer matches your skills, the quality of your work and your experience of working with particular groups of people. You will need to consider whether you are charging a realistic rate.
When you are starting out one of the factors that can make a difference is whether or not you are prepared to work for free or expenses only? More often than not unpaid work does lead to paid work, so it is definitely worth considering. However you may want to set yourself time limit on how long you are prepared to work on such a basis. You don’t want to undervalue your skills and like everyone else, people in the arts need to eat! If you are prepared to take work, on this basis, you may want to look at options that allow you to develop new skills or provide training in the areas where you may feel your experience is weaker.
So how does one go about finding work in the arts?
A good initial point of contact is your local council. Most will have at least one person who will be responsible for the arts and usually these people are called Arts Development Officers. A list of the Hertfordshire Arts Development Officers, who work either for the district councils or the county council, can be found on the Arts section of the HertsDirect website under the ‘Arts in Hertfordshire’. Try and meet up with them and when you do be punctual and enthusiastic and bring a portfolio with you.
Put a portfolio of your work together even if it only contains work you have produced at college. A portfolio looks professional. Don’t be shy of your achievements. Don’t forget to leave your contact details with the people you meet.
Websites are good places to show your work and see what is available locally and nationally. Have a look at the Arts section www.hertsdirect.org/arts. The site offers a good overview of the organisations and art activities taking place in the county and beyond. It also provides links to both local sites like Hertsdance as well as national sites such as the Arts Council or AXIS. You can also have on your own entry on the site under the Artists and Performers heading.
Go to your local library. See what other groups are doing in your locality. Go and see work and make contact. This always impresses! See what arts festivals are taking place. Again make contact and be flexible.
Buy your local newspaper. It’s a good way of finding out about local events. If something looks interesting go and see it, make a point of speaking to people; the rule is to be interested but not pushy. Don’t be shy in chasing people up. Remember people in the arts are busy.
Local newspapers are also a good source of jobs, including vacancies offered by the local councils. One thing you need to be aware of though is that Hertfordshire does not have one countywide paper so you may need to look at several different papers to gain a clear picture of what is on offer in the different parts of the county.
Be flexible in considering the sort of work you are looking for. Don’t get to set on what you can and can’t do. Be prepared to muck in!
Find out what artists’ rates are. You could ask the Arts Council for their advice and it may be something you want to mention to the Arts Development Officers when you meet with them. Don’t overprice yourself or undervalue your services.
Go into arts centres and theatres to find out what they do. Ask if they need extra staff. Again be flexible but be honest with what you can and cannot do.
If you want to work with young people, find out about police checks. Artists who want to work with the Youth Service will need to complete their training and assessment. Look on the Arts section under ‘Your County Council and the Arts’ for a contact in the Youth Service.
Schools are another possible source of work. It is a good idea to talk to the Arts Education Development Officer if you want to work in this area. As with the Youth Service a contact is given under ‘Your County Council and the Arts’ on the Arts section.
And Good luck!
