A bit of background about me
I’m Courtney (she/they), a 25-year-old based in London, currently freelancing as a creative. As a multidisciplinary artist, I work on anything from podcasting, art & culture to community events. In these various roles I produce and create art, alongside organising programmes and events for specific clients. And since I’m freelancing right now, my work is spread across … well everywhere!
While I love the variety in what I’ve worked on this year, going freelance has definitely shown me the harsh reality of being an artist. Work can be scarce at times and inconsistent compared to your regular 9-5. Even with this, the biggest plus is that I have more choice and freedom over what jobs I take on, and because of that I can work on projects I genuinely like.
One of the most recent projects I worked on happens to be one of my favourites so far, and that was being the artist in residence at Spotlight Youth Centre. I was tasked with creating their Black History Month activity programme and had the best time working there. It was a short turnaround, but the team and young people at Spotlight really made my time there memorable.
I always like working with people and being in a community. There’s something about being able to create that space where people can express themselves, learn and share with others, that makes me feel like all the work put in really matters. When you hold spaces like that, and you see people light up when taking part in a session, that just makes me think I need to do more! That’s one way I realised what I’m doing is meant for me. It’s having those moments that give me the energy to do more.
Tell us about your journey getting to where you are now
Now, my journey to becoming a paid creative wasn’t smooth, to be honest, and I don’t think it is for many. I’d always liked illustrations, animation, and art and would find myself drawn to more creative subjects at school. In fact, when I was a kid, I wanted to be an animator!
After taking Art as a subject at school, I went on to study Product Design for A-Levels and then got into Art school for university. However, I didn’t stay long and dropped out after the first year. A combination of overly harsh critics (that’s art school for you), the crazy costs of art supplies (being a student is expensive enough... add on several classes that want you to burn through a minimum £75 worth of materials in the first two weeks, you’ll need to be made of gold to afford it!), and being far from home started to make me question if I made the right choice pursuing art.
I left art school feeling deflated and lost. However, I was fixed on getting a degree and eventually got my bachelors in International Studies several years later. While I’d intended to take a break from creating for a while to pursue my BA, without even realising it, I found myself slowly getting back into art.
Picture above: me after dropping out art school and reconsidering every action that led up to this point.
While at Uni, I created an art Instagram account (follow me @heavy_cloudd) where I posted comics, then quick drawings, and then just snapshots of my sketchbook. From there I created a mini digital Illustration series, got hired to do my first set of illustrations and was featured in a zine. It was at this time I found an ad for A New Direction’s Creativity Works summer podcasting course. Spoiler: I joined! From there I got a job at Sony, worked at the BBC and created my own Podcast, Hair Me Out.
Life really does come at you fast when you decide to just go for it, and I think that’s what made me realise I was telling myself no before others did. Since then, I’ve been more active in working towards getting more jobs and upskilling where I can.
Tell us about your time on the Creativity Works: Podcasting course
The biggest thing I learned since getting back into the creative space and completing this programme is to just do. Don’t bother with waiting on an idea, or person. Send that email. Create that project. Apply for that role! The more I work, the more I realise getting to know people goes a long way when searching for that next opportunity. I’ve found it useful to do upskilling courses with organisations like A New Direction as they have connections in the industry that actually help you get experience and paid jobs. This goes a loooong way, especially when you’re just starting out.
Since finishing the course, I’ve completed other initiatives that have carried me on to amazing work opportunities. For example, I recently worked with Apple to create art for an exhibition at Battersea Power Station in collaboration with Curated Makers and Battersea Arts Centre. If you told me when I was just getting back into creating that I’d be working with these big names within a year I’d think you’re having a laugh. Reality is, there are some good free courses that DO actually help. So, what are you waiting for? GO MAKE THAT ART!
Do you have any industry insights to share with us?
At times it’s been challenging. I think there are more initiatives out there to get people from different backgrounds into the creative industry, but it’s still difficult to find these opportunities as they’re not super commonplace. At different points, I’ve found while one part of my identity is accepted, another part isn’t, which can put you in a lonely place. It can be daunting when starting out, especially if you don’t find others like you among your peers. If you find yourself in this position, keep your head up! Talk to others in and out of your current space and you WILL find your people! I think it’s so important for people from underrepresented communities to find their people in the art world because wheeew- you’re gonna need it!
If there’s anything I would have done differently starting out, it would be to just create more regardless of what people thought or said. Life isn’t linear, and you can start anywhere at any time. So, saying this, I’d be less fixated on where I should be and just start working on what I want to do. In the past, I would be annoyed I wasn’t amazing on the first try of an idea, but that’s the whole point! You need to work through ideas before you know if it’s gonna work or not. So, keep going! Create, learn and share – you’re gonna do great out there! :)