Background
My name is Emma Plumpton, and I am a 24-year-old British/Hungarian girl from Budapest. I’d say I’ve been in London for about two years. Or it felt that way as I was one of the unlucky ones who had their Art University experience disrupted by COVID. I spent most of my Art Direction degree looking at a screen, learning about art from my home in Budapest, instead of trying my own hand at it in the real world.
Eventually, I found it hard to sit still and just wanted to be out there doing things. I reached out to a guy I went to high school with because I saw he was doing incredible things in the film industry, and I wanted to be a part of that. My message read, “Whatever you need I am your person”. In response, he graciously extended an invitation to join his film crew – a team dedicated to his degree project. I was named Head of Design.
There was no production budget or a proper crew. This meant I oversaw set design, costume design, and hair and makeup. It was a lot of work, especially because I had no idea if what I was doing was right or not. However, our efforts led to the film receiving multiple awards across Europe, in cities like Berlin, Prague, and Budapest. But most importantly, I found my true passion. The job that didn't feel like a job, and one where I wasn’t working 14 hours a day.
Why did you decide to take part in our programme?
When I finished my Art Direction degree in 2022, I chose to fight for my dreams and not go straight into a 9-5 that I knew would make me miserable. Instead, I chose a different hardship: working as a freelancer. When I started as a freelance Art Director, I didn’t dare call myself an art director just yet, so instead I called myself art department assistant because I thought it would make getting jobs easier.
Sadly, that wasn't the case. I sent out hundreds of emails, and most of them didn’t even reply. And as if it was meant to be, I saw an advertisement for the C&COP programme at the Good Growth Hub. A skills training bootcamp helping young creatives develop employability skills in East London. They helped me a lot with writing personal emails that were directed to the people I wanted to work with. The emails were no longer too general, and played on complementing the specific person's past work or just asking for their professional advice. From there on, I got more replies and more opportunities. C&COP also helped me with building confidence, writing a better CV and learning to handle anxiety in high pressure situations.
Through the C&COP bootcamp I met so many amazing like-minded individuals, and it was also where I heard about their STEP programme (a paid 12-month internship). After the workshops I’d had, I was sure I wanted to apply because of all the support, kindness and love I received from the Good Growth Hub team.
I eventually ended up applying for another programme they were starting called Creativity Works: NON LINEAR. A 13-week intensive course, focusing on all aspects of the film industry. From treatment writing and directing, to cinematography and editing, the course covers it all. And since I didn’t go to film school, but knew that is the industry for me, it seemed like the perfect fit. I wanted to further educate myself and expand my portfolio. The programme supports all students in creating a piece of creative work by the end of the 13 weeks, and I thought it was just the challenge I needed to build my film portfolio.
What key learnings are you taking away from this experience?
I am in the middle of the NON LINEAR course at the time of writing this, and I am so happy I made the decision to enrol. I have had lectures from incredible creatives like Vanessa Maria and Kaio Grizzelle. One of my favourite talks so far was from Almass Badat, who is a multi-disciplinary creative. She works in film as a director, creates music as a DJ, and is also a talented photographer. She spoke to us about how we don’t necessarily have to choose one craft. We can have our hands in several honey pots.
Hearing that was so liberating. I’ve always heard from everyone to choose one profession and be the best at only that. But I’ve always found it hard to choose only one. I love music, design, choreography, styling, and countless other forms of art. Choosing one is as hard as choosing only one Beatles song. Practically impossible. So, I chose the profession that allowed me to choose it all. Art Direction. I’d never felt comfortable with the thought of not being an expert in just one thing. And that is where Almass came in and saved the day. She brought peace to my heart and mind and freed me from this thought. Now I see myself as an expert in understanding several art forms all at once. And it turns out that’s a valuable skill to have.
Learning who we are as people and who we want to be in the professional world takes time and hard work. We have to apply ourselves to different things and listen for that feeling to click, because that's when you know you’ve cracked the safe and hit the jackpot. Only by trying will we find the opportunities and people that will help us get to where we want to go. And even when we thought we were e on track, it’s not a linear journey. We will make so many mistakes and go through times that will be more than challenging, and will make us want to give up. However, it's during these moments that we must remind ourselves of our initial purpose for embarking on this journey: to fully embrace our true selves and give voice to the unspoken through our creative endeavours.
Watch Emma Plumpton's short film below
Emma Plumpton - Interconnected from A New Direction on Vimeo.
Author details:
Emma Plumpton
Website: https://www.emmaplumptonportfolio.com/
Instagram: @emma.plumpton