Throughout this degree, one of the main questions I’ve had to try and continually find an answer to is the question “How Will I Fund Myself Through This Course?”
I have tried to answer it many different ways. I first picked up odd shifts working as a Technical Teaching Assistant at LCC, helping to assist in the delivery of stop motion lectures for the BA Animation course. The shifts were not regular enough to be sustainable, so I started to branch out and apply for other roles. One of which was to be a Specialist Digital Media Technician at CSM. I was shortlisted from about 50 Applicants down to 1 of 2 who made it to interview, however I was unfortunately unsuccessful. I reached out to the interviewer afterwards, asking for feedback on how I could improve. This prompted him to recommend me for a similar role at Camberwell College of Arts, being a Specialist Animation Technician on the Illustration course. I worked there part time for 6 months, working on Thursday and Friday, and fitting in uni work in the rest of the week. This was definitely a challenge throughout LIAF, but my team was amazingly understanding and communicative, so our work didn’t suffer as a result! Unfortunately, my position was only cover, and when the interview came around for a permanent position, I was unsuccessful. This was a huge knock to my confidence and I felt like I’d really failed and messed up a perfect career opportunity. It felt hard to push myself to be vulnerable and apply to other roles going forward. Through the period of August 2023-February 2024, I struggled to find another job, and the financial pressures of funding myself through the course got more intense, facing more and more rejections from job applications. Eventually, a friend who works at LCC as a technician reached out saying she wanted to reduce her evening shift hours, and asked if I wanted to pick them up. I started working 5:30-9pm, Monday and Friday’s, and 10-4pm on Saturdays. The hours were the most annoying thing, especially while trying to balance my grad film! But I was incredibly grateful to have a job again, especially one where I could catch up with my old BA Animation tutors, now as peers! There were some downsides to this role, it wasn’t permanent, I was on a zero hour contract, and I was only due to work during term time, which meant that through any breaks or holidays I went without income. I started to apply for other, more secure roles, with the safety of knowing that I already have a job, so the stakes aren’t as high if I mess up!
This is when a friend sent over a job post asking for an Animator/Illustrator to help run workshops for clients. I had experience in animation, and in running workshops due to my time as various technicians, so I applied. I got through to the interview round, which was a 9-5 day in an assessment centre. I went into it with an attitude that I was there to learn and have fun, and to not put pressure on myself about whether or not I got it, because I already had a job. Ultimately, I think having that confidence really helped as I was offered the position!
Since April 22nd 2024 I’ve been working fulltime, and I’ve been taking meetings in the stop motion studio in uni, or coming in in the evenings after a day in the office. It’s been the hardest of all of my jobs to balance with my uni work, but an exciting challenge and has taught me a lot about the corporate world, client work and making graphics and assets. Its been incredibly valuable as an opportunity!