I will reflect on my work so far and reflect on the class within the last 10 weeks.
We had special guest speakers present there chosen career path ways and their personal journey through their studies and careers to where they are today. I found this interesting and inspiring As most guest were following a long life dream to work in their area of expertise and their field of passion.
I am not as lucky to have worked in the areas of my chosen field of visual arts and photography as yet because I chose a different direction in life after leaving school. I was firstly accepted into a visual arts course at TAFE, however I was also given the opportunity to work and so I decided to take the job instead deferring my course.
Looking back now I realise my first job was within the industry in which I would like to work, as it was at a local newspaper. I was working and living on Thursday Island at the time, the newspaper was small but was just taken over and was being created into a new business and paper for the Island. My job was to type the stories and layouts of the paper, help collate and distribute the paper.
However I only stayed here for a year, as my parents were leaving and I was not long out of school so I moved back to Townsville with them.
My next job wasn't so artistic, I was a receptionist at CSIRO. My second area of expertise I guess was typing, and there fore the office scene was an area to go towards.
I lasted about 2 years at this employment when I then met my ex husband and my boys father. I have been pre occupied since being a full time mother, I have worked for a few years inbetween this time frame this being at the Australian Taxation Office again as clerical work.
Leaving the ATO in late 2005, as a single mother of 3 boys and now a daughter I became interested in the arts once again. I became addicted to a online mother group called CafeMom and started to take photographs of everything and anything in the year 2008.
My daughter turning a certain age I decided to take the opportunity to change my career path from clerical work to work with in the art industry and attaining a certificate IV at TAFE in 2010 and then completing my diploma of Visual Arts in 2011. My first passion however would definitely be photography, so I decided to attend university as TAFE only had the drawing and painting areas available. With the diploma qualifications I was then able to apply to University as a mature age student where I have been completing my Bachelor of New Media Arts since 2012.
Now in my final year of my course I hope to pursue my goal of working within the arts industry.
I would like to try a few different things to begin with to see what exactly is available in the work force as an artist. However being a mature age student and living in Townsville I am a little scared that I have chosen the wrong path to travel down as there is not alot of positions available and I am not as young as some others who have also just completed their degree.
I have reflected on my own pathway to were I am today as I felt inspired from those in class, and I wanted to stop and reflect on myself to see where I have come from and where I am heading for the near future.
One teacher Mr David Salisbury stated "take the opportunities that come to you" as if you don't you will not challenge yourself or go on the journey it gives you.
I feel this is good advice, especially to the younger generation, as we can not be too choosey in this industry and we need to go with those opportunities and taking these opportunities will then lead us to other paths to take in our career on to.
NETWORKING
Networking is definitely a big necessity and rewarding at the end in the art industry. I have learnt this over my last 5 years of study and being involved within the art industry.
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