Written by Alivia Hemstock
Work experience student – June 2022
My name is Alivia and I have been working with Junction Arts in order to complete my work experience so that I can pass my first year on a Level 3 Art & Design course at chesterfield college, whilst at junction arts I have enjoyed completing tasks like creating chalkboard designs for local events around communities such as Bolsover and Creswell which are near to Chesterfield.
The thing I’ve taken pleasure in most whilst being here is definitely the aspect to create freely without worry of failure, I was constantly reassured by members of the team that they were impressed with my work which made the experience more relaxing and even quite therapeutic, knowing that I could express myself whilst also taking into consideration what the person receiving the signs would want – something that would attract an audience certain age group but also a unique design for their individual event.
The time that I have spent at Junction Arts, has given me insights into how I can do what I love and what I need to accomplish to potentially turn that into a career in the future, during my time here I have been chatting to Martha who has been my supervisor whilst being here who initially started off here as an intern and now is currently doing an apprenticeship – from this I have learned that in order to get the desired job which also makes me happy I don’t have to go to university but instead I could start off small and through gain of experience work my way up to where I would like to be in a professional role after I have finished my course at college.
I don’t yet know what career I would want specifically but by doing this practice I can gather different people’s inspirations and compare the similarities and differences to my own aspirations, see what works best for me and what ambitions I would like to carry with me and show to future employers.
Being here, some of the skills Junction Arts has taught me for example are things such as the knowledge of how to act and communicate professionally in a workplace with members of staff, how to be part of a team, how to combine ideas, use my initiative and stay motivated throughout which are transferable skills I can take with me when I do more work experience or apply for a job somewhere in future.
Overall I’m very thankful that Junction Arts have allowed me to come and do my work placement here, I have thoroughly enjoyed what I have been doing over the past two weeks and the people I have worked with are such a welcoming team of people.
