#creative futures

I attended this lecture at first as I really need advices about application, for my futur studies in France I have to do loads and loads of these - needless to say, they have to be flawless if I want to access to my dream school.  

First of all we talked about what we could showcase in our applications, in a way how to project our best self. Deciding which version of us we want to show and how to stand out with it. We saw that the most efficient way to stand out was to show that we are proactive, and to prove it with evidences. But evidences are not just diplomas, they could come from :

projects/clients brief

part time work/volunteering

installing exhibitions -decisions, collaboration ? 

team/groups assignment/presentations that have gone well 

and those that haven’t gone well as well! 

times when you’ve had to come up with solutions to problem

when you groaned inwardly about a challenge but succeeded in completing it

what has been a long difficult project to finish 

monitoring/teaching others

topics you have researched 

module specification/assignement 

Andrea gave us a technique to give evidence : the CAR technique which show how to describe an evidence to give all the informations necessary :

C (context) A (action) R (result) 

That’s where our first task began... 

When have you....

We had, thanks to the CAR technique, to demonstrate one time when we had responsibilities that could be an interest for an employer. 

C- lead a project in illustration for a shampoo bottle in a Graphic Design Agency in Dijon for my 2 year internship. 

A- get brief - research - roughs - feedbacks - drawing on paper - vector in illustrator

R- Managed to get an illustration like by the client on the first shot! 

Then, the second task arrived and it was about resume and how to make the resume that would be the best possible. What evidence are they giving and how are they doing this ? We got handed different resumes and had in groups to point out what was wrong and what was right. We had to comment on layout, content, langage... Every aspect that seemed important for us. 

Thanks to everybody’s feedbacks on the resume we were able to construct a few rules to apply while building our resume : 

always think that you’re shaping your image 

choosing positive, proactive, original words 

no data dump : stick to the principal 

consistencies in layout and content 

is an artistic creative cv needed/going to be more effective ? 

remove the I 

But before starting, Alex Jones introduced himself and his job. He’s a UX designer who works in the BBC UX&D team. (User Experience encompasses all aspects of the end user’s interaction with the company, its services and products.)  He explained that in BBC, teams do lots of things to collaborate between different disciplines, and that let you choose what you prefer to do in your field. 

Then we started the quizz, which worked with the application Kahoot. Kahoot allow you to use your smartphone as a remote to answer the questions that appears on the screen. 

Here are some points I think were important during the quizz : 

When doing an application it’s necessary to have a coherent and well written personal statement.

It’s still good to have non-creative job experience, it show that you are someone responsible and hard-working. Even if they’re not in the area you’re studying for, you will seems to be open-minded and versatile. 

The most important thing when you apply for a job is not your diplomas and studies, of course they count, but at BBC they’ll prefer to hear about your experiences and the many projects you worked on : it’s more concrete to show your skills. 

Take every criticism and feedbacks professionals give you. It’s the best way to improve yourself, and BBC always make sure after interviews to give the applicant feedbacks for them to improve themselves. 

To get a creative job at BBC there’s not a specific diploma to have, you just need to demonstrate your ability to be creative and efficient in your job. 

Voluntary jobs are as important as paid work and should always be mentioned on a resume. It’s not because you’re not paid for it that the job is not important. 

Two quotes we had to guess the author during the quizz strikes me :

“Imagination is more important than knowledge” Albert Einstein

I wouldn’t say I totally agree with this one, but I think it’s partially true. Indeed, knowledge is important to evolve in life, but I’ve always thought of working on my imagination more than anything else.

“Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up” Pablo Picasso

The main advice Alex gave us was not to worry too much for after but to set big long term goals and work hard to achieve them. Get little jobs, good computer, good portfolio and to try every opportunity the graphic design world has to offer us. Our goals might change during our journey but we have to go step by step, always forward and never be discouraged!