The creative industry refers to a broad range of economic activities related to the generation and commercialisation of creativity, ideas, knowledge and information.
It comprises wide-ranging fields such as design, music, film and television, visual arts, performing arts, video games and many more.
If you’re a student who wants to get into the creative industry, there are a few things that you should consider in order to get your foot in the door of the industry.
Build your network
Networking is highly important to getting a job in the field that you want to be in. The more contacts you have, the more job opportunities you’ll get.
In university, you can attend guest lectures by industry professionals and field trips related to the creative field to widen your horizons and meet like-minded peers.
Most universities also offer placement opportunities, giving you the chance to gain real-life work experience and access to professional contacts to broaden your professional network.
Many job opportunities come from referrals, especially in such a competitive industry. Reach out to people whose work and career you admire and keep in touch with them. If you’re lucky, they might be able to recommend you for creative opportunities.
Maintain your portfolio
Keep a professional portfolio and update it constantly with key projects, for your body of work is as important as your resume in the creative industry.
Works within your portfolio can come in hard copies and/or digital versions, as long as they best reflect your passion towards your preferred creative field.
Having a personal website, YouTube channel or social media profile with an audience can give you a great leg up in entering the industry.
In fact, social media is a good way to prepare for the creative industry, as it helps you keep pace with what’s happening in the industry.
Stay updated with the industry
Follow influencers in your creative field of choice, as well as journalists and trade publications. Stay up to speed with your own interests, and challenge yourself to rethink trends in order to expand your creativity.
Make sure to also join industry-relevant groups on more professional platforms such as LinkedIn to build your network. Once you’ve built up some confidence, try to actively engage in trending conversations as well.
Find your niche
Being a creatively driven person usually means you want to try every creative endeavour possible, but if you spread yourself too thin, you might not be able to discover and focus on what your passion truly is.
Thus, it’s important to find your niche and develop your skills within that niche to reach your full potential.
Considering how diverse and project-driven the creative industry is, being a specialist can help attract potential clients and creatives, especially when you’ve demonstrated how highly capable you are in your area of expertise and how collaborative you can be when working with others.
Read more: Do you have what it takes to be in the creative industry?
Read more: How Creative Talent Development Can Drive the Economy
Photo by Brooke Lark from Unsplash.
