Image: GalleryHip
1. Go anywhere, do anything
Liz Ann McGregor had her first job in the arts driving a bus for the Scottish Arts Council’s travelling gallery. Today she is Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney. There is nothing linear or predictable about her career path – neither the roles she has taken nor her geographical location. She told an audience at the Communicating the Museum conference recently that she would never have predicted ending up running a museum in Australia.
But taking any opportunity that comes up is a necessity in a field where jobs are few and the competition fierce. Working front-of-house is a tried and tested means of getting your foot in the door, though even those gigs can be hard to get. Arts Centre Melbourne recently had 500 applicants for 11 front-of-house jobs. Moving to a regional or remote location – temporarily or permanently – reduces the competition and gives you a chance to develop your skills. Working voluntarily or in an unpaid internship gets you known and may put you in an advantageous position when a job comes up. Remember too, that you may need to move sideways to get where you want to go.
2. Take a course
An increasing number of tertiary institutions offer courses in arts management, curatorial studies or the entertainment business. The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) offers the only undergraduate full-time course at a university, a course that is almost as sought-after as performer courses. But there are private colleges such as Aim’s Bachelor of Entertainment Management and many options for graduates including UTS’s Graduate Diploma in Arts Management, RMIT University’s Master of Arts in Arts Management and QUT’s Master of Creative Industries (Creative Production and Arts Management).
3. Work on your image
Google yourself, suggests Patricia Powell-Hughes from EP. Then ask if what you see looks like someone you would employ as an arts manager. Your online profile – Facebook page, Twitter Account, Linked In account are all opportunities to make your digital footprint a sales pitch for the job you want.
‘When you post something online you are advertising yourself. Ask if this is the professional image you want to project,’ Powell-Hughes told workshop participants at the ArtsHub Conference.
She recommends aspiring arts managers consciously construct the identity they want. ‘Make sure you have a good photograph that reflects who you want to be and make sure you have a photo. If you don’t, that implies either you are really ugly or you don’t know how to load a photo!’ she said.
4. Redefine yourself
‘Define yourself by what you do, not by who you work for. Detach from the person you are and think about what you do,’ recommends Powell-Hughes.
So rather than thinking of yourself as a musician who can organise concerts, recognise that the same skills can be used to organise visual art exhibitions or a community arts program in the health sector.
‘In the creative industries a lot of people are very multi-faceted and multi-skilled and work across many industries.’
5. Like your job
Jane Scott has had an extensive career in arts management including cultural attaché at the Australian Embassy in Washington, at the National Gallery of Australia, Regional Arts Australia and currently as CEO of Craft Victoria.
She considers ‘having fun’ as essential to succeeding in the sector. ‘You are not doing it for the money so if you are not enjoying yourself you have to ask what you are doing,’ she said frankly.
Job satisfaction is unusually high in the arts sector with 53% of the arts industry having rated their job satisfaction as good and 21% rated their job satisfaction as excellent. Passion is the key career driver for the vast majority.
The way Scott sees it, if you can’t feel that, you are in the wrong place.
6. Find both mentors and coaches
Powell-Hughes said it’s important to understand the difference between mentors and coaches and to ensure you have both to help give you a leg up.
Mentors are usually more senior than you and have an overall understanding both of your skills and aims and of where you want to go. They can model, advise and guide on your next move or how to position yourself.
Coaches are useful for acquiring a more specific skill. They don’t have to be senior – a peer or a more junior person may be helpful particularly with harnessing new skills like social media or online marketing.
‘You can have multiple mentors who offer strategic guidance and modelling in different areas,’ suggests Powell-Hughes. ‘You can also have coaches to help you with specific practical skills.’
7. Pass on your knowledge
Equally Powell-Huges recommends offering coaching and/or mentoring to others. Sharing skills is a great way to make yourself valuable and memorable to those whom you meet – and who may be in a position to help you in future.
Sharing your knowledge also consolidates your skills and can keeps you up-to-date on an area you are not currently using which might be useful down the track.
8. Use your networks smartly
It’s not news that networking is an essential skill in building any career and both Scott and Powell-Huges cite it as essential in the arts.
But networking also means using your contacts smartly. Powell-Hughes recommends cultivating advocates who know what you do, understand what you want and will ‘talk you up’ to others.
Become valuable to others too. ‘Help people connect with others. Work out what you can do for them.’
She said understanding your own personality is helpful but you also have to be ready to overcome its weaknesses. ‘Push yourself to talk to people you don’t know. Be proactive in meeting people,’ she said.
9. Check out the competition
If someone else has the job you want, look at the skills they have that you don’t.
‘Look at what skills your competitors have and acquire them,’ said Powell-Hughes, recommending you use your coaches or takes a course to ensure you have all bases covered.
10. Have another option
It’s a downer to finish with but Jane Scott said given the instability of an arts management career, she would not advise anyone to rely on a career path in the arts as their only source of income.
‘Don’t expect to make money,’ she said. ‘Get another job’.
