How To Spot Hidden Opportunities in the Arts – And Grab Them!

There are many difficult challenges to making a living in a creative industry. Perhaps one of the most annoying ones is that things don’t move fast enough. There’s a lot of patience involved and, even then, nothing is guaranteed. We often wonder if we are “doing enough” or whether there simply isn’t much more to be done.

Truth is, there are many, many things we can do to fill the gap while we wait for that publisher’s answer or that agent’s email. The trick is finding these opportunities and not being intimidated or put off by their nature.

Not worth it

Problem: “This opportunity sounds like it won’t really get anywhere, and I’ll just be wasting my time when I could be aiming higher.”

Example: You’re an actor who has worked in reasonably high-end productions, but for whatever reason but hasn’t ‘made it’ yet. You audition for a short film and then discover it’ll be filmed by a group of first-year film students. The script is good, but these are amateurs.

First things first: never assume you can’t learn something new from anybody in the business, regardless of their presumed expertise. Hereby lies the beauty of the creative industry.

Second: sure, there are things that might just not be worth your time and effort. However, this is only a valid assumption if you’ve really researched the opportunity. We all have to start somewhere, and there are many first-time directors who’ve made it big on their first try. This can go for any position of any department of the creative industry.

If you’ve calculated the pros and cons and really thought it through, then your decision is rational. But you should never turn down an opportunity just because your ego dictates the answers.

No experience

Problem: “I don’t know what I’m doing, I have never done this before and my ineptitude will just slow things down and annoy everybody”.

Example: There are a couple open positions for a theatre team heading up to a festival. You’ve applied for director, but they actually want you to join as producer; this is way out of your comfort zone.

So if you are a cake maker and somebody tells you to work as a commercial airline pilot, not taking the opportunity is understandable. But if you are given the chance to take on a role within the department you’re interested in, especially if somebody thinks you’re suited for it, where’s the harm?

There’s a lot of self-doubt that comes into play when we are met with situations like these. Margie Warrell summarises our fear of tackling “uncharted” territory in a very simple sentence: “We are innately risk-averse and afraid of putting our vulnerability on the line.”

Perhaps it’s our fear that the workload will be too much. Perhaps we’re afraid that we wont be able to conquer it and perhaps it’s not so much a fear of disappointing others, but simply ourselves. Still, though it may not seem so at the time, one of the best ways to adapt to new scenarios is to be thrown into the deep end of the pool – even when we don’t know how to swim!

Expanding your experience and skills is not only an fantastic way to expand your career opportunities (maybe you find a field you enjoy more than what you thought you wanted to do originally), but it also helps you meet new people with similar interest. Plus, as we so often say, you never know who you might meet.

Not interested

Problem: “It’s in the same area, but it has nothing to do with what I want to do for a living.”

Example: A film company is hiring. You go in for the interview and they offer you the job. You’ll be able to learn about the people who make it happen, be in contact with all the big agents and even speak to the starts themselves. The problem? You’ll do so by being that company’s receptionist.

If there is one thing all creatives know, it’s that for the first few years until we make it big, retail, hospitality and catering work will be inevitable. It’s a cruel but very real fact. However, if there is a chance that you can work or take a position in a role remotely related to your area of interest, take it.

If it’s admin work, you’ll be able to see the backbone of a creative business and learn more about what it takes to make a project come to fruition. You might also learn some important legal requirements so you never get caught up in petty disputes when it’s your turn to take the lead. If it’s working as an assistant, you get to have direct connections with people everybody wants to meet. Why search for an agent when you get to bring coffee to the casting panel themselves? It’s all about networking!

It’s unpaid

Problem: “If I’m good at something, I should never do it for free. I’m not here as a charity.”

Example: Breaking into the creative industry.

Yes, that’s the whole example. There is a very thin line between being taken advantage of and taking an opportunity that might not pay the bills but will offer a plethora of experiences (or better yet, publicity).

Some are adamant that working for free is not only unfair but it also perpetuates a culture where doing so is okay. Free work is rarely valued by the person who has commissioned it; they should by all rights be eternally grateful, but inevitably never are. Money is a sign of value and respect, even if it is a small amount.

While this is certainly true, there are situations where unpaid commissioned work will probably come in handy, especially if the results will generate exposure for you and your work. Ian Wright argues that, in these cases, you must make such situations work in your favour by enforcing a very simple rule: negotiate creative control. As Francesca Jane Allen says: “If you’re not being paid, then it becomes a personal job.” Indeed, all the more reason to ensure you have the final (or at least a good portion) of the final say in whatever happens to your work.

Remember that, even if the boss is nice and even if you think the opportunities are incomparable, never undervalue your skills: always put yourself first!

Inspiring Interns is an internship and graduate jobs agency.