I figured there might be more people interested to know how it's possible to get into the community arts as well, so I decided to answer her questions here via a trip down my own Memory Lane:
After leaving high school my parents encouraged me to study for a 'real' job with secure employment prospects, so I forfeited my art college dreams and went on to study and work in child care and preschool teaching. For years I felt pissed about this but now I see that all life experience transforms into tools we can use in the present.
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During these preschool teaching years I managed to find innovative ways to deliver the preschool curriculum through the arts and I gained a great understanding of meeting a child's developmental need in a creative, empowering, expressive way.
Although I found this hugely rewarding; due to the nature of the work I was still required to deal with other duties outside of creativity, ranging from overstretching myself between large ratios of kids in the classroom, to cleaning up childhood toileting mishaps! I innately felt that connecting with kids in this way was not ideal for me as I wanted to specialise in art and not be subject to the restrictions of teaching in a formal setting.
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So after travelling and living in Europe, I moved back to Australia and studied art for a year.
Although I LOVED studying art, I left believing that the only way to 'make it' as an artist was to sit at home, paint and have exhibitions! I knew there had to be more and I organically started to stumble across other options.
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I began to undertake loads of volunteer work around artists and creative festivals, where I started to make a few connections with people in the art world. I began to get a little bit of paid work here and there assisting other artists and making props for festivals. I also began having exhibitions and selling my work that way, yet I was still supporting myself financially with preschool teaching.
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My major break into community art came after volunteering to paint a large scale mural @ Auchenflower train station with a friend in Brisbane, and during this time I was able to convince the railways to hire me to develop a full-time community art initiative for all the stations! After a couple of years coordinating and facilitating community art projects (and often feeling out of my depth at times), I left the railways with enough connections to have a stab at freelancing in community art.
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In January this year I fulfilled a life-long dream to volunteer in Thailand, where I connected with Cultural Canvas Thailand to introduce an art therapy program to a small organisation caring for mistreated boys with cerebral palsy. I'd been working as an arts-based support worker for the Cerebral Palsy League at home here in Queensland for around 6 months before my Thailand trip, so it was perfect serendipity that I could then use the skills I learnt to help overseas. The amount of satisfaction I felt and continue to feel as a result of that time has helped me to not just believe, but KNOW that art has the capacity to connect and heal in ways far, far beyond anything I've known. Following my creative dreams became real, rewarding and do-able!
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Since then my confidence and connections have grown. I've been able to build a good-sized portfolio of work and experience and I have connections with private and public sources who incorporate art as a tool for communication and activism, meaning that I'm often hired to facilitate creative workshops around a particular topic. These days I'm increasingly building my own art projects around my personal interests (environmental conservation) and linking with existing organisations who I feel might like to auspice my work.
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I've found there is funding out there through many existing groups/organisations who have a need that is unmet and most are amazingly open to the way creativity can meet those needs and educate people through artistic experiences.
I still undertake volunteer work and up-skill myself with people who are currently doing what I want to do ~ and even that experience creates new connections! I explore my ideas/passions in my personal studio work as well and I regularly undertake workshops, training and research topics that support my creative practice and environmental education interests.
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Next year I've enrolled in an art therapy course so I'm looking forward to seeing where that leads and feeling creative fulfillment and the birth of new dreams in the process.
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In summary,over the years I've had to push through feelings of inadequacy and believe in following my heart instead of my fears. I've made mistakes, I've had many successes and I think its a matter of not using 'limited experience' as your excuse to stop you from following your creative dreams.
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So my advice would be to volunteer, gain the experience and try your out ideas while you're volunteering. Study if you need to. Get a mentor. Help out creativley at festivals. Update your creative resume as you gain skills and experience. These will help you build a portfolio which makes it easier to get paid work.
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Make art yourself regularly so you trust your own process. And rather than reinventing the wheel, CONNECT WITH EXISTING organisations, groups or government sectors who are already involved in the area you want to work in, as they often have funding to deliver projects to meet their needs ~ and yours!
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Consider devoting a portion of your time pursuing the activity of gaining skills and connections instead of writing it off as 'just a dream'. You need to act to get where you want to go. Connect with kindies, schools or community groups to get practice. Sought out people already doing what you want to do and connect with them. Ask questions. Listen.
There's over 6 billion people in the world and chances are, there's millions of people willing to help you get where you want to go! Then pay it forward by sharing your skills, facilitating those workshop, creating change in the world and fulfilling your dreams!
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Above all, COMMIT TO YOUR DREAMS and DON'T GIVE UP!! It is hard yakka, a lot of it is often unpaid in the beginning ~ yet so, so rewarding on a soul level. Be patient. It's taken me 6 driven years since my first bout of art-study to get to where I am now and there's a lifetime of work to go.
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Lastly, don't be afraid to carve your own path. If things don't 'fit', learn from the good parts and create a new way to undertake those activities. Listen to your feelings and they will guide you.
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All the best in your creative career! I'm more than happy to be one of the 6 billion who helps you on your way.
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C xox
