REVIEW: F YOU PAY ME
On May 28th, Intern Magazine bought F You Pay Me, their night of ‘alternative’ careers advice to Open Eye Gallery. Sally Slingsby, a second year Fine Art student currently on placement at the gallery, shares her impressions of the night.
As a Fine Art student so often exposed to the negative stigmas attached to the industry and that of ‘my future career’, it is very easy to become filled with self-doubt. Since starting university, I’ve developed a growing concern in regard to my place within the art world and within the creative industries. Such concerns are frequently discussed in my course, and a lack of direction is well recognised within many creative courses at university.
Reflecting on this last night affirmed the vital importance of events like F YOU PAY ME for navigating the creative industries as a young person. INTERN, in collaboration with Open Eye Gallery, hosted an evening of great opportunity for people working in creative practices to come together in an informal, collaborative, alternative environment. The event acted as a platform for engagement and discussion between specialists, mentors, students and graduates. The evening was an opportunity to converse, meet new people and learn from each other.
Looking around the room I watched creatives exchange details to collaborate in the future, I watched students selling work and buying from others, ideas were shared and and celebrated, conversation was flowing harmoniously, and as a developing student, the response from myself and others was more than positive.
I have to admit that before turning up, I was pretty apprehensive about attending because:
A) It would be my first time attending an event at the gallery as an intern (WILL MY UNRULY FRIENDS EMBARRASS ME?)
B) F you pay me was essentially an evening of careers advice (CAREERS + ADVICE = TERRIFYING).
But leaving the event hours later, I almost laughed thinking of the unnecessary worry I had brought upon myself.
As I made my way around the gallery that evening, immersed in a collective sense of excitement, enthusiasm and aspiration, I felt a wave of confidence. Confidence within myself, confidence within my peers and confidence within the industry. The preconceptions of the ‘careers evening’ I was expecting had been completely extinguished.
Group sessions were available to discuss specific career paths hosted by a number professionals. The freedom of discussion was incredible to witness and the passion for the arts was palpable; I felt a sense of assurance as I watched both students and specialists learn from one another.
I listened to students talking about their successes and failures as the mentors recounted similar stories. The conversations were open yet intimate, the atmosphere in the gallery was energetic, and everyone was eager to get involved.
One conversation which truly resonated with me was one between graphic design mentor Gemma Germains and a developing graphic design student. The student explained of her recent, shall we say, ‘F – up’ for an assessed collection of work in which she felt pretty discouraged. Questioning whether she was on the right path for a future career in graphic design, Germains was quick to neutralize any self-doubt.
Speaking of her many unfavourable choices and mistakes throughout a career as a graphic designer, Germains openly encouraged the group to embrace every mistake that came their way. This was such a simple but important statement for a practicing student to remember. Germains explained how the creative industry doesn’t always pose right or wrong answers: mistakes can often be the best learning curve one can experience. Coming from a designer with such a wealth of knowledge, experience and skill it was a refreshing conversation to be a part of.
F YOU PAY ME was a platform to develop confidence and make connections with peers. Not only did I feel a more familiar understanding in regard to how the industry works, I left feeling more self assured that I myself am moving forward in the right direction.