Business Cards

I have a business card now, pictured below.
I wanted my business card to encapsulate me and my work which I think it does. I think it goes well with my whole aesthetic of dark, mystical and woodland-y. With a piece of my work on one side and my details clearly stated on the other, I think it works well.
I realise the email address and website don't look that professional, I can't afford to buy a decent domain but I will make a professional email soon, by the time I next print off business cards. Also, the guillotine didn't cut them very neatly, which is something to think about next time. 

Networking + Events

I heard back from McCann and they said they had no suitable work placements for me based on my CV and portfolio which is a shame because I wanted to see what it was like in an advertising/marketing agency. So I emailed a few others in Birmingham such as Core advertising and Cogent. (Still no answer from any of them) I think I will get a lot of no replies  from creative businesses but that's to be expected but the more I contact, the more chance of one replying.

March is a busy month in terms of events and fairs.
I have coming up: 
2nd March Gross Studio fair at Hyde Park Book Club 
11th-17th March Find and Seek Pop Up Shop at the Corn Exchange
21st March Hanbury Symposium 
30th March Headrow House Fair 
14th April Print Social Myths and Legends deadline

I need to sort out pricing, prints and business cards for these.

CV and Networking

I emailed McCann and they asked for a CV and portfolio. I realise I don't have an up to date or creative CV so I made one and sent it off. Waiting to hear back and here is my creative CV. I think I should make another more academic CV which is catered to more serious jobs if I am going to be applying for those too.


I'm really pleased with my creative CV. I think you can see what I'm about at a quick glance. It's only one page and has all the important details about my education, creative experience, creative skills and employment history.

SWOT + Future

Today's presentation was about other career paths that aren't freelance illustration. I feel this is where I want to go as although I still want to be creative I don't think I have the drive or motivation to be freelance. A couple of things mentioned were useful to me and things I want to explore more and research. 
McCann was mentioned as one of the biggest marketing agency's and there is one of the offices down the road from my house, so I think it would be worth it to email about hopefully doing 1 week placement there over Easter or something. I have no idea if this is something I would be interested in or good at as I don't really know what it involves. I'll email them this week and also research what they do there.
Also things to look at are Creative Proof Jobs and The Directory of Design Consultant. 

Strengths
-organised
-time management
-analogue and digital ways of working
-fast learner
-photoshop skills

Weaknesses 
-lacking discipline  
-lacking confidence
-presenting
-don't like talking about my work

Opportunities
-Need to make the most of online presence and post more
-The gothic/dark trend is popular
-Need to take part in more opportunities such as fairs and exhibitions

Threats
-There's is similar work to mine and people that do it better
-What makes my work different?
-Need to improve public speaking/presentation skills

I also filled in this SWOT analysis to think about what my strengths and weaknesses are so I can think about what kind of job I'd want/be good at. 
My friend recently said I would be a good project manager because I'm so organised and motivating which is something I could apply for.

The Making Project

I contacted The Making Project who go to hostels (one for the homeless and one for 16-18 year olds) in Coventry and run art workshops. I volunteered in 2 different hostels helping with the art workshops, encouraging people to join in and chatting with them.  Although I don't think this is something I want to go into career wise, it was really inspiring to see art touch young kids or homeless people's lives even when they're not normally arty. It was something for them to work towards, something to distract them or bring them together and we creating a mosaic garden. It was also interesting to hear that Dasi, who runs the project, gets funding from the Lottery to fund her projects. Something to keep in mind for the future because who knows what project I will think of.

Life as a Freelancer

Today's PP session was thinking about life as a freelancer

Concerns

-Procrastination, I'm not very good at getting loads done from home

-Motivation/ discipline

-Loneliness, I like being around people at least for a bit of the day, if i worked from home all the time I think I'd go a bit crazy

-Would need at least a part time job to start with as I'd have no income from graduating

Shape of my working week

-I'm definitely a morning person

-After a few hours of work I completely lose concentration

-I would like to work from other places than home, maybe a studio

-Some days could be set aside for more admin/finance and others for practical work

Strengths

-Numbers/ money

-Organisation

-I like talking to people and I can be a leader or part of a team

-Photoshop, practical work 

Development

-I need to improve my procrastination and discipline

-My knowledge on contracts, money, taxes

-Where my practical work can be applied

Networking

-Need to join The Dots

-I'm on LinkedIn making connections

-Email people my work and ask for work experience? advise?

Where would I work

-Could potentially join a studio

-I'd need a better computer/scanner

-Would need a part time job for an income

Website

https://jennifermariewitch.wixsite.com/mysite
-I chose Wix to make my website on, I like the simple professional look and easy to use.
-The homepage is a stream of work that looks quite professional and easy to scroll and see everything, I think it looks sychronises well together as a body of work
-On the About page I added a couple of sentences on what my work is about and my process and I like the simplicity
-The Contact page shows my insta, etsy and email which is all my relevant details currently
-This website will be useful in showing an online portfolio of my work for any future employers
-Overall, I'm really pleased with my website and how it displays my work and I will continue to update it when I have new work to show

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-whitehouse-34712b17a/


This will be really helpful in graduating and making connections. I have been making connections with people in the creative industry and there are many interesting posts and jobs that these people post. These could all open doors in the future. I have found the job searching tool on LinkedIn also really helpful in finding out what other kind of creative jobs are out there because I didn't really know.