Be BOLD, Be Brave, Be YOU

This is a blog that aims to do nothing but tell you exactly how I feel at this moment in time…

Never have I ever been so disappointed and full to the brim with inexplicable feelings towards the Education system, the Government and the challenges most of us face when it comes to both.

Having spent nineteen years in education, training to become what I thought would be an employable individual seeking a role within the arts, I still cannot succeed in a role which is undoubtedly suited to my qualifications, experience and skill. During all my years in education I have worked hard in many different sectors in the labour market. From stacking shelves, customer service and sales to book editing, teaching and project coordination. I have a positive approach to everything I do, I remain calm under pressure and offer excellent communication skills. I can plan to cater for any needs. I can teach. I can be an inspiration and I have the capacity to learn fast and well. Yet here I am, twenty six years of age and still desperately seeking my dream job.

Hours of my time has been spent writing the perfect applications to suit roles which I would love to achieve; programme managers for arts charities, teaching roles in a performing arts environment and learning officers or management within growing art establishments. More time has then been spent, after being offered interviews, to prepare project plans, budget materials and perfect answers to their questions, which aim to prove me suitable for their role. But still I am unemployed with a list of sodden excuses as to why I am not good enough.

I am a person who lives for laughter and love. I thrive on positive thinking. I put in 110% effort in to everything that I do. My qualifications range from diplomas to post graduate degrees. I volunteer, I am caring, I am helpful and creative. I work both collaboratively and independently. I am organised, good at prioritising workloads and enjoy pressure and being busy. I have the biggest passion for achieving and doing everything I can to succeed. I dream of becoming an asset to an organisation whose aim is to inspire, particularly young people, through art forms and support these people in achieving things they didn’t believe possible. I want to give young people the best possible chance to succeed in life, because as we all know, it is a tough life that we live.

Art is frowned upon. “it’s a drop out course” “it gets you nowhere” “You will fail” BULLSHIT!
Art is so vast and so incredibly inspiring to not just young people, but all of us. Open your eyes and look around at all the beauty in this world; architecture, gardens, paintings, statues, literature, music. None of which would have been possible without an artistic, imaginative, creative mind. It can support people through difficult times. It can make people happy. It can provoke emotion we didn’t even know we could feel. Yet here we are telling our future that art is unnecessary. Wake up!

My biggest ambition is to make a difference in people’s lives using art as a catalyst. Whether that be as a teacher, a project coordinator or running an art organisation. I have never felt so passionate about something in my whole life and I am being shot down for not having enough experience or the correct skillset. Sue me for not having all these qualities written down on a piece of paper and signed off by some dude who leans back in his spinning chair all day. Give me a chance to PROVE it to you.

Fair play to all those people who attended the same interviews I did and achieved the role. You must have bought more to the table and for that, I congratulate you. Good for you for keeping the spirit of the arts alive and being able to expose all your abilities, passions and experience to the employer. I tried my best. I tried my absolute hardest to achieve. I worked myself to the bone to be the best I can be. I wish it was enough. I wish I could tell you that I have acquired the job that lets me practice all my talents, my qualities my passions and my skillset. I want to make you proud of me. Each and every single one of you. I want my Mum to be able to tell her friends that I am happy as Larry working in the industry I long to thrive in. I want my brother to feel inspired by his baby sister. I want my friends to hear all the wonderful stories I have to share about my working environment. I’d love to report back to my teachers, tutors and mentors that I am ‘living the dream’.

There are so many emotions running through me at the moment. My heart is literally pumping out a different one with each beat. Failure, disappointment, strength, anger, loss, bravery, positivity, upset, passion, determination, irritancy, rejection, pity… the list goes on and on. It is so difficult to sit here and write this, but in the same way I feel more and more relieved after each word.

What am I doing so wrong? What makes me so unemployable in the field of work that I so badly aspire to be a part of? It is hard times. Rejection. Rejection. Rejection. Rejection is my biggest fear and here I am, dwelling in its hand. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going is all that echoes around my head.

To all of you who are working just as hard as I am to achieve, to succeed, to be everything you wished to be when you were young… It is a tough fight and dreams don’t work unless you do, so keep going. At least, that is what I keep telling myself. A dear friend of mine sent me a card once, which displayed the words “Be Bold, Be Brave, Be You”. I try to live by this every single day – through all the best times and all the bad times. Because that is all I have to give this world; someone bold, someone brave, me.

 

 

If you have any questions or comments please do let me know: amieblinks@gmail.com

Earth Meets Sky

On Wednesday 19th February I attended a vocal technique and performance workshop at The Mill Arts Centre, Banbury, England. This workshop was provided by the Children's Art Charity I work for, OYAP Trust, and aimed to give young people an opportunity to create music performances together, working with professional artists from the music industry. 

Juliet Russell was the significant facilitator, who is a singer, composer and vocal coach on BBC's popular The Voice. Alongside Juliet was Flexie, a musician from London and Fred, a session drummer. The team together created a fantastic and inspiring atmosphere, which lead to all the participants forming a piece of individual music. 

The session saw us learning new techniques, significantly using our voices; basslines, melodies and beatboxing to name a few! We formed melodies as a group and used rounds and harmonies to produce exciting sounds and atmospheric songs. We were pulled in and out of our comfort zones as we each explored elements of music we hadn't tried before. For me, mixing up time signatures within a song and putting lyrics and a melody to these changes was most challenging, but thanks to Fred's support and encouragement from others, I was able to succeed in performing this task. It boosted my confidence as a singer and inspired me to learn to play an instrument so I can begin a process of writing my own music. 

Yesterday I was also lucky enough to meet some fantastic people, who truly inspired me to get back into singing and music once more. This was my favourite part of the day as I was able to learn about other emerging musicians who were present and watching them perform their incredible talents. From singers to rappers to violinists to drummers, the day had an exciting vibe running through the air as we explored deeper aspects of music and explored everyone's different genres and styles. 

I want to thank Zaylie from OYAP Trust for organising such an incredible event and a HUGE thanks goes to Juliet, Flexie and Fred for facilitating such a great project. Earth Meets Sky inspired young people across Oxfordshire to dive into the deep end and boost their confidence, learn creative new ways to express themselves through music and develop their music technique. 

A truly inspiring day to experience, I am looking forward to seeing the video pieced together from the best bits of the project.