How Arts Award Improves Employability Skills

Megan is currently completing her Gold Arts Award. She tells us how this has benefited not only her art work, but also her employability skills.

What have you learnt?

From doing the Gold Arts Award I have learnt the necessity of self-management, for example using my time wisely and most productively. I’ve also recognised the importance of a clear plan being set every time you sit down to work on an ongoing project as otherwise it is easy to stray from one thing to another with no clear direction. I struggled at first to stick to something and complete it, so I have definitely noticed gaps for self-improvement.

Any advice for young people on careers/life?

If you don’t know what you want to do, regardless of what people tell you, it really doesn’t mean you’re destined for a string of unfulfilling work. If you’re in that situation, I would recommend going with the flow and experiencing different kinds of work, that should filter out naturally the things you are interested in. Once you’re there, make a plan of all the little steps to get to that career and tackle it in small chunks so you don’t feel so overwhelmed. Also, everyone has their own pace on figuring out what they want to do. Compare yourself to someone you aspire to be like, pinpoint the gaps between that person and you, accept that you aren’t there yet but you could be by doing a,b,c etc etc.

Megan’s sketchbook

 Can you remember what first got you interested in the arts and creativity?

I can’t specifically remember what initially got me into it, but I remember liking the fact that writing stories when I was younger allowed me to express my thoughts/feelings without having to articulate it through speaking, which was useful. I also enjoyed the chance to create my own projects and be the ‘director’ rather than being told what to produce. Being able to think creatively is very individual and it will change how you see the world, that’s always been cool to me.

Has art or creativity helped you with anything? Maybe overcome a challenge physically or mentally, improved your confidence or helped you make friends, find direction career wise and/or a passion or hobby?

Again, I can’t really remember a specific experience it has helped me with but generally creating visual art has helped me deal with stress. If I feel fixated on an issue, it is therapeutic for me to grab a sketch pad and define that stress on the paper through drawings or text. Normally afterwards I can see the issue as either easier to manage or totally irrelevant!

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Arts Award Arts Award Leadership Network Employability For 15 – 25 yrs Youth Arts Leadership Network Youth Blog