On Tuesday, myself and 9 other 6-formers went to STEAMhouse Birmingham for a day exploring jobs in the creative sector. It was a wonderful day of cake and coffee; workshops with other schools, and panels and interviews!

On arrival, we were greeted with cakes and tea before sitting down for a presentation by BBC sports journalist Ian Moss. He discussed the difference between ‘fake’ news and misinformation, real news and disinformation. This was then tied together with the audience interrogating news articles to see if they were real news or not.

Afterwards, we had a carousel of workshops working with creative industries to see what they do in their day-to-day jobs. First up we looked at animation with Yamination, a company who have worked with Disney and Coca cola, as well as creating their own works and most excitingly- helping with the creation of Wes Anderson’s ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’. They introduced us with a talk and then we got to work, modelling farm animals out of plasticine, just to have a dabble in what creativity they get up to daily. By the end of it the 10 of us had a whole farmyard to admire!

We then went upstairs to have a go with SFX, using silicone and grease paint to imitate lacerations and bruises helped by the behind-the-scenes crew from popular daytime TV such as Casualty. This was personally my favourite part of the day, because we all looked like characters from ‘Shawn of the dead’- ready for more photographs!

MrASingh, a popular short-film artist on Youtube and Instagram then discussed with us the importance of building one’s brand through social media, and how to go about it in the best way. We had our own attempts, my group interviewing people around STEAMhouse about what their biggest fear was.

After lunch, there was a careers panel held, which was a super useful insight into how to get into creative sectors through all different paths. There were apprenticeships, freelancing, university degrees and how to get involved tips, and an open mic for the audience to ask questions. Being there with so many other creative people was such an exciting experience, to see how open and free this industry is to be involved in.

Finally DJ Day Day came on stage, a new radio presenter for BBC Radio1Xtra, and was interviewed on topics surrounding brand building, the importance of putting out content as a creative portfolio and consistency- this is what puts you out for so many more opportunities and allows companies to find what they are looking for.

It was such an insightful and inspiring day out, and I’m so glad I got to hear about all the opportunities that happen in the arts sector, and would definitely recommend it to anyone else looking at future careers in the Arts, or even just seeing how far a hobby can take you!