Imagine and Create Your Future

Objective:

• The learner will discover that they have entrepreneurial abilities and potential
• The learner will get an insight into the world of ‘everyday’ entrepreneurship
• The learner will become more alert to opportunity recognition
• This is a useful session for the reluctant entrepreneur – those who might think it’s not for them, particularly arts students.

Introduction

This activity has been used with 3rd year Design and Visual Arts student, 2nd year Photography students and MA Contemporary Art students at Coventry University to project forward and encourage students to imagine their potential future. This encourages students to consider how to ‘make their job’ not ‘take a job’ by working forward potential scenarios post-graduation.

Activity

This 2 hr session is based around a hypothetical case study told as an engaging story and featuring several of the students in your class. It is told by the session leader and is followed by group discussion and analysis of their colleagues’ journey which leads them to recognise and identify with the enterprising actions and activities.

For 3rd year Design and Visual Arts student, 2nd year Photography students and MA Contemporary Art students at Coventry University, the following case study was created.

I start by selecting a likely student and ask their name – and if they reply “John” then your script to the class would be:

In 5 years’ time John will be running a successful technical consultancy for the art world providing a range of services, including haulage, framing, hanging and conservation.

How did he get there? Well, 1 year ago, as a 2nd year student he attended the 3rd year Arts degree show. Here he began chatting with a few people including the curator of the Hebert Art Gallery, Jeanette Smith. They got on well: they talked about the art, the exhibition, the Herbert programme and discovered a mutual interest in (ask John about his interests i.e. baking). They got on so well that a week later John decided to pop into the gallery to ask Jeanette if there was any chance he might get an exhibition at the gallery. After Jeanette stopped laughing she did say, 'but seriously, we do have an immediate opportunity for work experience'. The gallery was busy installing an exhibition by Douglas Rainford and were a bit behind schedule, could John help? Now John had planned to spend the next week finishing off assignments, which he was behind on, and there had been a baking festival in Northampton that he wanted to go to.

John took the leap and spent the next two weeks installing the exhibition at the gallery. At the same time he was getting to know Douglas, they discussed art, rail travel (Douglas was coming up from London most days) and discovered a mutual interest in (ask John about his other interests, i.e. cycling).

John said goodbye to Douglas at the private view a week later but kept in touch via twitter. John spent the rest of the summer, baking and cycling and then returning to university for his final year. He pursued his dream of getting an exhibition and continued approaching galleries, bars and cafés, but without much luck.

8 months later, round about the time of his degree show, John is invited to Douglas ' private view at the exclusive Charlie Smith Gallery in London, an independent gallery featuring some of the brightest young things. John is a bit torn, he is busy in Coventry, and the London train fare will be a few quid. But it seems like a good opportunity so he accepts the invite. The private view is full of London art glitterati and he chats to and swaps cards with several artists and gallerists. Douglas introduces him to Charlie Smith, the owner of the gallery they are standing in. They chat about the art and about Douglas and discover their mutual interest in (ask John) Silent Cinema. It transpires that Charlie is touring an exhibition through Europe over the summer and he is looking for technical help with the show, would John be interested? Well John had planned to go travelling that summer with some mates, but decided this would be more interesting.

So John started working freelance for the Charlie Smith gallery as a gallery technician and for the next two years was meeting other artists, other gallerists, he was speaking to specialist haulage companies and shipping agents. At the same time he was making ends meet working in a bar and finding other bits of casual work. But he was getting more and more offers from other galleries to help out, to tour exhibitions, moving from assistant roles to coordination roles. He was moving onwards and upwards. 3 years later there was a public tender to manage a European touring exhibition of medieval Masters for the National Gallery. This was John's big opportunity to move on to some very exciting work. But oh dear, the tender says the applicant must have arts conversation expertise. Them john remembers, (pick on a class mate) Charlotte went onto an MA in Arts Conservation at The University of Norwich. John picked up the phone:

'Hi Charlotte, how are you?'

10 minutes later Charlotte is on board.

John put in the proposal....he didn't get it. Main reason, he didn't have experience in bid writing.

But two months later a similar tender from the V&A was announced to tour an exhibition. This time John approached Jeanette, remember, the curator at the Herbert, she had lots of experience in assessing bids and she joined them in putting together a proposal. This time they we're successful.

The session finishes with 10-15mins reflection where students have to pledge to do something entrepreneurial that week. It could be something they had been thinking about for a while but had made excuses not to do it. Others may need a little help and guidance from peers about what they might do, so reflection and pledge setting should be discussed in groups.

Impact:

The impact was significant, particularly with students who would not consider themselves to be entrepreneurial. The immediacy of creating a case around a team member makes a deep connection with the student group that connects them powerfully with the potential of this story.

Learner Outcome :

The follow up session or debrief seeks when more detailed reflections can emerge and when students can get a measure of where they might be regarding their own development in terms of entrepreneurship and the enterprising mind-set.

Resources:

Post-its or similar sticky pads

Pens

Flip chart