December 19, 2024, by Arts Placements

An insight into the Faculty of Art’s Creative Placement Programme

My role as a Marketing and Communications Assistant

Kiran Mandair tells us about her experience on the Creative Placement Programme

Why I applied

Applying for a creative placement was a no-brainer for me.  Opportunities for paid placements of this nature are few and far between. Therefore, when the Arts Placement team advertised applications for creative placements, I knew I had to apply. My placement with Nottingham City of Literature was one of the best ways to spend part of my summer. Working within an organisation closely associated with its local community and harnessing creative thinking, was unbelievably rewarding.

As an Arts student, I initially felt unsure about where my degree and skillset could take me in my future career. The potential opportunities available appear endless.  This left me feeling uncertain how to approach exploring such creative roles. With this, I was also motivated to build my skills profile in order to write more competitive applications. Securing a placement with Nottingham City of Literature gave me this chance to develop new professional skills and build connections that will aid me in my future career.

The role

The team at Nottingham City of Literature were so supportive in allowing me to contribute to the various projects that ran during the course of my placement. As Communications Assistant, I had a degree of responsibility in planning the social schedule and autonomy in suggesting post ideas. I was able to build on the social profile of campaigns, such as Big City Reads, particularly through contributing to this online community. The Big City Reads campaign was one of the biggest projects I was a part of. It ultimately gave me the chance to see how the City of Literature contributes to the community. I was able to see this widespread impact through attending author events and being a part of the distribution of the BCR books within the city.  I even featured on BBC East Midlands Today to promote the campaign.

Confidence building

I was keen to develop a level of independence during this placement. I wanted to become more confident in promoting my ideas. The team really allowed me to try new things and contribute to the overall mission. I had opportunities to write for the website’s blog, showcasing their fabulous work with projects such as Slamovision and the Byron 200 ‘Blackfriar’ exhibition.  Ultimately, I developed my overall skills, in social media, communications and just involving myself in conversations about other work within the organisation.

The skills I developed from this placement have put me in a better position to apply for future roles and given me the confidence to promote my own work. Not only was I exposed to professional life, I also gained a greater sense of how I to apply my skills in creative settings.

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