WHAT THEY DIDN’T TEACH YOU IN ART SCHOOL

It’s in every gallery, every art shop or university library. ‘What they didn’t teach you in art school’ by Rosalind Davis seems like it should be at the top of any art students reading list. But for some reason, I have always been reluctant to delve into its pages and insights through my first 2 years of being a full-time creative undergraduate.

But fast forward to this year, where I am embarking on my year in industry and I’m beginning to think it might have been worth an hour or so of my time. I am currently positioned within Inception Group as a Design & Brand Intern, the company is fast paced, diverse in its offerings to the public and somewhat wacky. I have only been here for 3 or so weeks but it has been an eye-opening experience to what you truly don’t learn in art school.

In my day to day role I work across almost all of Inception Group’s 12 venues, designing artwork, promotional material, and menus- that’s the first thing I’ve learnt. Throughout my university course in most cases, I put my heart and soul into one project, one brand and I can become absorbed into its language and aesthetics. But here I switch from one brand to another sometimes multiple times an hour and I have quickly learnt to become fluid in adapting to the job in hand.

Secondly, my role extends far beyond design. Need some labels ordering, need a quote for 1000 branded aviator sunglasses or a customer facing allergen menu? That falls on my desk and starts a mammoth email conversation thread in order to reach an outcome. These tasks are something I have had to learn the process of completely from scratch but in reality, they are some of the most important jobs, as ultimately unless a quote is provided with the design material never leaves the desktop.

I’m truly learning the ins and outs of a career in design and I am so glad I took this internship on a 6-month basis. I have been given the opportunity to completely become part of the team, see projects through right to the end when they are in situ at the venues and be given responsibilities for projects far beyond those that I currently experience at uni. So, heres to the next 6 months of really discovering what they didn’t teach you in art school.