The realities of working in the creative industries

After the Gallery 46 exhibition, I started to think more seriously about what it actually means to work as an artist. Before that, I was more focused on making work and exploring ideas, but during the preparation and the exhibition itself, I began to question how sustainable this kind of practice is in reality.

For the Gallery 46 exhibition, I created a sculpture combined with projection, focusing on the living conditions of local women in Tanzania. I really enjoyed the process. I think my way of thinking is quite logical and structured, so I approached the work almost like building a system, connecting visuals, space and meaning together. During the exhibition, I also observed how audiences interacted with my work. Everyone seemed to have their own interpretation, and I think that’s one of the most interesting parts of exhibition-based work.

But at the same time, I felt a kind of distance. People came into the space I circled, experienced the work I created, and then they left. I started to question what happens after that. Does the work actually change anything? Does it help with the issues it is trying to represent? Or is it more about expressing personal ideas and emotions within a limited context?

This made me think about what Hesmondhalgh (2019) describes in relation to the creative industries, where a lot of artistic work is shaped by unstable conditions, freelance structures, and limited financial security. It made me realise that working as an independent artist, especially in exhibition contexts, can be difficult to sustain longterm.

“No matter how effective education and training may be in fostering creative talent and shaping it to meet market requirements, increasing reliance on short-term contracts and freelance working practices make life-long careers in the creative industries unsustainable for many”.

“Creative work is generally characterised by precocity, making adaptive skills and the ability to manage uncertainty highly vital”.

“Cultural work has become regarded less as a stable continuity and much more a series of discontinuous events; a job-to-job or freelance existence marked by discontinuity”.

The Cultural Industries, David Hesmondhalgh, 2019

I don’t think this means exhibition work is not valuable. I would still like to explore it more during my studies. But for my future career, I feel I need a different kind of structure. I started to think more about working in industries like games or film, where creative work is part of a larger system and can reach a wider audience.

At the moment, I’m more interested in applying for sound design roles in companies like Ubisoft, while also looking at opportunities in film or animation. It feels like a more realistic path, compared to trying to survive as a freelance artist without stability.

I think this is still something I’m figuring out, but the exhibition was a turning point for me. It helped me understand not just what I enjoy doing, but also what kind of working life I can realistically see myself in.