When I started this project I researched the local companied in the area and found that there were not many! However I emailed the few that were around. I had a very specific interest in a company called Eiphany Music, which deals with music production, score writing and many other things that are directly linked to what I want to do in the future. It was disappointing when they emailed back saying that there wasn’t really any work experience they could give me, but they were very supportive and asked if there was anything else they could do to help. This was very positive and so I sent them some questions I had about working in the music and wrote back with answers to my questions. Apart from this positive response I had none from the rest of the companies I had written to but it was suggested that I give Rose from Accessible Arts and Media a call. This opened up a great opportunity to help with sound engineering at a workshop for adults with learning difficulties.
I had always thought that working as a freelancer would be wrought with worry and stress, more so than your average secure, “paid every month” job, but I had so much fun working on my placement. I did not get given a specific brief as such but my job was to help out and pick up what I could. The direct skills I learnt during the workshop were using a program called Sound Forge (which I have only used briefly before), positioning the microphones and helping to encourage the people in the workshop. I learned more however by seeing how the people I was working with approached their work. I got more information by directly researching the burning questions I had.
The workshop was a group of about 6 people all with varying types of difficulties. When I joined the session they were working on recording a performance of a story about a group of different animals in Africa where the crocodile had taken (and was going to charge for) their water. Each person had a different animal to do the voice for and they all had a go at making animal noises (much hilarity ensued as you can imagine!) The basic elements of the story we needed to capture were:
· Narration
· Script
· Animal sound effects
· African sound effects
· African background music
To make it simpler for the participants we recorded each section individually and James (the sound engineer) edited it all together. This project will eventually be performed with the recording playing and the participants pressing pads to make the sound effects to which visual images are linked. Unfortunately this process goes on farther than the deadline for this assignment, but they have offered me the opportunity to carry on helping at the workshops to give me a fuller understanding of the workings of a live project. As the day to day working goes we would all sit down for a meeting and outline the aim for that day’s workshop, then once everyone arrives we get started recording. The atmosphere was very relaxed and it was fun to be around it.
This was very different to what I was expecting! I have only ever worked in corporate business sector, and I was really amazed at how different everything is. Whilst this way of working is more secure as you get that monthly cheque in the bank, but keeping that cheque coming in every month can drain away the passion you have for doing the exact same job every day. People are more friendly and light hearted in the charitable arts industry because they love what they do and the creative space they are in which encourages the flow of ideas. I find that personally if I am in a place where pressure is rife, I feel too flustered to have any inspiration. I realised that people are more relaxed because they fully enjoy it and it’s driven through creativity rather than money, intellect or a nouse for business. No one who works here is “in it for the money” and it shows their passion for their work. It is about having a good day and having fun. The participants wouldn’t enjoy the workshops if this was not the case. I had a few questions that I wanted answers to by the end of this project. One of these was the issue of actually keeping a stream of work coming in. The answer I got was simply,
Clip of answer
This way of working is more of a lifestyle than a job, jobs can turn up when you least expect it, and you can get lots of work but then you get a breather whilst you are between contracts. This flexibility can allow for other resposonibilties in life.
Another challenge is dealing with the participants of the workshop. They all have varying problems although we are not told what they are unless it is essential for their care. The staff who work at Accessible Arts and Media who work on the technical side of things are not trained in this area specifically but pick things up from the people they work with.
This is an aspect of freelancing that previously has made me a little concerned! I like to know everything before I go in to a job, but of course this isn’t possible. After seeing how Shawn and James cope with these problems made it seem so much easier and everything they said made so much sense. If something challenging happens you just deal with it, and this is the same as any other job. I realised that it’s just the same really to work as a freelance, there’s just a few minor differences. It does not seem as frightening as it did before I took on this project. It sounds more and more like a perfect job for me.
This work experience has taught me to see more realistically how I would find work, and that in this area, it is more of a lifestyle than a “job” because people don’t do it for money (per say!) Rather than feeling worried about money so much, I can see that it would be quite exhilarating to depend on yourself to get work and do a different job every few weeks or so. If they are on a project they don’t like it will only be going on for a few weeks or so, and as a freelancer there is always the chance of finding work somewhere else.
Some advice that the Shawn gave me was to volunteer to do work to get your name in people’s heads and then ideally, get paid work after that. Most of the people I spoke to didn’t have an career aim when they started out, they just get work when they can and if they are happy then great, if not then it’s time for a change. For Rose, the general manager of the centre, feels that her career starting up the centre worked really well with her lifestyle. While her kids were growing up it gave her the flexibility that she needed to make time for her children. Over her career she has seen many changes in the people she has worked with and the centre itself. The rewards far out way the lack of financial security.
My attitude towards freelance work has completely changed and as a result I feel much more confident about working in creative capacity. I have been inspired so much by the members of the group and the staff. You cannot help but be touched by their zest for life and now I wonder what on earth I was worrying about. This has been such a positive experience for me and I can’t wait to start my career in the music industry.
