‘Graphic design and advertising are not separate disciplines but have always been intertwined. Graphic design provides capitalism with the ideas, images, and aesthetics to keep increasing demand.’ (Pater, 2021)
As an illustrator, I tend to feel like an imposter applying for graphic design jobs where designing corporate identities that will probably be rebranded in a year is one’s bread and butter. The art of graphic design still has a real purpose in the world but the profession feels like it has been reduced to the experience of being emailed at 9 pm for urgent reworkings on a laundry detergent ad that will most likely be ignored by most of the people it’s targeted at (this may or may not have happened to me).
‘Graphic design and advertising are not separate disciplines but have always been intertwined. Graphic design provides capitalism with the ideas, images, and aesthetics to keep increasing demand.’ (Pater, 2021)
As an illustrator, I tend to feel like an imposter applying for graphic design jobs where designing corporate identities that will probably be rebranded in a year is one’s bread and butter. The art of graphic design still has a real purpose in the world but the profession feels like it has been reduced to the experience of being emailed at 9 pm for urgent reworkings on a laundry detergent ad that will most likely be ignored by most of the people it’s targeted at (this may or may not have happened to me).
‘Graphic design and advertising are not separate disciplines but have always been intertwined. Graphic design provides capitalism with the ideas, images, and aesthetics to keep increasing demand.’
(Pater, 2021)
As an illustrator, I tend to feel like an imposter applying for graphic design jobs where designing corporate identities that will probably be rebranded in a year is one’s bread and butter. The art of graphic design still has a real purpose in the world but the profession feels like it has been reduced to the experience of being emailed at 9 pm for urgent reworkings on a laundry detergent ad that will most likely be ignored by most of the people it’s targeted at (this may or may not have happened to me).
This is the part where I try to remind myself why I like being creative. In their video
‘7 Deadly Art Sins’, CJ the X likens the sin
of pride to the fetishisation of art and the conflation of pretentiousness with authenticity. We are under the impression that art is something that 'special people' do and not just something inherently human. ‘You don’t sing because you’re “A Singer”. You sing because you’re a person.’
This is the part where I try to remind myself why I like being creative. In their video
‘7 Deadly Art Sins’, CJ the X likens the sin of pride to the fetishisation of art and the conflation of pretentiousness
with authenticity. We are under the impression that art is something that 'special people'
do and not just something inherently human. ‘You don’t sing because you’re “A Singer”. You sing because you’re a person.’
This is the part where I try to remind myself why I like being creative. In their video ‘7 Deadly Art Sins’, CJ the X likens the sin of pride to the fetishisation of art and the conflation of pretentiousness with authenticity. We are under the impression that art is something that 'special people' do and not just something inherently human. ‘You don’t sing because you’re “A Singer”. You sing because you’re a person.’
Humans saw this and invented microsoft outlook.
Humans saw this and invented microsoft outlook.
Humans saw this and invented microsoft outlook.
A lot of us are afraid of seeming like we’re trying too hard or coming across like every white man with an oil-stick that thinks he’s the next Basquiat, while people that are actually pretentious by definition would be more concerned with ego, status, and prestige than excitement for their craft.
A lot of us are afraid of seeming like we’re trying too hard or coming across like every white man with an oil-stick that thinks he’s the next Basquiat, while people that are actually pretentious by definition would be more concerned with ego, status, and prestige than excitement for their craft.
A lot of us are afraid of seeming like we’re trying too hard or coming across like every white man with an oil-stick that thinks he’s the next Basquiat, while people that are actually pretentious by definition would be more concerned with ego, status, and prestige than excitement for their craft.
Social media - ever the thief of joy – has turned creating and sharing art
into a marketing campaign. The trying not to care too much is coupled
with the stress of creating a brand for yourself, making and posting work consistently and appeasing Al Gore’s rhythm. Attention is lucrative and it’s difficult to take the whole thing seriously while viewing a bottomless brunch post right next to infographics about war crimes.
Social media - ever the thief of joy – has turned creating and sharing art into a marketing campaign. The trying not to care too much is coupled with the stress of creating a brand for yourself, making and posting work consistently and appeasing Al Gore’s rhythm. Attention is lucrative and it’s difficult to take the whole thing seriously while viewing a bottomless brunch post right next to infographics about war crimes.
Social media - ever the thief of joy – has turned creating and sharing art into a marketing campaign. The trying not to care too much is coupled with the stress of creating a brand for yourself, making and posting work consistently and appeasing Al Gore’s rhythm. Attention is lucrative and it’s difficult to take the whole thing seriously while viewing a bottomless brunch post right next to infographics about war crimes.
An essay by Ismatu Gwendolyn titled ‘the role of the artist is to load the gun’ helped me make sense of my rage a bit. They insist that art-making is
world-making is truth-telling, that through art we can tell as well as shape truths about the world. Art made by the elite is designed to detach us from reality. ‘It is so difficult to feel anything when you are drugged out all the time. Most of the art around us builds a world that detaches us from our usable truths.’ Celebrity art-making may cosplay solidarity while maintaining status quo and cultivating just enough relatability that we let them keep their platforms. But we have more agency to use art to communicate truths and create worlds than we allow ourselves to believe.
An essay by Ismatu Gwendolyn titled ‘the role of the artist is to load the gun’ helped me make sense of my rage a bit. They insist that art-making is world-making is truth-telling, that through art we can tell as well as shape truths about the world. Art made by the elite is designed to detach us from reality. ‘It is so difficult to feel anything when you are drugged out all the time. Most of the art around us builds a world that detaches us from our usable truths.’ Celebrity art-making may cosplay solidarity while maintaining status quo and cultivating just enough relatability that we let them keep their platforms. But we have more agency to use art to communicate truths and create worlds than we allow ourselves to believe.
An essay by Ismatu Gwendolyn titled ‘the role of the artist is to load the gun’ helped me make sense of my rage a bit. They insist that art-making is world-making is truth-telling, that through art we can tell as well as shape truths about the world. Art made by the elite is designed to detach us from reality. ‘It is so difficult to feel anything when you are drugged out all the time. Most of the art around us builds a world that detaches us from our usable truths.’ Celebrity art-making may cosplay solidarity while maintaining status quo and cultivating just enough relatability that we let them keep their platforms. But we have more agency to use art to communicate truths and create worlds than we allow ourselves to believe.
The forced hopeful note I’m ending on is a promise to keep being sincere, making ‘bad’ art and being silly in a political way till the day I write my last cover letter.
Best regards,
kaavya
The forced hopeful note I’m ending on is a promise to keep being sincere, making ‘bad’ art and doing silliness in a political way till the day I write my last cover letter.
Best regards,
kaavya
The forced hopeful note I’m ending on is a promise to keep being sincere, making ‘bad’ art and doing silliness in a political way till the day I write my last cover letter.
Best regards,
kaavya
references:
[1] Ghost Job Listings in the UK, Andrew Fennell, 2023
[2] Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: A Data Report, 2021-2022, Arts Council England
[3] Regional ethnic diversity report, 2022
[4] Job hunting in the creative industry while autistic, Lylani Devorah, 2021
[5] CAPSLOCK, How capitalism took hold of graphic design, and how to escape from it, Ruben Pater, 2021
[6] 7 Deadly Art Sins - CJ the X, 2022
[7] the role of the artist is to load the gun, Ismatu Gwendolyn, 2024
references:
[1] Ghost Job Listings in the UK, Andrew Fennell, 2023
[2] Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: A Data Report, 2021-2022, Arts Council England
[3] Regional ethnic diversity report, 2022
[4] Job hunting in the creative industry while autistic, Lylani Devorah, 2021
[5] CAPSLOCK, How capitalism took hold of graphic design, and how to escape from it, Ruben Pater, 2021
[6] 7 Deadly Art Sins - CJ the X, 2022
[7] the role of the artist is to load the gun, Ismatu Gwendolyn, 2024
references:
[1] Ghost Job Listings in the UK, Andrew Fennell, 2023
[2] Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: A Data Report, 2021-2022, Arts Council England
[3] Regional ethnic diversity report, 2022
[4] Job hunting in the creative industry while autistic, Lylani Devorah, 2021
[5] CAPSLOCK, How capitalism took hold of graphic design, and how to escape from it, Ruben Pater, 2021
[6] 7 Deadly Art Sins - CJ the X, 2022
[7] the role of the artist is to load the gun, Ismatu Gwendolyn, 2024
art, what is it good for?
art, what is it good for?
art, what is it good for?
I’m starting to believe I’ll never be cut out
for a creative career for two reasons,
(a) I’m not good at lying and (b) I don’t care about being famous. I’ve probably introduced myself to hundreds of people this year and,
while everyone is typically nice to talk to in creative spaces and it’s useful learning about people's work, it has resulted in my social
battery being perpetually drained.
I’m starting to believe I’ll never be cut out for a creative career for two reasons, (a) I’m not good at lying and (b)
I don’t care about being famous. I’ve probably introduced myself to hundreds of people this year and, while everyone is typically nice to talk to in creative spaces and it’s useful learning about people's work, it has resulted in my social battery being perpetually drained. But a majority of jobs are filled through networking so there’s really no way around it and the extent of my experience in doing this is awkwardly exchanging Instagram handles at chaotic exhibitions.
I’m starting to believe I’ll never be cut out for a creative career for two reasons,
(a) I’m not good at lying and (b) I don’t care about being famous. I’ve probably introduced myself to hundreds of people this year and, while everyone is typically nice to talk to in creative spaces and it’s useful learning about people's work, it has resulted in my social battery being perpetually drained. But a majority of jobs are filled through networking so there’s really no way around it and the extent of my experience in doing this is awkwardly exchanging Instagram handles at chaotic exhibitions.
But a majority of jobs are filled through networking so there’s really no way around it and the extent of my experience in doing this is awkwardly exchanging Instagram handles at chaotic exhibitions.
The autistic experience is having to repeatedly learn the hard way when people say one thing in social interactions but mean another. A lot of advice on what goes into cover letters and job application forms and interviews involves playing pretend to up-sell yourself. "Ever since I was a young girl I’ve been obsessed with sales through service (whatever that means)!" For the most part it is just a matter of acting like a mentally well-adjusted member of society for a 30-minute interview, but it gets particularly difficult when it goes beyond that and there is something about the company or what the role entails that you fundamentally disagree with and you’re forced to throw away your belief systems/politics for a job.
The autistic experience is having to repeatedly learn the hard way when people say one thing in social interactions but mean another. A lot of advice on what goes into cover letters and job application forms and interviews involves playing pretend to up-sell yourself. "Ever since I was a young girl I’ve been obsessed with sales through service (whatever that means)!" For the most part it is just a matter of acting like a mentally well-adjusted member of society for a 30-minute interview, but it gets particularly difficult when it goes beyond that and there is something about the company or what the role entails that you fundamentally disagree with and you’re forced to throw away your belief systems/politics for a job.
The autistic experience is having to repeatedly learn the hard way when people say one thing in social interactions but mean another. A lot of advice on what goes into cover letters and job application forms and interviews involves playing pretend to up-sell yourself. "Ever since I was a young girl I’ve been obsessed with sales through service (whatever that means)!" For the most part it is just a matter of acting like a mentally well-adjusted member of society for a 30-minute interview, but it gets particularly difficult when it goes beyond that and there is something about the company or what the role entails that you fundamentally disagree with and you’re forced to throw away your belief systems/politics for a job.
If you’ll allow me to whine for a second – it also feels frustrating to keep seeing posts, talks, and events in the art world about community, access and care but not seeing the application of the same irl (I suppose I am temporarily reminded this isn’t entirely true every time I go to protests, workshops, or meet ups where
it is clear a lot of people do care).
If you’ll allow me to whine for a second – it also feels frustrating to keep seeing posts, talks, and events in the art world about community, access and care but not seeing the application of the same irl (I suppose I am temporarily reminded this isn’t entirely true every time I
go to protests, workshops, or meet ups where it is clear
a lot of people do care).
If you’ll allow me to whine for a second –
it also feels frustrating to keep seeing posts, talks, and events in the art world about community, access and care but not seeing the application of the same irl
(I suppose I am temporarily reminded this isn’t entirely true every time I go to protests, workshops, or meet ups where it
is clear a lot of people do care).
Most large art institutions, however, put out neat eloquent statements about
the importance of championing diversity, inclusion and accessibility but, unsurprisingly, do not practise what they preach and often fund or are funded by unethical companies much like corporations being involved in pride parades (like Big Tesco threw the first brick at Stonewall).
Most large art institutions, however, put out neat eloquent statements about the importance of championing diversity, inclusion and accessibility but, unsurprisingly, do not practise what they preach and often fund or are funded by unethical companies much like corporations being involved in pride parades (like Big Tesco threw the first brick at Stonewall).
Most large art institutions, however, put out neat eloquent statements about the importance of championing diversity, inclusion and accessibility but, unsurprisingly, do not practise what they preach and often fund or are funded by unethical companies much like corporations being involved in pride parades (like Big Tesco threw the first brick at Stonewall).
Over a year of constant communication about the genocide in Gaza and all other flavours of fuckery by the western empire over both the global south and its own citizens, has been a real litmus test for friends, colleagues, companies, in understanding who to trust. It gets depressing witnessing peers from school or university turn into LinkedIn zombies and find success by working for or aligning themselves with companies/brands/people that are problematic or profiting from death and destruction. I have had conversations with several queer and/or neurodivergent peers that have voiced the fear that it might be impossible to put aside our morals no matter the degree of desperation and unemployment.
Over a year of constant communication about the genocide in Gaza and all other flavours of fuckery by the western empire over both the global south and its own citizens, has been a real litmus test for friends, colleagues, companies, in understanding who to trust. It gets depressing witnessing peers from school or university turn into LinkedIn zombies and find success by working for or aligning themselves with companies/brands/people that are problematic or profiting from death and destruction.
I have had conversations with several queer and/or neurodivergent peers that have voiced the fear that it might be impossible to put aside our morals no matter the degree of desperation and unemployment.
Over a year of constant communication about the genocide in Gaza and all other flavours of fuckery by the western empire over both the global south and its own citizens, has been a real litmus test for friends, colleagues, companies, in understanding who to trust. It gets depressing witnessing peers from school or university turn into LinkedIn zombies and find success by working for or aligning themselves with companies/ brands/people that are problematic or profiting from death and destruction. I have had conversations with several queer and/or neurodivergent peers that have voiced the fear that it might be impossible to put aside our morals no matter the degree of desperation and unemployment.
the yapping industrial complex
the yapping industrial complex
the yapping industrial complex
Every time I open social media, my personalized algorithm shows me rants and horror stories of young people's job hunt experiences – people with degrees knocking on doors for minimum wage jobs, hundreds of applications, several rounds of interviews, only for most to be ghosted by employers, at best receiving automated rejections or at worst being forced to do unpaid assignments and having offers be retracted because the employers decided they aren’t hiring for that role anymore.
Every time I open social media, my personalized algorithm shows me rants and horror stories of young people's job hunt experiences – people with degrees knocking on doors for minimum wage jobs, hundreds of applications, several rounds of interviews, only for most to be ghosted by employers, at best receiving automated rejections or at worst being forced to do unpaid assignments and having offers be retracted because the employers decided they aren’t hiring for that role anymore.
Every time I open social media, my personalized algorithm shows me rants and horror stories of young people's job hunt experiences – people with degrees knocking on doors for minimum wage jobs, hundreds of applications, several rounds of interviews, only for most to be ghosted by employers, at best receiving automated rejections or at worst being forced to do unpaid assignments and having offers be retracted because the employers decided they aren’t hiring for that role anymore.
There’s of course the age-old experience paradox - you don’t have enough experience for a job but you need a job in order to get experience. Simultaneously there is pressure to keep oneself occupied with things like upskilling, volunteering, freelance work, passion projects, and networking so it doesn’t come across like you were doing 'nothing' while unemployed even though applying for jobs can feel like a full-time commitment.
There’s of course the age-old experience paradox - you don’t have enough experience for a job but you need a job in order to get experience. Simultaneously there is pressure to keep oneself occupied with things like upskilling, volunteering, freelance work, passion projects, and networking so it doesn’t come across like you were doing 'nothing' while unemployed even though applying for jobs can feel like a full-time commitment.
There’s of course the age-old experience
paradox - you don’t have enough experience for a job but you need a job in order to get experience. Simultaneously there is pressure to keep oneself occupied with things like upskilling, volunteering, freelance work, passion projects, and networking so it doesn’t come across like you were doing 'nothing' while unemployed even though applying for jobs can feel like a full-time commitment.
Every application also ends with a survey
for identifiers like ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, economic background, disability etc. It is uncertain what this data is used for and if answering these questions honestly works in your favour or against you.
It is additionally tricky when you’re on the time limit of a visa but want to avoid scaring away companies that cannot afford to sponsor foreign employees.
Every application also ends with a survey for identifiers like ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, economic background, disability etc. It is uncertain what this data is used for and if answering these questions honestly works in your favour or against you. It is additionally tricky when you’re on the time limit of a visa but want to avoid scaring away companies that cannot afford to sponsor foreign employees.
Every application also ends with a survey
for identifiers like ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, economic background, disability etc. It is uncertain what this data is used for and if answering these questions honestly works in your favour or against you. It is additionally tricky when you’re on the time limit of a visa but want to avoid scaring away companies that cannot afford to sponsor foreign employees.
In fear of this article turning into a rant with no substance, I did some cursory research to back up the job hunt woes of me and my peers. In 2023, nearly half the listings on popular job boards were ‘ghost jobs’ - with software engineering, graphic design, and, weirdly, veterinarian nurse jobs being most notorious for this in the UK[1]. These are non-existent jobs either posted by employers to seem like they are actively hiring (and therefore slaying financially), or to build a candidate pool for the future, or they’re posts recruiters simply forgot to take down. Apart from jobs found directly through the organizations’ websites or certain arts-specific job boards, it is difficult to gauge which listings are ‘fake’ other than the fact that they have been up for more than 30 days. Another way of finding out is getting a rejection in your inbox 10 minutes after submitting the application. It's starting to feel like Indeed is just a sleazy guy pimping out our data in a dark alleyway to advertisers and companies.
In fear of this article turning into a rant with no substance,
I did some cursory research to back up the job hunt woes of me and my peers. In 2023, nearly half the listings on popular job boards were ‘ghost jobs’ - with software engineering, graphic design, and, weirdly, veterinarian nurse jobs being most notorious for this in the UK[1]. These are non-existent jobs either posted by employers to seem like they are actively hiring (and therefore slaying financially),
or to build a candidate pool for the future, or they’re posts recruiters simply forgot to take down. Apart from jobs found directly through the organizations’ websites or certain arts-specific job boards, it is difficult to gauge which listings are ‘fake’ other than the fact that they have been up for more than 30 days. Another way of finding out is getting a rejection in your inbox 10 minutes after submitting the application. It's starting to feel like Indeed is just a sleazy guy pimping out our data in a dark alleyway to advertisers and companies.
In fear of this article turning into a rant with no substance, I did some cursory research to back up the job hunt woes of me and my peers. In 2023, nearly half the listings on popular job boards were ‘ghost jobs’ - with software engineering, graphic design, and, weirdly, veterinarian nurse jobs being most notorious for this in the UK[1]. These are non-existent jobs either posted by employers to seem like they are actively hiring (and therefore slaying financially), or to build a candidate pool for the future, or they’re posts recruiters simply forgot to take down. Apart from jobs found directly through the organizations’ websites or certain arts-specific job boards, it is difficult to gauge which listings are ‘fake’ other than the fact that they have been up for more than 30 days. Another way of finding out is getting a rejection in your inbox 10 minutes after submitting the application. It's starting to feel like Indeed is just a sleazy guy pimping out our data in a dark alleyway to advertisers and companies.
While most organisations tout the importance of diversity and inclusion in their workplace, most spaces in the creative industry continue to remain overwhelmingly white. Arts Council England’s 2022 report on equality, diversity and inclusion found that only 20% of the workforce of London-based organisations were Black, Asian or ethnically diverse, when 46.2% of the working-age population in London is non-white[3]. More and more companies have also started using artificial intelligence and ATS (applicant tracking system) software in their recruitment processes to make things more convenient, particularly for interviews where candidates can answer automated questions in front of a camera without another person present. However, AI video interview software like HireVue tend to be biased, with neurodivergent traits like less eye contact or monotone speech being seen as unfavourable.[4] With as many articles and reports as there are about employer malpractice, there is no accountability for the same and the only suggestions are to just work around these things and tap into the ‘hidden job market’ - aka rub elbows with influential people.
While most organisations tout the importance of diversity and inclusion in their workplace, most spaces in the creative industry continue to remain overwhelmingly white. Arts Council England’s 2022 report on equality, diversity and inclusion found that only 20% of the workforce of London-based organisations were Black, Asian or ethnically diverse, when 46.2% of the working-age population in London is non-white[3]. More and more companies have also started using artificial intelligence and ATS (applicant tracking system) software in their recruitment processes to make things more convenient, particularly for interviews where candidates can answer automated questions in front of a camera without another person present. However, AI video interview software like HireVue tend to be biased, with neurodivergent traits like less eye contact or monotone speech being seen as unfavourable.[4] With as many articles and reports as there are about employer malpractice, there is no accountability for the same and the only suggestions are to just work around these things and tap into the ‘hidden job market’ - aka rub elbows with influential people.
While most organisations tout the importance of diversity and inclusion in their workplace, most spaces in the creative industry continue to remain overwhelmingly white. Arts Council England’s 2022 report on equality, diversity and inclusion found that only 20% of the workforce of London-based organisations were Black, Asian or ethnically diverse, when 46.2% of the working-age population in London is non-white[3]. More and more companies have also started using artificial intelligence and ATS (applicant tracking system) software in their recruitment processes to make things more convenient, particularly for interviews where candidates can answer automated questions in front of a camera without another person present. However, AI video interview software like HireVue tend to be biased, with neurodivergent traits like less eye contact or monotone speech being seen as unfavorable.[4] With as many articles and reports as there are about employer malpractice, there is no accountability for the same and the only suggestions are to just work around these things and tap into the ‘hidden job market’ - aka rub elbows with influential people.
ruben pater, 2021
ruben pater, 2021
wendy williams making a point
ghost jobs and automated hell
ghost jobs and automated hell
ghost jobs and automated hell
forgor where i found
this clip sorry
This article discusses the state of the 2020s job market as well as diversity and access in western creative industries, and navigating the same as
a brown, neurodivergent lesbian that makes silly little cartoons - sprinkled with carefully curated memes to convey feelings I was unable to express in words. It's multidisciplinary.
This article discusses the state of the 2020s job market as well as diversity and access in western creative industries, and navigating the same as a brown, neurodivergent lesbian that makes silly little cartoons - sprinkled with carefully curated memes to convey feelings I was unable to express in words. It's multidisciplinary.
This article discusses the state of
the 2020s job market as well as diversity and access in western creative industries, and navigating the same as a brown, neurodivergent lesbian that makes silly little cartoons - sprinkled with carefully curated memes to convey feelings I was unable to express in words. It's multidisciplinary.
if you're reading this, hire me
if you're reading this, hire me
if you're reading this, hire me
a semi-rant on job hunting in the creative industry
a semi-rant on job hunting in the creative industry
a semi-rant on job hunting
in the creative industry
