The beauty of the unknown

Francesca Adani
Illustration and Visual Media
 
I think nowadays design plays a crucial role in society; indeed, creativity is considered the most important leadership quality by most employers because it triumphs over other characteristics. Creative leaders are comfortable with ambiguity and experimentation and they lead and interact in entirely new ways, to connect with and inspire a new generation.
Over the past several years, we have seen a rising emphasis on design to help us deal with an increasingly complex world.
 
I’ve always considered myself as a creative individual, so when it came to choose what I wanted to study at university I knew it was art & design. However, during the past 2 years, I’ve always had some doubts, wondering if I made the right decision. 
Since the start of my first internship here in London, I’ve realized that I had made the right choice because I like my job and I know this is what I want to do, even though I’m just an intern!
I’m glad I decided to take part in the DPS program because for the first time I realised what is it like to work in the design world.
I feel like my ambitions have changed so much during the past few months, at first all I wanted to do was a finding placement in London, but now I want to travel, work in different places, work on my projects and learn new things. 
I’m happy where I am now because I have an internship that I like, and I already have another one lined up after this. 
However, arriving at this stage wasn’t easy.
I’ve spent months wondering if I would ever find a job, but you know things happen at the moment you stop looking for them…
 
I started applying for an internship at the beginning of May and believed me I think I’ve sent about 50 application before finding the internship I have now. 
It was very stressful, so many people don’t even bother replying to you, and the ones that do reply are probably going to reject you.
I think what was very hard for me was the fact that there aren’t that many illustration internships as the majority of employers look for graphic design interns. Therefore, since I didn’t have enough graphic design examples in my portfolio to apply for a graphic design position, I missed a lot of potential jobs. 
Any advice I could give to anyone studying illustration is to start including text in the works they create, so at least you can show potential employers how you deal with images and text together.
 
The place I’m working right now it’s called Partcile6Productions, it’s a company that creates mainly video for the BBC. When I got offered the position, I was very reluctant on accepting it because I didn’t think I would fit in the work that the company does, plus it was not a paid. However, this was the only job I found after 50 applications, so I decided to accept it and I signed a contract for one month.
I’m very glad I decided to join this company because they made me work on so many important projects. I had the opportunity to do to both graphic design works and more illustration ones. I also had the opportunity to be on set during filming. 
It’s been such a great experience that made me improve my skills. I really thought I was not going to like it, but it was the opposite. 
Certainly, I’ve learned to consider every opportunity I’m offered because you never know how it is going to be like.
 
After finding the internship I have now I kept sending applications, and after about other 20, I’ve found another placement.
It a graphic design/art direction internship in Berlin for 4 months. The company it’s an advertising agency called Dieckertschmidt. 
I never thought I would be going to Germany, but I concluded that I was limiting myself in finding placement just in London, so I started applying everywhere.
I’m very excited about this placement in Berlin as I’m very interested in art direction and advertising.
 
Next week is going to be my last week here in London, after I’ll move back to Italy for a month to work on a self-initiated project, and then Berlin in November.