Critical Incidents

Beth Conti, Design for Art Direction

​No one could have possibly predicted the effect of a global pandemic on not only our work, but our everyday lives. I have found myself trying to enter a job market that is difficult at the best of times, let alone in a time where we are in second national lockdown which has heavily impacted on all industries, especially in the creative fields. 
 
When I started to explore the idea of ‘critical incidents’ in relation to the DPS year, I tried to pinpoint significant points so far by I realised that my critical incident may not be a significant event, but more a lack of significant events. For me and my DPS journey, life has been relatively quiet comparatively to what I am used to. Quiet in the sense of little outside stimulus, my interactions have been drastically reduced to the people and things within my more immediate surroundings. My days revolve around the use of my laptop where I access my contact with the world from the hours of 9-5 on Mondays through till Friday.
 
The significant impact that the global pandemic has had on the number of internships has pushed me to explore outside of my usual remits for work, creative outlets and networking. I started to ask my friends and family for help more than I ever had, and this led to meeting a number of interesting designers and creatives that I don’t think I would have met if it weren’t for the lack of opportunities. One of the opportunities I got from asking for connections was to work with a successful art director as an assistant for a fashion shoot.

Shoot for Amanda Thompson Couture

Getting to work on a project with a versatile group of professionals was really interesting but also fun to have creative contact away from a computer screen. It was also great to see the art director Tracey Jacob working and to witness her process. It was also nice to have an in-person professional interaction for the first time in 7 months, although I knew I would soon be sat back at my laptop.


The reality of this global pandemic is unique for people who are only starting to venture into the world of work this year, as the “normal” for us miles away from those who were working before this point. I like to think that this generation will be ever adapting and transforming to suite whatever it is that they decide to undertake. I also think that a real resilience has been created as I have now grown as comfortable as I possibly can be with the onslaught of rejection letters. The times I struggle is when my application is simply not responded to, it can be quite soul destroying as the endless cover letters take time and energy to produce. But I have definitely grown used to it now which can be no bad thing although I would like to think that if I were in their position, I would send out a rejection letter just to acknowledge the applicant’s efforts and time.

The reality of this global pandemic is unique for people who are only starting to venture into the world of work this year, as the “normal” for us miles away from those who were working before this point. I like to think that this generation will be ever adapting and transforming to suite whatever it is that they decide to undertake. I also think that a real resilience has been created as I have now grown as comfortable as I possibly can be with the onslaught of rejection letters. The times I struggle is when my application is simply not responded to, it can be quite soul destroying as the endless cover letters take time and energy to produce. But I have definitely grown used to it now which can be no bad thing although I would like to think that if I were in their position, I would send out a rejection letter just to acknowledge the applicant’s efforts and time.
 
At the beginning of the DPS year, the group that I was in for the UNIC brief was asked to deliver a more in-depth presentation of our ideas and this was then shortlisted, and our final delivery consisted of a recorded presentation from myself and my other group member. Being able to participate in this project was really good for my productivity as I was starting to lose direction in my day-to-day routines. I was really happy to hear that our project had been awarded first place and definitely brought a sense of achievement and direction to my own practise. 
 
I think that the state that the world is currently in can bring on feeling of dread at times, is this what the working world is going to be like forever? I also don’t think it can do you any good being stuck in the same space physically and mentally without much space to move around in your current situation. I think that this pandemic has made me feel claustrophobic in ways that I have not felt before and more pessimistic than I have even been. There doesn’t seem to be an end to the uncertainty so I think that I will try changing my environment soon to try and break up the rejection emails and lack of work. I need to find somewhere where I still have a network of people, I know but somewhere that isn’t anything like London where I have been stuck since last march. The place that I am aiming for is Hong Kong so that is where I am focusing a good portion of my applications and emails to hoping that I might find a fresh sense of productivity in a new environment. I have not given up on the idea of securing a more long-term internship but for now, I am hoping that juggling my SIP, endless applications and occasional assistant jobs will keep me sustained until then.
 
The idea that there has been a “global reset” is challenging to me simply because I have found myself applying to jobs and internships that still hold strong ideals of pre-pandemic work that, to me, seem extremely difficult to ask of those who have not been within a professional environment before. These ideals that were the normal for us not even 12 months ago, now seem completely outdated. I hope that a post-corona world will birth a new attitude towards work and flexibility surrounding the conditions that we work in. I hope that sick days will be accepted and even encouraged. I hope that there will opportunities to work remotely for those with mobility or travel issues. I hope every type of worker will be respected, whether their job is deemed as ‘essential’ or not.