Talking Creative Careers with BBC Bitesize

Recently I joined BBC Tees and Bitesize on the road to deliver three 1-hour careers sessions to secondary school audiences in Teesside.

I ended up speaking to an audience of 950 pupils at Our Lady at St Bede's school, to inspire the next generation to look at careers in the creative industries. This is a subject very close to my heart and so I positively jumped at the opportunity to be involved! It was an exciting day of Q&A and chatting with the kids.

The panel had a ‘Question Time’ style setup featuring a panel of three professionals, including myself. It was hosted brilliantly by Capital Radio presenter, Sarah Story. 

(L-R) Sarah Story, Rianne Thompson, myself and Nina White

The focus was on my career journey and the educational route that formed part of it, so I was asked to talk about my business and show examples of some of the wonderful work I've been lucky enough to be involved in.

I wanted to offer some insight into the world of creative work and hopefully shine a light on at least one route into the world of design and illustration, that many of the young faces in the audience might not have considered. Judging by the feedback I've had from the day, I did a pretty good job of that! All in all, I was truly struck by the maturity of the questions asked by the pupils. 

The empty hall before the students came in

Speaking from my University Experience, I know how inspirational it can be to hear from people who followed their passion and set a business up themselves, but it can be a continual struggle to have confidence in your talents at such a young age. I wanted to assure the pupils that being in Teesside can provide plenty of opportunities to carve a creative career path for yourself. 

Being interviewed was a great opportunity to reflect on my journey. Keep your eyes peeled next week as I'll be sharing a transcript of the Q&As!