Students

Jennifer Picken has been working with a-n since her MFA studies at Newcastle University, and continues her role in the Communications and Partnerships team working remotely from Amsterdam – where she has a studio. Here she maps her alternative working routes through undergraduate study, from volunteering to mentoring and beyond.

It took me a few years to decide that being an artist was what I definitely wanted to do, there were lots of failed attempts at studying courses in Anthropology, Psychology, English Literature, Biology etc. I was one of those kids; or rather I still am one of those people, who is fascinated by everything in life, with a hunger for knowledge. I couldn’t do all of these simultaneously, and it took me a while to go through the list and realise that I was destined for art. And it was only when I was fully immersed (by the 2nd year of my BA) that I realised that I could still have all of those things in my life. That is the beauty about being an artist; your research can lead into many interesting and varied subjects. My practice has enabled me to learn and continue to learn about previously attempted studentships, and discover new skills along the way.

Being an artist involves wearing the hat of many roles; from researcher, writer, curator, teacher. You also have to master the skills of different trades in order to produce work. I’ve learnt how to wallpaper, how to plaster walls, and gained skills in joinery, welding, under-floor heating installation, plumbing, candy/toffee making, cake decorating and how one waxes legs with sugar, water and lemon juice… the list goes on.

I did my BA at the University of Wolverhampton from 2004 to 2007. The place was more of a small town, than a supposed ‘city’ and I was disappointed by the lack of community I felt as an artist living there. But for all my disdain, I did make the most of my time there, and I am eternally grateful for the support from tutors, technicians and the university. The university helped with projects that we wanted to do, funding our periodical art magazine, and providing financial and technical assistance for an exhibition I wanted to curate. They also acted as facilitators for galleries who would visit the studios from time to time and select works to exhibit.

I learnt that in order to take advantage of these opportunities one had to be present in the studio, not hide away at home, and unveil your masterpiece at the last minute like some students were fond of doing. The transition from solitary bedroom artist to studio artist was the first barrier to break during my studies, and an important one to register in order to transgress those comfort boundaries that we tend to cling to.

My BA really showed me what it was to be an artist, more than just making a visual object: the need for becoming involved in lots of different aspects as my function as an artist, and how these various roles enabled me to reflect on my work in new ways. I threw myself into any opportunity that presented itself, and sought more. I volunteered at various galleries, performance festivals, and events. At Fierce! Festival, I found myself working dumbstruck with artists that made my feet tingle, but this inspired me to try to become more confident, and overcome my vision of them as some higher persona. I went to Amsterdam to volunteer at an underground arts festival beneath the city in the bowels of the earth. I spent a summer working with young people making videos and art; this in turn developed into paid work the following summer and a full time job once I finished my studies.

Volunteering gives an employer the opportunity to see that you are reliable, trustworthy, and capable to carry out the job, it gives you valuable experience, transferable skills, training and a chance to develop important peer networks. Most of my volunteer assignments took me on to further opportunities, be it more exciting work or paid positions. My weekly internship at Workplace gallery in Gateshead for instance, presented me with the opportunity to work for a month at the Venice Biennale in 2009! In the third year of my BA I became a student mentor, which I found utterly nerve racking, and a real test of my confidence: especially having to mentor someone who was a lot older and wiser than me. But it was an immensely valuable experience, it taught me how to adapt to the situation, find my feet and still (hopefully) offer some useful advice.

I think, as an artist, you really have to utilise all of your skills and apply these different functions in order to keep afloat, and maintain a practice alongside life’s other commitments. For me it’s always been important to ensure my employment career has remained within the arts. The experience and knowledge I gained from volunteering has helped me to keep within this framework, and shown me early on the necessary skills to juggle several things at once.

Read Jennifer's Artist talking blog 'Prefix - Poly' »
Find out more about Jennifer's artist work at jenniferpicken.wordpress.com »

Jennifer Picken

Jennifer Picken is an ordinary girl by day, and an art maker (like a shoemaker, with elves), storyteller, spry spy, and illusionist/delusionist underneath the cloak of dusk (nightfall being past my bedtime).

info@jenniferpicken.co.uk

First published: a-n.co.uk January 2012