So now it has come down to the style of the CV you submit.
Since moving to Poole I’ve struggled to create any kind of income. Although I’ve met with a local arts organisation and the council I haven’t been able to gain any paid work as an artist. They are happy for me to volunteer and do unpaid work, but there are very few paid opportunities. ‘The Council has no designated budget for new public art projects’ from the Arts Strategy for Poole (there is no date on this document, but the Joint Arts Plan for Bournemouth and Poole is for 2004-2007).
In the meantime bills have to be paid and I need to eat so I have been applying for any and every part time job in the area. In cafe’s, shops, offices, factories everywhere. I am continiously rejected but this mornings reason took the biscuit. The empoyer didn’t like the style of my CV. Not the content, my experience or anything else but just the way I had used a table to display my work experience. And just to add insult to injury the job was a part-time minimum wage, short term contract answering phone calls.
Where do I go from here? Today I’ve spoken to two artists in Yorkshire and one in Nottingham who are also struggling to find work. Maybe I should just focus on the MA do some volunteering and see what happens. I doubt that I’ll starve. Life is tough but not in danger.
