Arts Temps stories: Ana Blumenkron balancing work life and art doing

Written by Ana Blumenkron, MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography, London College of Communication.

At this point, you could say I am an Arts Temps regular. While I write this text I am currently enrolled in 5 different job roles with the platform. Let me explain.

My name is Ana Blumenkron. I am a Mexican visual artist and recent graduate from MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at London College of Communication (LCC), looking to navigate my art-making and money-making. Everything started when I heard a guest lecture by LCC alumni who mentioned Arts Temps.

At the time I was working part-time at a shoe shop as a sales assistant. When looking for work in the UK, if you don’t have any UK-based experience you can often find employers reluctant to consider you as a candidate. No one seems to care much for qualifications such as attending the best University in Mexico or working with Vogue Mexico and Latin America, I often found that I needed experience with a UK employer to be seriously considered.

My Arts Temps journey started when the pandemic first hit

After being made redundant from the shoe shop I logged into Arts Temps and got my first job as the Student Changemaker of the Photography Department at LCC. The work involved making the University a more welcoming and compassionate place for all students and members of staff, helping to tackle racism within UAL. We developed the Decolonizing Wikipedia Network, a programme that supports students and staff to become Wikipedia editors and creators to increase the visibility of under-represented and marginalised figures. This programme has just been recognised by Wikimedia UK. You could say I started strong, and the role gave me a sense of purpose and lifeline during the difficult times of trying to find work.

Then I became the interim Post-Grad Community Liaison Coordinator, where I’ve had the exciting opportunity to create content intended to promote the amazing postgraduate student community of UAL. The platform shares the creativity of students and alumni through social media, an online magazine, and a newsletter.

I am currently also the Photo Editor and Social Media Manager of 23 Magazine, a partnership between the Southwark Council and LCC to promote the arts and culture of the borough. The project culminated in a print magazine including various talented photographers and institutions such as Tate Modern. Additionally, I am curating a collection of the Graduate Showcase looking at themes of gender identity and feminism, and just yesterday I photographed the live Graduate Showcase of London College of Fashion, leading to my images being included in different magazines and media.

Have I looked for job roles outside Arts Temps? Yes. Have I landed a permanent one? No

I feel like I am gaining a stronger CV, making connections, transferring my skills into something practical, and money-making while keeping myself creative. This flexibility allows me to have both stability in my work life, but also the opportunity to work on my freelance photography jobs and art practice.

Currently, I am photographing a TV show as a Still/Unit Photographer. Being able to manage self-employment while having a steady income, gaining work experience, getting paid above London Living Wage overall makes me feel grateful. I would rather be doing something fun and creative that is actually contributing a wealth of experience to my UK portfolio than going back to the shoe shop, where my creativity was stilted. I have the freedom and time to work on my art and produce exhibitions thanks to the opportunities provided by Arts Temps - so let's keep the programme rolling!

Related Links:

• Follow Ana on Instagram.
• See more of Ana's work.
• Visit Ana's exhibition "A Question of When"
• Learn more about the Changemakers.
• Learn more about Decolonising Wikipedia Network.
• Learn more about 23 Magazine.
• Find a job through Arts Temps.

Post-Grad Stories

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