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Volunteering in Creative Spaces

Using Your Free Time to Add to Your Exhibition Experience

By Kofo AjalaPublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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One of my favourite pastimes has been engaging with creative spaces. Whether it's exhibitions, plays, or crying to Avengers: Infinity War, my university experience has been one seeping with different artistic experiences. Of course, there are many different factors, which have made this a lot easier for me than other students, that would love the chance to do the same. Studying History has meant that I have a lot more free time than other people (I should probably be spending that time studying, but mind your business), and I usually have just enough funds to afford to go to some of these events, or at the very least, prioritise them over other things. With that all being said, something that I've increasingly found myself trying to make the time for is volunteering in creative spaces.

Like I said before, studying History at Bristol has put me in a very fortunate position when it comes to finding creative volunteering opportunities. Not only do I have free time that I can delegate for different activities, but I just happen to live by a lot of creative spaces; both big and small. But, if you do have the time, and love spending time at the cinema, art festivals, and exhibitions alike, I'm going to tell you a few reasons why I think trying to get involved in events of this nature is so worthwhile, if you're a lover of art, and want to get into the industry.

So far, I've volunteered at exhibitions that have lasted an evening, all the way to week-long art festivals, and I have loved every single one. The most obvious reason for that would be that you get to go to all the events FOR FREE. I mean yeah, you have to help set up, and pack back down, but other than that, the rest of your time is literally spent around the art and people who appreciate it as much as you. Volunteering as an usher? You get to sit and watch the film. Invigilating a photo gallery? Setting up a panel discussion? You can participate. You get to discuss the art with drunk old middle-class women, and maybe have a drink, or five, yourself. You're basically giving up an hour or two of your time in exchange for access to the same event people paid money to attend.

Also, a lot of creative events try to incentivise volunteering with something. Sometimes its free food, free stuff, or event money for travel or food expenses. Of course, a lot of people can't really afford to dedicate an evening for every day of the week, and only get a fiver at the end of it all. But if you currently aren't working, and just want to earn some petty cash in a way that you'd love, then you should really consider it. Not only that, but it's an easy way to get some experience to put on a CV, when getting long term work in a museum or gallery is really competitive. So, it may not seem valuable now, but can become extremely valuable later down the line, if the creative industry is what you're into.

Finally, it's a great way to network in the creative industry. If you do a good job, you will probably be remembered, and it will be easier to work with them again and get some more experience! Beyond that, you might meet some more like-minded people that can really put you on to some great opportunities to develop your own skills. You might even end up being a massive help in someone else's journey, which is also just really gratifying in and of itself. Hopefully, someone's reading this right now and might actually consider it. Maybe I'm just talking to thin air right now. But, if you're interested in volunteering in and are currently in Bristol, you can add yourself to the mailing list for multiple venues across Bristol here.

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About the Creator

Kofo Ajala

University of Bristol student giving you all my opinions you definitely didn’t ask for

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