Friday 4 December 2015

Thoughts about my Professional Artefact

I have been thinking recently about what the best way to present my artefact would be.  After brainstorming ideas in my journal, I feel a video would be best.  I feel a lot of people use the internet and social media and this would be something that could be shared and accessed easily.

After analysing my data from Practitioner research and Literature, it has become apparent that I have lots of valuable advice I can apply to my own practice and also share with others.

As my inquiry is about how a Freelance Dancer can sustain and maintain an active career, I will be aiming my artefact at other Freelance Dancers in the industry.  I feel my artefact will inform them on this topic and hopefully help them to further their careers.  I also feel this artefact would be useful for graduates and students who are at full time dance colleges and universities who are wanting a career in the dance industry.  I feel it will equip them with the knowledge needed to sustain a dance career as a Freelance Dancer and also give them advice for auditions and an idea of what the industry is like.

I know what it feels like as a Freelance Dancer in the middle of their career to feel a bit lost.  I think most people have had a specific point in their career when they have thought about whether performing is something they want to continue with after a few unsuccessful auditions.  Therefore, I hope my artefact will be a video that they can use as a check list and make sure they are preparing themselves in the best way and motivate them to carry on.  Similarly to Sarah, I feel it will be in the style of a  "Survival Guide" for Freelance Dancers and inform them on how they can survive in such a tough industry.

From my own experience, I feel full time dance colleges train you technically for the industry but don't always provide you with the information and advice in sustaining and maintaining an active career once in the industry.

I am wanting to incorporate some clips from the interviews I have filmed from my employers and other Freelance Dancers and also quotes from the Focus Group and my Literature as well as images to make it grab peoples attention and make it more interesting.

I feel a video like this would have been very valuable to watch when I was at college, so I knew what was expected of me in the "real" world.

I also feel I want to challenge myself during this task and help me to become confident in a new skill.  At the beginning of the course I had never put together a visual and audio clip until task 1c in Module One.  I feel I want to re visit this and put what I have learnt into practice.  I am wanting to make a new showreel soon, as I have realised the importance of a good show reel after carrying out my inquiry and I feel this will be a useful exercise to prepare me and allow me to practice using different programmes in order to create this.  

I would love to know your thoughts on this artefact and whether it is something you would like to watch or whether it was something you would have liked to have seen during your training at dance college?