The Future Academy: POV Diaries – Tia

24 November 2022

Q: What made you want to apply for the opportunity and how does it tie into your current or future career plans?

A: I had been looking for an entry point to gain some experience in the publishing industry since my interests lie at the intersection between music, fashion and culture. I felt my previous creative work experience had always fallen strictly in one of either of those categories, instead of allowing me to apply a variation of my skillset – so I knew a fashion publication would be an ideal environment to incubate my skills.

The Face of course does a great job at covering the cutting-edge in an uncensored and holistic way. My future plans are in flux, as is life, but I’m aiming for something in the direction of consultancy or journalism; this programme itself is allowing me to learn where I feel best suited.

Q: Walk us through the application process, what was it like? Were any parts challenging and if so how did you overcome them?

A: The main application question asked, 'what does the future of creativity look like to you?' which is a super expansive question and could be interpreted in so many ways. I wanted to focus on talking about a revival of intrinsic values in creative spaces moving forward, one that ensures nepotism and elitism doesn't disable the path of future creatives to come.

I was worried this response wasn’t ‘personal’ enough, however, so I was going to make it more anecdotal, but I kept to the original. I was informed a week after that I was going to be interviewed with given some preparation questions, which of course I went over a hundred times.

Both interviews were pretty casual. The interviewers had reviewed my CV and portfolio and were excited to speak to me about what I’m interested in and what I want to do. One of my friends once told me that every interview is free education, and this encounter matched that description. I find interviewing empowering as I enjoy the mental table tennis that comes with talking about your work and your career aspirations.

Q: Tell us about your favourite project you’ve worked on and what makes it stand out for you?

A: I really loved the Tate X Uniqlo private view that our team curated in July. This was the first curated art event I had supported. Programming an event around existing art calls for a lot of creative problem-solving to connect the themes of the art to the event space for the evening. I think the uncertainty of whether the event would be received well drove me to think about how every detail would impact the evening. Fortunately, it was a full house! And Tate’s Young People's Programme staff was incredibly supportive and guided me through everything I needed help with.

Q: What are some of the key learnings you've taken from the opportunity?

A: You've gotta be self-initiated, listen intently and ask loads of questions! I think being self-motivated is really important in a mentorship/internship position as you can really maximise your experience by integrating yourself in positions you want to see yourself in. Reach out to people that are in roles you’re keen on and don’t be afraid to ask about their career journey or how they got to the position they’re in.

Q: What most surprised you about The Face?

A: How involved we really are in every element of the Moncler project and how we have the opportunity to integrate with every team in the office. They are ensuring that we have access to any experiences they feel will benefit our professional development.

I also thought the overall team would be much bigger for some reason, and that each department would be segregated but the whole office is pretty communal and super friendly! The staff understand why we’re here and the education we can reap from the programme so they’re eager to help out. I don’t think all internships are as considerate as The Face team has been.

Q: Tell us about your most memorable time in Milan

A: I think the most memorable day was when we went to the Moncler headquarters and were briefed on the SS23 campaign. We didn’t know what themes or talent the collection was going to be based on, so we were speculating that whole day about what it could be! The headquarters are beautiful, the canteen is covered in intricately winding plants and has a huge glass ceiling. I got to meet my mentor Enrico too, who is the global head of brand management at Moncler. He will be mentoring me throughout the whole future academy programme.

Q: How has working with/ taking part in ‘A New Direction’ programme helped you with this opportunity?

A: I'd applied for the STEP programme in May and went through the interview process but unfortunately didn't end up getting the role I wanted. Regardless, I felt like the interview process was really educational and empowered me in my ability to write about my experiences, pitch myself and present my ideas. A few months later, they invited me to a consultation + co-design session to contribute my thoughts on how we can increase the impact of the Creative Connect sessions to continue helping young people get into the arts. So that was my involvement with A New Direction up to that point.

Q: What are your next steps once you complete this programme?

A: Firstly, I’ll probably update my CV and website and process all the resources I've gained over the past six weeks. Already, there is a lot of information to store so I want to make sure I've filed everything mentally and physically. Being mentored so intensely by multiple people is going to catalyse my understanding of my career trajectory so I think I’m going to start to reach out to contacts that I would like to work with in the creative industries.