Linked In
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-dawson-creative/
Having set up my LinkedIn account in Level 5, I have been engaging on the platform a lot more than I initially thought I would. Building a list of professional contacts and keeping up to date with their projects has given me valuable insight into the illustration and creative industries allowing me to understand the nature of the world I want to be a part of.
Having spent 4 years in the corporate world not actively pursuing my passion and career dreams of becoming an illustrator has had its benefits in building a diverse set of contacts via this platform. Being able to showcase my skills professionally not only in illustration, but in publishing, administration and customer service - allows for others to see my potential as a whole based on my experience and I am firm believer that all skills are transferable in some sense.
Future engagement:
I aim to keep engaging with my contacts on LinkedIn as it is a great confidence boost to not only leave feedback for others and show interest in their work and professional insights, but also post my own content for professional feedback. This platform and the content posted is not based on likes which is not only valuable to me mentally (having struggled with social media platforms in the past) but gives a great sense of community in that the responses to me and my professional profile are considered by those with a direct link to the industry.
Next LinkedIn post: Essca - My Graduate portfolio and a link to my live website
Purpose: The "emerging" stage of me as a new practitioner, to capitalise on the completion of my degree and current position of my practice which i feel proud of. To let the LinkedIn professional community know that I am here, what I have accomplished so far and to announce I am ready and eager to begin new and exciting projects.
https://www.instagram.com/essca.art/
Instagram has been a bit of a difficult platform for me. After setting up my professional creative page and engaging well to begin with towards the end of 2016, I quickly became immersed in what everyone else was doing instead of publicising me and my work. I find the platform really inspiring, however experiencing some low points in my self-esteem - the whole "seeing what everyone else is up too" thing really set me back mentally. Going on a bit of a hiatus has been really rewarding for me as i have allowed for myself to engage with my creative development without being hindered by the comparisons I make with others and their creative practice.
Through my experience with Instagram, I have learnt that I am easily led by trends, that my low confidence causes me to compare myself in an unhealthy and demotivating way with others and that i often associate what others are doing with what I should be doing.
Now that I have allowed myself some much needed breathing space (ignoring the social niggles that everyone is using instagram so I must too), I feel I am a-lot more confident in myself and my approaches to creativity. My time on this course over the past year since suspending my studies has helped with this and I now feel in a place to engage with instagram once more and use it as a valuable tool for promoting my practice as and when I see fit. I have tons of new content and feel excited to to be a part of this valuable community in a healthy way.
Key moment for me with regards to social media as a whole was a talk from visiting professional Laura Carlin. Hearing how she also finds it difficult to remain head healthy when using social media helped me to see how I am not the only one who struggles with this aspect of self promotion and professional practice. Realising what is detrimental to my creativity is key to taking the right steps forward and making the changes that will help to shape my practice in line with my personal development. Small steps.
The Dots
I also find it really interesting to see how companies are engaging with The Dots. Following the profiles of hubs such as Its Nice That and The Folio Society as well as galleries such as The Tate Modern and V&A is really a really insightful way to engage with what is new and currently happening on the creative scene.