For the next six month, Katie Inglis is joining the City Arts team as an Intern through Lakeside Arts’ Creative Pathways programme.
Tell us a little about yourself?
I’m Katie, and I’ve just graduated from the University of Nottingham with a degree in English and American Studies. My main passions in life are literature, popular culture, running and fashion – I love being creative and having the opportunity to be expressive in whatever I’m doing. I also have a love for writing. I’ll write about anything and everything, whether that’s the fear of entering your twenties without much idea of what you’re doing, or why I believe oat milk is the superior milk alternative. I’m also a big fan of my friends, and you’ll often find me cooking or watching films with my wonderful housemates. I’m super excited to be joining the team at City Arts for the next 6 months and being able to combine my love of community arts with the passion and creativity of the organisation.
What are you most looking forward to as a Creative Pathways Intern?
As this is my first time working for an organisation like City Arts, I’m looking forward to learning more about how an arts charity functions, as well as getting a really hands on experience of the workings behind the scenes of all the projects and initiatives. I’m also excited to get involved on some of the projects myself, and see them grow from ideas in meetings to physical events that the community can get involved with. I love Nottingham, so the opportunity to learn more about the arts scene here is really exciting. I am also looking froward to getting to know my fellow interns based at other Nottingham organisations and having the chance to network with local creatives and individuals who have been part of the industry for some time. I’m sure the next 6 months will fly by, but I can’t wait for all I will learn and skills I will gain from working for such a small but mighty team.
Why are you interested in community arts?
City Arts’ vision that the arts is for everyone really resonates with me, as I similarly feel everyone should have access to being creative, despite financial or social backgrounds. I love how community arts has the ability to unite people, and shares a commonality that overcomes barriers. I love seeing how art can positively impact people’s lives and can encourage unity in local communities, and the work City Arts does with marginalised individuals is such a powerful tool in empowering these people. I also feel passionate about seeing those often forgotten about by society championed and given the opportunity to be creative in their own way, and so being a part of an organisation that centres on making art accessible is truly exciting.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
The advice that keeps coming up in meetings is to be a “yes” person. This is definitely a challenge because I think it can be easy to doubt your own abilities, especially when you’re in a new role and environment. But saying ‘yes’ to things you wouldn’t normally means you are always learning and equipping yourself with more skills and experiences that you wouldn’t often get! There is so much to be involved with here at City Arts, that I think this will be an invaluable piece of advice that will help me get the most out of my 6 months here and make room for growth in both my professional life and self-confidence.