“I want to die with memories, not with dreams.” Brighton’s cultural scene thrives on the back of the young people within the creative industries, the city long being synonymous with celebration and individuality.
At odds with an ever-growing array of challenges, the industry leaders of tomorrow heading southbound in pursuit of a life in cultural evolution find themselves at arts institutions such as BIMM, fostering a sense of community led by passion for the art itself.
I spoke with four students on different courses at the institution to gain a better understanding of not only what the creative industries mean to them personally, but how they are also standing up to the wider industry-led adversities and redefining the meaning of ‘making it’.
Speaking on the main challenges the students will face when looking to a career in the arts, a resounding answer was the financial implications of the industry. Reeling from a pandemic and subsequent cost-of-living crisis, one student mentioned: “It’s a challenge, both from the artist’s perspective in terms of affording resources, studio time and equipment, as well as that of a consumer, being able to buy tickets, physical copies and merchandise.”
On a wider scale, students also recognise the way social status and class play a large role in the opportunities afforded to creatives. One student said: “Nepotism and financial status are main factors. You have to buy your way into the industry or know someone who already works there. There are only a small number of musicians who make it off talent alone. The opportunities are not equal.” The constant notion of it being ‘who you know’ as a tool to access jobs within the industry could certainly deter prospective talent.
Recognising the ways a fortunate, well-connected upbringing can help your creative output also questions the need for creativity at all, with one student pondering: “A worry is the role that generative AI will play in the future of the arts, particularly its creative applications.”
This led me to think, on a wider societal scale, about AI and algorithm-based social media, where creativity and promotion feel less in the hands of the artist than ever. It could easily deter the artists of tomorrow, with a seemingly insurmountable array of challenges – and yet, it doesn’t.
One student told me: “I have a promise to be something, to be someone. That determination itself drives me. If it never works out, at least I’ll know what happened when I tried.”
The dedication to the art and craft of music itself as a presence within performance institutions is undeniable, and I feel a genuine passion during our conversations. The drive to be the change in such a fragmented field is evidence of the students’ hard-headed attitude to a constantly evolving goalpost. One said: “What drives me is thinking about all the gigs and festivals I’ve ever been to and the euphoric feeling I get in that atmosphere. In these moments, I always say to myself how amazing it would be to do this full time.”
I remain deeply inspired by the self-assured nature of the students. Undeterred by others’ opinions of them, the industry doesn’t seem like a daunting place to enter, but a stepping stone to the future. Long attached to sharing with peers that you’re studying music or any performing arts qualification, one role is mooted: “People assume you’ll become a music teacher. It’s often seen as a ‘Mickey Mouse degree’, and I’m not taken as seriously as more traditionally academic graduates.” This is a sentiment echoed by another: “They say, ‘Are you going to become a music teacher?’. Which I was, for a while. I had to leave the arts and enter a corporate job following this in order to pay the bills and survive, and to be able to afford the life I dreamed of.”
As a current postgraduate student at BIMM, I can relate. Breaking into a saturated field among a sea of nepotism and ‘self-made’ stars, it takes courage to understand yourself and your craft well enough to dedicate your life in this way.
Academia as a launch pad can be successful for creatives in such art-focused environments, as the community and opportunity created by a self-determined student base is difficult to not take inspiration from. As one student said: “Being around other creatives pushes me to be better. I want to reach a point where my sole focus can be my art.”
It’s fulfilling to see how, through seeking a career in the creative arts industry in a world where financial and technological constraints could be a motivation killer, it can all feel so alive.
www.bimm.ac.uk/brighton / 38–42 Brunswick Street West, Hove BN3 1EL
