'Creative Choices for Actors'

It couldn't have been a better day today for my studying!

I can't remember what internet path got me to this website but certainly it was a lucky discovery.

I found this AMAZING website called Creative Choices on Developing your career in the creative and cultural industries... 

The description say is it all!!! Perfect font of material for my research.

The article I chose to analyze it's more of a 'linking artcles' kind of literature that connects one article to another into sub-articles that get more into depth about the topic of Being an actor and what being one covers.

http://www.creative-choices.co.uk/develop-your-career/template/actor

The main article is divided into:

• Main "duties" as an actor
• What being an actor consist of in your everyday life.
• Income for actors ( getting more information regarding this I 'bumped' into this other very useful website about the actors minimum wage. )
• Training as a professional and ways to achieve it ( National Council for Drama Training (NCDT).
• And the career skills required to be an actor.

This last one is the section of the article that links you to other 3 very interesting articles that are devided in skills needed and knowledge and understanding needed required to become an actor that I valued for a further understing of management skills for an artist and to consider what is already known and said about this topic of inquiry I chose to investigate on.

These are guide units to improve or maintain skills for your own career that can also be applied to several similar arts jobs related( Dancer, Singer, Dj, Costumer Designer, Comedian, Technician, Writer and so on...)

First Link:

Set up to work as a freelancer in creative and cultural industries

This guide (likewise the next ones) are here to explain how to improve or maintain skills for your own career that can also be applied to several similar arts jobs related ( Dancer, Singer, Dj, Costumer Designer, Comedian, Technician, Writer and so on...)

What I discovered I didn't know, or I hadn't fully considered before, was how to Set up your work space and Research the ways in which you can legally operate as a self employed individual.

Let's say I new this aspect of the business was 'there' but I hadn't really done anything yet to develop that skill nor to get more knowledge on it. I should explore points such as:

• Tax position
• Insurances available and useful (where to research them)
• National and local laws

Second Link:

Manage your time as a freelancer in creative and cultural industries

Again the article is divided in skills needed to manage time and knowledge expected to manage your time.

Through the list I was more drawn to the point 'Prioritize work according to its importance, considering how it meets your business objectives' to reflect further on how to joggle with several jobs at the same time and also to understand more the importance of when giving more energy into your performing job compared to an everyday job if justified and what consequences it may implies... ( e.g. Is it fair to call in sick and not going to work when an extra rehearsal has been put outside of schedule? Can this jeopardize your 'normal' job putting the risk of loosing it and ending up jobless when the show ends?)

Among the points made on the knowledge and understanding needed to successfully manage your time

as a freelance I underlined the Methods of time and diary management, How to identify the resources available to you, Why it is important to keep records of your work and Why it is important to be flexible and adapt work plans to reflect change.

These are valuables points for further investigate I should (an will) pin down for my inquiry plan.

Third Link:

Plan innovation for your freelance work in creative and cultural industries

These unit describes the skills and knowledge required to plan innovation. To better explain that, how to improve you work and way of working, it can take the form of new products, services and technologies within your work environment. 

Tips such as Brainstorming and other techniques to develop your ideas, Work collaboratively with others to develop your ideas, Include innovation plans in your business plan are points I could consider to have already the knowledge of and that confirmed therefore what I DO KNOW at this stage about what is needed for a performer to self-manage his own career/business.

Overall this piece(pieces) of literature I found is going to integrate heavily into my inquiry, I kept navigating further more on the website and found other very interesting forms of information about knowledge required for your career, job advertising, news, case studies, advices and tips, and an EXCELLENT page for tools and resources...I just can't get enough from how full of interesting material this website is, so I would definitely advice anyone on the course to have a look at it as it covers multitude topics and I'm pretty sure many can benefit from it.

:)