4 Highlights From My Internship At Bluethumb
Today I’m finishing my 3 month internship with Bluethumb and could not be happier with everything that I’m walking away with.
I’m studying Master of Art Curatorship at the University of Melbourne and as a part of that I need to complete 100 hours interning.
Wanting to work in the arts and cultural sector, especially in Melbourne, is an incredibly tricky thing. At the large cultural institutions there are volunteer waitlists with hundreds of applicants waiting to give up their time for unpaid work. It’s a daunting industry to get started in and you need to be prepared to give away a lot of your time for free to have a foot in.
At Bluethumb I’ve been given the opportunity to develop my professional skills over a broad range of areas. Here are 4 highlights and skills I have gained from my Intership.
Social Media
To start with I was shown the ropes of using social media for a business. Facebook and Instagram are the two major platforms that Bluethumb uses.
I had no idea the amount of time and consideration that goes into each post you see online, from using the insight tools on Facebook to the statistics of your Instagram account on Iconosquare. Hashtags are something I’ve never used in my personal life as I thought they were tacky, however, now I’ve gotten to know how they work and how to utilize them properly I understand that they are one of the best tools to grow any Instagram account. Vital knowledge for working in any industry in the age of social media marketing.
My first Instagram post with Bluethumb
Blogging
Writing has always felt like a chore to me. At University it means staying up till 4 o’clock in the morning full of stress and instant coffee.
In the first weeks I was asked to write a blog. I’ve always disliked people reading my writing and I was more or less scared to sound dumb on the internet or make a silly spelling mistake or grammatical error.
My first blog was titled 10 of the best new emerging Australian artists and amazingly the feedback was positive and boosted my writing confidence.
My first blog post
I have now posted 6 blogs on Bluethumb and with each one it’s become easier and easier to write and has been one of my favourite things to do. This confidence with my writing and publishing blogs is now something I’ll be happy to tackle in any future employment.
Press Print & Radio
In the lead up to the Bluethumb stall at Midsumma, getting the word out was a top priority. One of the ways that we did this was on the Radio. We were invited to discuss our Midsumma showcase on The Arts Show, hosted by Alex McCulloch. I’ve never been on the radio before and this was one truly interesting experience.
Midsumma Carnival
The set-up for Midsumma was on a scorching 33 degree Sunday morning. Moving the walls used in the stall to the venue and setting them up was challenging. They were heavy and it was hot and they didn’t fit in the marquee. Some of the paintings that we were showcasing on the day were not ready to hang. The whole day consisted of thinking on your feet and problem solving. Overall it was a huge success and a remarkably unique experience meeting people and confidently promoting Bluethumb to potential buyers and artists.
Freddy finishing the hang at Midsumma
In Summary
I came home from my day at Bluethumb and would be asked by my housemates how I went? Fantastic! Everyday I was in the office I was learning something new.
Being able to intern at a small company I have been able to experience a huge part of the daily inner workings, an experience that is not often gained from internships. The larger the company/institution the smaller your interning responsibilities generally are.
I now have a huge new skill set to go into any future workplace and I’ve been able to meet fantastic people through Bluethumb.
With Archibald finalist Kim Leutwyler… and Freddy!
