Discussion with LS (Part 6/6)
I just wanted to bring the discussion back to your course and your experiences after graduation? Did you initially find it difficult to find work that was related to art therapy?
Not really, I was surprised as I thought it was going to be really hard. But I think because I’d been surviving as an artist for the last decade it was comparatively easier to find work as an art therapist. It’s more recognised as a profession…. combining that with the social art and the artist advising seems to give those things more weight and means I can work with people that I couldn’t work with as an artist (i.e. in a clinical setting). Fairly soon after graduating I was awarded a travelling bursary to go to Beirut and set up some art therapy sessions. People over there (in Beirut) were really receptive to the idea. I found placements really fast and loved the work that I did. I wanted to be out there for longer but would have needed more funding for a longer piece of work.
Given that you have so many different working roles, and you only do art therapy some of the time, do you think it would be hard for someone to be an art therapist exclusively without taking other types of work?
No, because art therapy is necessary; it’s very much needed. So if they can communicate what they do then they can find work as an art therapist. But I don’t think they’ll be able to walk right into a job, they need to be proactive, even so far as setting up new services.
Is there additional training you can do that might make you more employable?
You’re perhaps better off working. I’m sure there are other courses; and art therapists are meant to be training all the time anyway as part of their professional development, but there comes a point when you have to work. It also becomes counterproductive if you’re doing training in different things…. If I was looking to employ someone to work alongside me I think I’d be more impressed by someone who was out there working, and doing a bit of professional development too, as opposed to someone who was course-hopping.
Incidentally, that leads me into my last question. What advice would you give to someone was thinking about making art therapy their vocation?
What, if they decided they want to do it already?
Yes, what advice would you give them?
Don’t work for free. I know so many people who are offering their services for nothing; thinking they’ll get more experience and then they can get real jobs. But they’re devaluing the profession. It’s happened in the fine art industry already. When I graduated from my fine art degree I did random jobs and then other jobs within the art industry that weren’t being an artist, but supported my practice. Those jobs don’t exist anymore because so many people have been taking on unpaid interns and now galleries don’t think they need to pay for labour. It’s really hard to make money in the fine art industry compared to 10 years ago, and it was hard then. If we’re not careful it will go that way with art therapy. It’ll become this novelty thing where people are prepared to do it for nothing, but this doesn’t work because you need someone who’s going to be there long term… The position needs to be properly set up, you need supervision and you need to have a good team around you, it takes time to form therapeutic groups. I think to offer 3 months to get started is fine. Though after 3 months you leave and only come back to set up something more substantial if you’re to be paid properly. Do good work, get paid for it and support the profession.
Lee will be presenting Dusk at Abney Park Chapel this week from Wed 26th Oct – Thu 1 Nov. For more information go to http://www.lee-simmons.com/new-work/
