First Campus Session: What is a professional?

Today I attended the first campus session for module one. It was fantastic to meet Paula and some of the other students , James and Irini, in person. It really put my mind at ease and gave an opportunity to discuss any queries and hear others questions I hadn't thought of but that were also relevant to myself.
 
The main point we discussed was - What is a professional? James, Irini and myself worked on a blog putting together our ideas about what being a professional meant to us. Here it is ........


What is a professional?

 We believe, a professional as opposed to an amateur is defined by their mindset. They tend to take big responsibility for their work, would be extremely self-disciplined and pro-active about their craft.

 A professional takes pride in what they do and are aware of how their actions (e.g. dealing with clients, communicating with their agent etc.) affect their work.

 Depending on their specific career, they would have a demonstration of their work handy at all times to be ever ready (this includes an up-to-date headshot, CV, showreel, portfolio etc.).

 

Communication

 Whether their current work environment is big or small, there’s always a huge amount of potential future employers, colleagues and employees.

 This stresses the importance of being able to communicate both face to face as well as on social media utilising a professional language in order to build good relationships and trust.

 

Ethics

 We believe, boundaries are very important within a professional environment. In order to respect their peers, the professional would always aim to be as honest as possible without overstepping the mark.

 Over time, they would learn to judge their environment and people’s personal thresholds.

 It is also vital for the professional to be honest to themselves at all times.

 

Knowledge

 The professional will most likely have trained in their craft and/or has gained practical experience before embarking on their professional journey.

 While theoretical knowledge is important, practical experience and skill are more important; especially in the arts for performance levels have to be of a certain standard.

 

Networking

The professional wants to engage in the arts and constantly grow their network. Besides practicing, it is also vital to see new work, allow themselves to be inspired and to grow to form an opinion and taste in the arts.

Another way of networking is to utilise social media in a way that is most helpful to the professional in order to promote themselves, maintain professional relationships with others and to find perspective job opportunities.

 

Professional Development

 A professional has to be able to adapt to their given circumstance for you often find there is not one specific path to success.

 One should never be afraid of failure but rather avoid playing it save in order to constantly evolve, grow and perhaps even discover new territories.