ARCHIE WELLS
Archie Wells is a Bath Spa University graduate from the class of 2019, his work in the live music industry really inspired me in my second year of study to competed a project in the same industry. I found myself always checking his website and social media to see how a graduate working in the music industry presented their work. I have been in close contact with Archie for a few months now, and I was really looking forward to his talk, while unfortunately it took place over google meets, it was still really clear to see his passion for making work. In his talk, Archie talked over the important aspects of social media management, exhibitions and making work.
Exhibition
Archie talked about how rewarding it is to exhibit work outside of University, and how key this can be in building further relationships in the professional working world. While this can be scary to do, having your work out in the world can bring in all sorts of opportunities, and it will allow the world to be displayed in the way it truly deserves. While our degree show has been cancelled, Archie gave lots of advice to the second and first years with up coming shows, such as the importance of a remarkable tittle, branding of the name and choosing the right date / location.
Networking / Social Media
Towards the end of his talk, Archie walked the group though his own experiences with social media and how important it is to keep them up to date and professional. Archie cemented that without Instagram, he would not have been given the opportunities that he did, and how posting regularly has really helped shape the photographer he is today. I was really impressed with the amount of profile visits Archie had in the last seven days; 1585 accounts, this shows if you work hard, post high quality content and reach out to other, instagram can be a really powerful tool.
Making Work
After the talk, I reach out to Archie to thank him for his time. Being involved in the live music industry, it was really important to me to build a good relationship with Archie, as hopefully I will be able to work along side him one day. Building connections online, in University or at a show is really important, be kind to everyone, never demand anything and always have gratitude. In this industry, its who you know that will be able to help you, your work speaks for itself.