Entry-level Positions for Aspiring Directors and Chief Curators at UC Santa Cruz
Rachel, a Director and Chief Curator, advises aspiring professionals to embrace a flexible approach, stating that "if you can imagine doing something, you probably could figure out how to do it." This unconventional perspective highlights the creative freedom within the arts, allowing for the invention of "entirely other things," rather than adhering strictly to established industry norms.
Career Exploration, Overcoming Challenges, Creativity, Leadership, Industry Realities
Advizer Information
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Rachel Nelson
Director and Chief Curator
Institute of the Arts and Sciences, UC Santa Cruz
Stetson University, 2010
PHD, UCSC Visual Studies
Classics, Spanish Literature
Arts, Entertainment & Media, Education
Creative
Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student
Video Highlights
1. This career involves a lot of creative freedom and the ability to invent new approaches. Don't be afraid to think outside the box and challenge industry standards.
2. Success in this field requires a proactive approach; if you can envision a task, you can likely find a way to accomplish it. Don't be limited by preconceived notions of how things "should" be done.
3. Coming into the field without expectations can be a strength. It allows for flexibility and innovation, enabling you to create new solutions and approaches to challenges that others may not even consider.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone had told you before you entered the industry?
That's a hard question, what I wish somebody would have told me about the industry. I came into it pretty blind, I think. The fact that I didn't have any preconceived notions about the way it had to be has also meant that I am willing to do things the industry isn't used to.
What I would tell others, that perhaps nobody told me, is that this is one of those jobs where if you can imagine doing something, you could probably figure out how to do it. You just have to see what it is that you want to do and then figure out the steps it would take to do it.
When you come into a job or an industry, you often think there's a set way you're supposed to do things. You think you do A, then B, and they will equal C.
But you can invent entirely other things. This is the arts, and you can be creative. You don't have to always follow the industry standards, which I think is a real pleasure, but something people don't always realize.
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