Zainab Akhtar - ShortBox :)

Zainab Akhtar came over to give a talk about Shortbox and I honestly have to say that it was very beneficial. We also had a chat afterwards, discussing issues about the challenges of being a minority in the industry, to which I don't hear conversations about these things often.The advice she gave were useful and worth thinking about. 

A few things I took from her talk was: to be creative, focus on strengths and develop from them, set yourself goals, presentation, be aware of your surroundings and think outside of the box for job opportunities/vacancies. "Equity > Equality" was a thought that stuck with me the most. It's a viewpoint to which I completely agree with because that impartiality and fairness is very beneficial especially for someone who may have disadvantages or lack opportunities to begin with.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths 

- Time management
- Working under pressure & quick thinker
- Problem solver
- Collaborative/cooperative 
- Research/analysis 
- Assertive; determined
- Multi-lingual 

Weaknesses

- Quick briefs. I enjoy the researching aspect of every project I do.  
- Unable to refuse, but I am able to negotiate.
- Generally a shy person, sometimes it takes an extra effort to reach out first.
- Need to be more active in the creative industry; community. 

Opportunities

- Online platform. Easy, accessible. 
- I have established a few contacts (local and in Asia) in art business and marketing. There are a lot of start-up businesses and companies. This is beneficial to my career because I am interested in going into the advertising and marketing aspect of illustration.
- Industry needs: LinkedIn for artists to hire or commission. 

Threats

- Having other artists and colleagues aiming for similar projects/briefs.
- To have my own unique selling point. 
- Need to be the first to reach out, seek for opportunities and not wait for jobs to come in. 
- Demand is going to constantly change as well as following trends. It comes and goes, the market could easily lose interest. 

Life As A Freelancer

What are your concerns :

- Earning enough to sustain life
- Sourcing materials
- Gaining clients
- Networking

What is the shape of your working day/week :

- Work about 5-6 hours every day during the week, taking the weekends off. The weekends are a breather time, get inspiration, refresh and continue to work again on Monday.

- This rough schedule is tentative. My workflow usually depends on the time frame of the projects and the amount of work I have in total.

What are your strengths – practical skills/ management / people skills etc:

- Organized. Manage my time quite well and efficiently
- I have no problem working with people. I am generally cooperative
- There are a few positions where I have been required to lead and manage people

What do you feel you need to develop :

- Burning out. This is something I tend to come across whenever I deal with mostly live briefs or client work

- My own, individual passion

- I am a perfectionist and quite meticulous. There are some briefs that would not allow me to do so (quick, short briefs). I need to improve on working efficiently.

- Public speaking…

Networking : identify and contact a minimum of 10 people who will potentially be useful to you in the future:

1. Suka Studio 
2. Green School 
3. Rice Creative 
4. Craft Agency 
5. Kiss Branding 
6. Tracy J Lee 
7. Saree
8. Masato Jones 
9. Charlie Davis
10. Koko Aslam

Where are you going to be working and what do you need to buy / prepare for a future career:

- Funding for online/internet platform
- Internet (crucial) 
- Portfolio
- Scanner
- Printer
- Media (Wacom Tablet, Computer)