Staff and students were delighted to take part in the AHEH pilot training programme in Alcalá de Henares in November.
With a little time to reflect on the experience, Abagail, Steven, Elisha and Andrew share their reflections on the experience:
I am very grateful to have been chosen to participate in the AHEH study pilot. Not only was it a wonderful opportunity to network with students from across Europe, studying multiple courses, it was also great to network with creative business professionals who could offer new perspectives. Since participating in the pilot and settling back into my course I’ve already noticed a difference in my way of thinking and have begun to apply the skills I’ve learnt for fundraising events for our degree show and to how I should be marketing myself as an artist. The creative canvas tool we were introduced to was also very helpful and could be used in so many different contexts whether it’d be organizing an exhibition or setting up a print shop. There’s a lot of fear and uncertainty that comes with graduating from university and what the prospects of our futures may become. Studying the AHEH pilot has allowed us to have the opportunity to think beyond our practice and develop important skills that can help sustain us and our ideas in the future. (Abagail, undergraduate Photography Student)
Meeting and working with a diverse group of students, teachers and professionals from all across Europe was a great experience. Everyone was from an Arts and Humanities background, but we all had different experiences and perspectives and that really makes a huge difference in approaching and thinking about practical solutions to problems. We were introduced to some really valuable tools and techniques to develop our projects and these will definitely be useful in the future. (Steven, PhD candidate)
Akin to a jigsaw the AHEH project has allowed me to develop a series of skills that includes intellectual property knowledge, pitching performance and how to use the invaluable creative canvas tool. It has shown me that these individual pieces can be placed together to create a bigger picture. A picture depicting an economically sustainable creative endeavour that blends my personal fine art background with today’s entrepreneurial start up skills set. (Andrew, Undergraduate Fine Art student).
One of the most valuable aspects that I would take away from attending the pilot in Alcala would be the ability to network with students, businesses and lecturers from various countries. Working with a diverse range of people in a new environment allowed me to consider differences in culture and language alongside the opportunity to communicate regarding issues that are current on a global scale. What we all had in common was passion for the arts and how we could really explore the potential of change.
(Elisha, Undergraduate Fine Art student).
