Today’s interns are tomorrow’s future! In Diary of a CA Intern, we get to hear from the next generation of creatives to watch, who have been placed in an internship via Creative Access. Read on as we dive into their incredible career journeys so far, shedding light on the invaluable insights and lessons learned along the way…
Meet Nandi, a visual artist based in South London who loves to dabble with different art mediums, from clay and illustrative work to creative campaigns. She completed her 15-week internship as ‘creative IGNITE intern’ at award-winning communications agency McCann Health in April 2024 via Creative Access. For those who aren’t familiar, McCann Health is a multi-service comms agency combining science, creativity and strategy, serving clients across the therapeutic space. Passionate about digital marketing and content creation, Nandi’s now well on her way to forging an incredible career in the creative industries. Let’s get to know her!
CA: Hi Nandi, it’s great to connect! Let’s start with something fun: How would you describe your internship in three words?
Nandi: Fun, insightful and challenging.
CA: What were your initial thoughts going into the role?
Nandi: I was excited to be part of a set team for a long period of time! Although, I was a bit unsure of what to expect coming into a health agency. However, this just sparked up more curiosity – I was excited to gain industry experience regardless of the work being in the pharmaceutical industry.
“One thing about me is, if I don’t know what’s going on or I’m unfamiliar with something – expect me to ask multiple times… That’s [one of the ways] I overcome hurdles.”
CA: Could you tell us about the projects you worked on during your creative internship? What sort of work does a Creative IGNITE intern get up to?
Nandi: The projects I worked on were categorised as either being billable or non-billable (non-billable hours are the work hours you spend which are not going to be directly charged to the client). One of my billable favourites was coming up with cool activations people can engage with when they are out and about (social out of home marketing, which is advertising that takes place out of the home, such as on billboards and posters on transport). The reason why I loved working on this was because we wanted consumers to associate these concepts with feeling a sense of calmness. I always love working on projects that are centred around people and how work can evoke certain emotions!
On occasion the IGNITE interns were called upon to help other internal teams in the agency. I loved coming up with concepts for client booths to attract healthcare care professionals to engage with health congress or simply brainstorming names for what medical events could possibly be called.
CA: Take us through a typical day as an IGNITE intern at McCann Health. What did your daily routine look like?
Nandi: Myself and the three other interns gelled extremely well so, speaking to them at any time during the day was strongly integrated into our working culture. Each day would entail a catch up between us interns and when we were put on new work, it was a standard procedure for it to begin with a discussion.
“I got to meet such talented, creative peers who I can strongly say are now friends for life.”
For a bit more context, my working style beforehand was very much independent. Making that shift to teamwork was something new that I didn’t consciously practice. I say this all to say that my daily routine was great – I got to meet such talented, creative peers who I can strongly say are now friends for life.
CA: How did your internship within the comms industry at McCann Health impact your career trajectory or influence your creative aspirations?
Nandi: The name ‘McCann Health’ holds a lot of prestige – it has won several awards and is recognised on a global scale! I’m happy that I fully immersed myself in the workplace for a long time (15 weeks)! Although my time has come to a close, I was proactive and made great connections. I definitely feel as though I left a Nandi-shaped mark in the London office and will be sure to keep my past colleagues in the loop.
“One bit of advice I would give to anybody looking to apply for opportunities is to literally just keep going! I’ve had to learn to accept rejections and take on the mindset that what is meant for me will not pass me.”
CA: Challenges are part of any learning experience. Did you face any hurdles during your internship and if so, how did you overcome them?
Nandi: Oh 100%! I was coming in as a very entry-level creative with a very commercial based ‘passion project’ portfolio. It’s definitely fair to say I got a shock entering the Pharma world. All sorts of acronyms and phrases are used by the pros in the Pharma world, that’s just the lingo used. It is understandable that one would forget that the newcomers may have no clue as to what may have just been said! One thing about me is if I don’t know what’s going on or I’m unfamiliar with something – expect me to ask multiple times… So, that’s how I overcame that particular hurdle.
CA: Many of our readers are looking to break into the creative industries through internships. What advice would you give your younger self in 2023 when you were applying for opportunities?
Nandi: One bit of advice I would give to anybody looking to apply for opportunities is to literally just keep going! As cliche as it sounds it honestly is the truth. I know how annoying and disappointing it is when you don’t hear back from places or get hit with emails starting with, “we regret to inform you” or “unfortunately on this occasion we haven’t been able to”. I’ve had to learn to accept rejections and take on the mindset that what is meant for me will not pass me!
CA: Let’s talk about your *beautiful* illustrations – they’re fantastic and really enhance your storytelling. Who or what inspires you? Any advice for aspiring illustrators and content creators?
Nandi: Ah, thanks so much! My digital illustration to storytelling takes on the form of childlike drawings – they’re so fun to draw! The reason it takes on a youthful style is purely because I was hitting a rough patch. I somehow was convinced that more refined art is greatly appreciated and ‘proper art’.
‘Proper’ realistic art took ages to produce and I didn’t haven’t fun producing art this way at all. To any illustrators and makers out there experiencing art block or self-doubt, honestly try and see if there are alternative routes or approaches to expressing your talent. At the end of the day, you should do what makes you happy! Find that solution and hopefully you’ll feel happy, both on the inside and outside!
CA: Finally, what’s next for you? Any exciting plans or projects on the horizon?
Nandi: A shoutout is definitely needed for Good Nugget – who describe themselves as a positive impact agency. I started their kickstarter programme last October and have been able to gain so much experience and knowledge about the creative industry. There’s possibly something very exciting in the works and I’m keeping everything crossed! You can also definitely expect more video-based art content on my social media accounts as I’ve been posting a lot more consistently this year and the engagement seems to be doing well too!
Stay in touch with Nandi and follow her work on:
Instagram: @theartofnandi
TikTok: @theartofnandi
By Elonka Soros, Diversity & inclusion consultant and Creative Access trainer
Whether it’s sparked by the personal impact of the cost-of-living crisis, reflections on high profile cases of bullying at work, or discussion about global conflicts, diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) conversations will continue to top workplace agendas into 2024. Supporting managers and colleagues to navigate these complex issues in a culture of respect and inclusion might take a little planning by HR professionals, but the beneficial impacts will be worth it, says Creative Access inclusion consultant Elonka Soros.
We did not leave 2023 quietly. World events, political and economic uncertainties, and another round of nasty winter colds and flu are giving us all something to be concerned about. With post-pandemic work life still yet to find its rhythm, it’s no wonder many colleagues across the creative economy have been telling me they are finding it hard to keep going as ‘normal’.
Senior leadership colleagues talk about the tensions of managing the economic impacts of a tough year for business, alongside the social and emotional fall-out in the workplace. While everyone else, from team leaders to interns, have been sharing the anxieties of working in an era of volatility and uncertainty.
But 2023 wasn’t all about the troubling news and unease. Throughout last year, co-workers have also expressed a greater awareness of their diversity and acknowledgment that we won’t all be feeling the impacts of external events in the same way. More nuanced understanding of gendered, racialised or socio-economic experiences has in part been prompted by better workplace conversations – often facilitated by inclusion specialists – and the genuine desire of businesses and team-mates to support and accommodate talented colleagues during difficult times.
“If only I knew what to say or do”
Motivation doesn’t always lead to action. Feedback from over 200 hours of Creative Access DE&I workshops points to people’s fear of getting things wrong, with inappropriate actions or outdated terminology. This is where HR professionals can help colleagues by providing the tools and a framework to build inclusion competency, and to instil confidence in those leading and supporting a respectful and inclusive team culture.
At Creative Access, we facilitate discussion, reflection and develop actions that lead to workplace culture change. Our DE&I workshops, mental health and wellbeing awareness sessions, and leadership trainings, are safe spaces where colleagues explore topics and learn strategies, tips and techniques that allow businesses to harness the added value of the diversity of their people, and in their teams.
As we’re entering 2024, HR professionals will be thinking about what the training needs of your team will be and what will make the most impact. Whether it’s ways of opening up recruitment to a wider talent pool, addressing culture change or developing policies that dial up your inclusion aspirations, here are three tips to help you optimise your next investment in DE&I.
Prepare for success
Benjamin Franklin is credited with coining the phrase: “By failing to prepare, you prepare to fail” and in the context of booking your next DE&I training or consultancy, putting a little preparation in at the start not only ensures successful outcomes but saves time and money down the line.
Online modules and off the shelf training sessions might look financially inviting but can leave participants frustrated as the current context can be overlooked. No two companies are the same and it stands to reason that the training needs of delegates, will also differ too. At Creative Access, whether you’re engaging on one of our core courses or online briefings, we advise a planning call with the trainer so that your specific challenges are understood, and the workshop can be tailored accordingly. The world is changing very rapidly, and with it, the events that may trigger a need for team reflection and collective learning too. At time of writing, I have just finished another call with HR colleagues asking for my support with frameworks for having constructive conversations around religion, race and community in light of ongoing global conflict. The Creative Access team is agile and alert to current affairs and best practice. All trainers have personal and professional lived experience across the full scope of the DE&I opportunity for the creative economy.
You can also prepare for success by letting your team know what’s ahead. Be clear with colleagues about the expected outcomes of the training and share the agenda early on, allowing colleagues time to process the sensitivity of certain topics and share any access requirements.
Plan-in for the next steps
Very often the success of training is measured in participant engagement, but the purpose of a DE&I workshop is to effect tangible culture change. One way to ensure a legacy from the training is to plan in the next steps for delegate participation. Successful companies have held facilitated all hands meetings at the end of a suite of workshops where key insights are shared, and actions communicated. Others have provided colleagues with the opportunity to take part in a reflective session a few months after the initial workshop where themes and outcomes of the first workshop are shared and there is space to consolidate learning, share progress and recap to ensure staff have confidence and tools to lead the inclusion agenda.
Equity and inclusion are the outcomes of ongoing actions. As sure as the world turns, there will always be more we can do or learn, and we will make mistakes – it’s how we respond to them that matters. HR professionals can generate momentum after DE&I training by scheduling in the spaces where colleagues continue their learning, feedback, and collaborate with each other.
Whether your team needs to have more courageous conversations, manage bullying or harassment, set up and run employee resource groups, or develop the skills of allyship, Creative Access has a bank of ideas for formal, informal, internally generated, or externally facilitated next steps. All of our courses come with exclusive access to further resources, which are shared with all participants, and for HR colleagues there are additional invitations to update at regular free subject webinars.
Practise makes perfect
A successful programme of training will deliver an inspired and motivated team eager and energised to engage with your DE&I action plans. It may surprise you therefore that at this point, my final tip is a heads-up to ‘curb your enthusiasm’. It can be tempting to rush into a flurry of activity, especially if you feel you’ve been battling to get DE&I seriously on the company agenda, but it could be easy to get very busy with initiatives and still get to the end of 2024 unclear about what you’ve achieved.
A DE&I consultancy session can help those responsible for leading the change to take stock and identify the best course of post-training action. Taking an honest look at any in-training feedback about where your company is now and helping you plan for where you want to be by the end of the year. You won’t be able to do everything in twelve months, so don’t set yourself up to fail by promising to do so. Colleagues are less forgiving of pledges and statements that are not followed through.
That’s not to say that you can’t be ambitious, far from it – but four or five priorities, with specific and measurable actions, communicated with transparency, and clear lines of accountability will deliver far more impact than 100 pages of strategy and a thousand flowers blooming.
At Creative Access we’re ambitious – our mission is sector wide. Like many of the companies we work with, Creative Access is values-led, and data driven – our internal DE&I is as important to us, as supporting you with yours. We developed our Annual Thrive Survey to help us ensure that we’re actively living our DE&I aspirations. In it we monitor the diversity of our workforce, check for equity in progression and pay, document the richness of our workplace culture, and measure the impact of our training and consultancy. We have the data and are certain that we’re practicing what we preach so that we can help your business to Thrive too.
Whatever 2024 brings politically, socially and for our businesses, we can be certain that it will involve more change. Restructurings, new hirings, new business and new people. If you want to know how to navigate business sentiment around DE&I with your team, check out the annual Thrive pulse report by Creative Access which outlines best and current practice for employers around the structures needed to support employees and build inclusive workplace cultures.