And I know things now...

This week on Twitter I saw a great tweet asking people in the Industry for things that they know now that they wish they knew when they were just starting out, and oh my goodness the responses were so inspiring.

Things like this genuinely used to be my life blood when I was a student at university and even before at school when I was trying to find pathways into making what was then an evening job and hobby into my profession. I'm not lucky enough to have known any one or have any relatives or family friends that worked in anything close to theatre (but if you need a good cabinet maker or asbestos removal man i'm ya girl) so it genuinely was threads like this that told and taught me things to look our for, opportunities to apply for and tips to use to get not only my frost job but onto my degree courses.

So I thought I would compile a short list of the things that I know now that I wish I knew then, I by no means know everything or even close to everything but sometimes its the little things that count...

1. ArtsJobs, The Stage, Arts Professional, Twitter, Mandy, Uk Theatre producers on Facebook are some of the best places to look for jobs in the arts rather than trying to search for theatre on Indeed (you will get hospital jobs)

2. You can be a stage manager, a producer, a flyman, a lighting designer, you don't just have to be an actor or director to work in theatre.

3. You don't need to work for a big/famous company to get work, all experiences are valid and important as its about the skills you have honed and learnt and what you could bring to this role, not where you're coming from so don't be put off applying!

4. Always ask the question, want to talk to someone about a role? Ask! Want advice on how to get to a specific job or area? Ask! As closed off as it can seem, people in the arts are generally lovely and very willing to help you or take 5mins out to answer some questions if they have time. This is where I got most of my advice from. The worst they can say is no.

5. Networking is so important. While you may not know anyone in the industry you can start getting to know people, connect online or at shows or however best suits you and sometime soon it will start to pay off especially if you nurture these connections!

6. Quick Books or another finance tracking app and invoice generator will make your life a whole lot easier, trust me.

7. If theatre or film or any of the arts is going to be your career make sure you also find a new hobby that will fulfil and excite you so you don't end up working 24/7 as much as you may (like me) enjoy it.

8. You can set boundaries. I found this one really hard coming from a background where working hard is literally what keeps the lights on but you can say I'm working from x-x today as that's what my paid hours are, you can say I'm sorry but im not available that day, you don't have to burn yourself out to make amazing work.

9. Read, watch and soak up as much of the things that inspire you as you can, want to make theatre read and watch more of it, want to make films do the same you never know what doors that might open.

10. Always bring food to the rehearsal room. Always.