No Trust Fund? No Problem – How To Get A Job In The Arts Without A Helping Hand (By The Creatives Who’ve Done It)  

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the only people with ‘creative genius’ are white, wealthy and privately educated – that’s who dominates the galleries, the book deals, the front rows and the headlines. But this isn’t because there’s a lack of talent outside those binaries to fill these spaces – it’s a lack of access to them in the first place.

The creative industries love to romanticise ‘the struggle’ – that age-old idea that it’s a ‘privilege’ to work in the arts, that ‘a thousand people would kill for this job’, and a lower salary (if any at all) is a worthy price to pay for one of these coveted positions. Free internships, unpaid placements and unspoken codes of entry have long made success easier for those with money, connections and confidence to burn. The catch: you need a safety net. Connections. Financial backing. How else can you afford to intern for free? Or know the right person to message to get your ‘in’? And even know that certain roles exist at all?

The tide is, slowly, beginning to change. People are no longer trying to fit into these old moulds, they’re breaking them. Creatives from all backgrounds are finding entry points to the arts on their own terms – encouraging a new, fairer system that holds space for us all.

We spoke to four leading figures across fashion, photography, curation and writing to find out what it really takes to break into the industry, without connections or cash. They share the hustle behind the highlight reels, the systems they’ve had to outsmart and the tools they wish they’d had from the start. Consider this a blueprint for building a creative life when the door’s not held open for you – and proof that you don’t need a trust fund to belong in the arts.

“You Don’t Need To Intern For Free To Be Successful”

Stephanie Yeboah, Journalist, Author & Content Creator 

As the first daughter of an immigrant Ghanaian household brought up on a South London council estate, I was expected to go down the academic route and become a barrister or a doctor. I studied law at Kingston University but soon set up my first blog, where I wrote about films, comics and places I loved.

Once I graduated, I decided to focus on writing instead. I tried unpaid internships – the first for Nicki Minaj’s stylist, which I had to terminate early because I couldn’t afford the transport costs – and then for a beauty PR company. I was only the person there who looked like me; I felt othered and like I didn’t fit in. After that, I began full-time admin temping at hospitals and laboratories, writing for my blog every moment I had outside of my 9 to 5.  

I shifted the focus to body positivity and my evolving relationship to my own body – thoughts I also shared on Twitter – and that was when I met my agent. She sent me a DM, asking if I had ever considered writing a book. A few years later, I ditched the 9 to 5 to write full-time, and I’ve since published two books, Fattily Ever After and Chaotic Energy. What I learnt from my experience is that you don’t need to intern for free to become a successful writer. If you have talent, you deserve to be in these spaces. These are a few ways to find your ‘in’...

Set Up A Substack

Substack allows you to self-publish, provides editorial independence and, importantly, to make money from paid subscriptions. It’s such a good resource for writers to build their platforms and to create a following. I made myself the focus, which sounds vain, but people relate to vulnerability. Talk about the things that matter to you – through your writing, and even on social media – because they are interesting.

Own Your Voice

Authenticity is so important, don’t try to be something you’re not. There is a clear archetype in the influencer space of the sort of person who is successful – she’s super slim, upper middle class and wears minimalist clothes. If that’s you, then fine, but it isn’t the only way to make it. I am proof of that.

Seek Advice From The Creative Independent 

The Creative Independent is an online platform that offers accessible advice for creatives across different mediums, from artists to poets. The subjects are broad but all really useful – for example, how to negotiate an appropriate fee for your work and how to balance full-time work with creative pursuits.

“Don’t Try & Make Your Story Fit What’s Out There”

Beth Hughes, Art Curator 

I was raised in one of the poorest areas of a Northern industrial town called Warrington. We had no money or social status, but were a close, happy family. I didn’t know what an art curator was, because I didn’t know anyone who worked in the arts. Everyone I was surrounded by worked in the service or manual industries.

I loved university but felt out of place – I was the only person who needed to work part-time immediately and held down a job at Pizza Hut. When I graduated, it was tough; the summer before I started my masters, I worked six jobs continuously to earn the money to complete the course. It was exhausting.

The first time I heard the term ‘art curator’ was during my part-time job as a learning curator at the National Photography Museum in Bradford [now the National Science and Media Museum]. The curators would conceive and create the exhibition and then hand them over to me to engage people in those showcases. I enjoyed that, but I always felt like I wanted to be a part of making the exhibition and help people engage with it.

I landed a job as an art curator in the Lake District – after that, I eventually moved to London to be a curator of the Arts Council collection. The Arts Council buys artworks from artists in their early careers, and I became very aware of how important those decisions were in terms of the financial impact it had on the artists, and the credibility it gave them.

My desire to read more about social class and how people get on in the art world grew. The more I read, the more I understood the importance of institutional responsibility, which is what led me to do my current PhD, examining the representation of contemporary British working-class artists. I also still work for Turner Prize-winner Lubaina Himid as a curator and creative producer for Lubaina Himid Projects, helping her plan her exhibitions. Here are my tips for making your way into the art world...

Find Your Community 

Coming from a working-class background and entering the art world can be really isolating, but there are others like you who share the same anxieties and challenges. Find your network at the Working Class Creatives Database, which runs residencies and events, along with providing resources and professional development.

Flex Your Background 

People from working-class backgrounds are a minority in the arts, so turn that into a strength. You have something to say that probably isn’t being said and that isn’t a dominant narrative. Don’t try and make your story fit what’s out there, embrace your individuality. What is your artistic voice?

Apply for the Peggy Guggenheim Internship Program

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection runs an internship programme in Venice for students and recent graduates in art, art history or related disciplines, who are interested in gaining first-hand experience of how a museum is run and familiarity with an important collection of modern art. Each year, five applicants are awarded a monthly scholarship.

“Any Hands-On Experience Will Help You Work Out What You Want To Get Into”

Patrick McDowell, Fashion Designer 

I was born in a small, insular, working-class suburb of Liverpool called the Wirral. Aged 13, I decided I wanted a new school bag, so I made one out of a pair of jeans using a needle and thread that probably came from a Christmas cracker. A brilliant teacher encouraged me to make more and to start selling them, which I did. I was this working-class boy walking around with a homemade handbag inspired by Marc Jacobs, which was pretty unusual in the Wirral.

When I moved to London to study at Central Saint Martins, cash was a big problem. I worked three jobs to make it work: three hours every weekday working at the CSM library, on top of my degree. From the library on Friday, I’d work at a bar in Soho, finishing at 2am before heading to Jigsaw at 9am, where I worked on the shop floor – and then repeat it all over again on Sunday.

All these jobs gave me an extreme advantage over everyone else – real-life experiences matter. My degree involved a sandwich placement year. I did lots of smaller internships, before I landed a paid placement at Burberry. I was worried about how I would pay for the materials I needed to make my final-year collection, so I asked Christopher Bailey, who helmed Burberry at the time, if I could use the brand’s excess materials. I made two bunny rabbits for his young daughters that were replicates of my childhood bunny rabbits, and said, “If this is what I can do with scraps from the studio floor, imagine what I could do with rolls of material.” He went for it. At the same, I was awarded a £4,000 grant from the British Fashion Council, which I had asked my tutors to put me forward for.  

When I graduated in 2018, the press were very interested in my usage of found materials, which, although I’d been doing that out of necessity, chimed with the sustainability movement. I presented my first fashion show the following September. Although I still felt like an imposter, I had my own fashion brand. We’ve changed the way excess materials are seen; it can be so beautiful and luxurious. We only make what people order, and each piece is custom-made. It’s been 17 years in the making, but in May, I was given the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design, presented by the Princess of Wales. Here are a few words of advice for anyone wanting to break into fashion...

Be Resourceful About Work Experience

Maybe there’s a bridal shop in your hometown where you can watch a fitting on a Saturday, or maybe there’s a dry cleaner that takes up trouser hems, and you can help one evening a week. Can you fix the broken stitches in your wardrobe? Any hands-on experience will really help you work out what you want to get into.

Be Willing To Try Everything

Sometimes you have to do D, E and J before you get to A. When I first launched my business, I started working with Italian brand Pinko on a one-off project, which led to me being made sustainability design director and later sustainability creative director, which was a financial lifeline and great experience. 

Take A Shirt Apart & Stitch It Back Together

Even if you live in the middle of nowhere, there is always something to experiment with that costs next to nothing that will teach you something. Go to a charity shop and ask for the shirt that’s ripped out the back. Trust me, they’ll have one. Go home, unpick the stitching and try to stitch it back together.

“Surround Yourself With Other Creatives Who Believe In You”

Joanne Coates, Photographer & Visual Artist 

I grew up in rural north Yorkshire but lived with different family members. My granddad was the first person to introduce me to photography. We would play with disposable cameras and that’s when I first started telling stories with images, documenting the dynamics and lives of the people around me. I had to make every picture count, and it gave me a lot of joy and direction. I did an arts Access course, where I found a great teacher who believed in me. She helped me push beyond my personal and community limitations. If you don’t see anyone like you doing well, it’s hard for you to imagine yourself doing well.

I saved for two years before starting a course at the London College of Communication. I thrived off what I was taught there but recognised a difference in confidence between me and the wealthier students, who had access to equipment and had travelled to other parts of the world. I had a clear vision – I knew I wanted to pursue photography as a way of bringing about social change and to air social issues.

After LCC, I went back to Yorkshire to live with my mum so I could work off the debts I had built living in London. Being away from the country for so long taught me that I wanted to focus on rural life, class and environmental issues. The countryside isn’t only a pastoral wealthy idyll; that myth serves tourism and hides deprivation, which means the situation rarely improves.  

Over the next few years, I did artist residencies, photography assisting work and took every opportunity I could until I became a full-time photographer. I’ve hosted various solo exhibitions across the country and my work has been showcased at Somerset House, the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and the Royal Albert Hall. In 2024, I was named the UK House of Commons’ Election Artist, which was amazing. Next month, my new exhibition will feature at a festival held at a cultural institution called Timespan in Scotland. One key lesson: surround yourself with other creatives who believe in you, even when you don’t believe in yourself. Here are three more resources if you’re looking for a job in the arts...

Check Out The North East Artists’ Fund

Tools, travel and materials are expensive, which is why Art Network North East offers micro bursaries of up to £500. The grants are designed to help you drive your practice – it could be buying a piece of equipment or to fund essential childcare that will give you the time to create.

Seek Out Opportunities At Arts Jobs

Arts Jobs lists national work opportunities in the arts space, and is a really useful resource. It’s a good way of finding out about the different jobs that exist in the field, and also might just give you an incentive to apply for one.  

Apply For A Grant To Support Your Work

The Arts Council offers grants for England-based creative and cultural practitioners to help them develop their work, ranging between £1,000 and £100,000. Applications are always open, and projects are defined by a series of activities or a piece of work.