Patience is a Virtue
If I were to describe my experience with placement this year in three words, it would probably sound something like this: just have patience. Reflecting on the year so far, I haven’t faced an overwhelming bombardment of challenges, however the one challenge I have faced has been pretty hard to ignore. In my first blog post, I referenced the ‘Feast vs Famine’ dichotomy that often plagues those working in freelance sectors and more specifically, the circumstances which led to my completion of only 5 hours from September to Christmas. Using Borton’s model of reflection [1], which follows the What? So what? Now what? framework, I will outline how I dealt with this challenge and what I learned from the process.
What?
As I previously mentioned, certain circumstances at the start of the academic year put my placement in jeopardy. I had combined extra-curricular work that I was already doing with Sean Murray with my requirement to reach 100 hours for the work placement module, when a scheme that would benefit both parties fell through. This left me on the sidelines, with very little work to do. Sean’s other intern was benefitting from the opportunities I felt I had earned and, more importantly, the opportunities I needed to fulfil my quota of work done. By Christmas, I had completed a mere 5 hours since mid-September. Things weren’t looking great. At the time, I remember saying to myself: sit tight, it’ll all work out. Yet, in the back of my mind, the prospect of having to reach 100 hours frightened me. At this rate, I thought, I’ll be quicker turning 30 than getting anywhere near that total!
So What?
When my hopes of getting more work with Sean over the Christmas period never materialised, my patience began to wear thin. So, I decided to look elsewhere. 4 months was plenty of time to start from scratch and hit the quota, right? It was in the first week or so of Semester 2 that I remembered a potential opportunity that would be perfect for me. In November, I had chatted with Harry from Edify Agency, as he was looking for someone to help him deal with the insurmountable backlog of weddings he had to edit. Harry had asked me about my interest but, due to the demands of editing my own wedding films and the pressures of other university assignments, I felt it would be unfair to take on the extra workload. We went our separate ways and Harry ended up advertising the role he had asked me to fill. By January, however, circumstances had changed. I was freed up from editing and in desperate need of placement hours. I applied and went through an informal interview with Harry, naively expecting to get the job simply because he had asked me first.
Coincidentally, in the time of limbo after my interview with Edify, Sean contacted me again, organising a chat in his office. He told me that he was unhappy with his other intern’s attitude and that his contract would be terminated early. This was exactly the news I needed to hear and renewed my hope that I could reach the 100-hour target without having to start a new placement. Sean asked me about my plans post-graduation and if I wanted to join the company officially, to which I replied in the affirmative. Before committing to anything though, I ensured to press home the importance of my completing a further 70 hours by the beginning of May. Sean sensed the urgency of the situation and, finally, I began to work again.
Now What?
The work picked up thick and fast. After months of (not so) patient waiting, I was experiencing the other side of the Feast vs Famine dichotomy. I was back camera operating on various projects, all over the country. In the space of a week, I travelled back and forth to Dundalk 3 times shooting for a project about international students at the Institute of Technology. This gave me the chance to hear the life stories of people from India, Nigeria and Czechia and film parts of their daily routines. I was able to bond with people from other cultures, while doing something that I love. This was what I had been waiting for. Having started working with Sean again, I was also able to borrow his high-end gear for personal projects, including my final year film.
If you hadn’t guessed, the Edify job went to someone else. The way things worked out, however, I really didn’t mind. Funnily enough, I received the phone call from Harry while on set with Sean, which felt like a fitting ironic coincidence. The challenge of not having enough work to complete the module was one that undoubtedly presented its problems. In my anxiety to get the ball rolling I took matters into my own hands. As it happened, this was unnecessary in the end and, had I simply remained patient, the situation would have sorted itself out. From this process, I have learned the importance of both clear communication and patience in the resolution of challenging circumstances.
References
[1] Jasper, Melanie, Beginning Reflective Practice (Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes, 2003), p. 99.
