To celebrate International Women’s Day, we’re putting the spotlight on some of the most inspiring women in the creative industries on The Dots.
Over the rest of the week, we’ll be highlighting their work, thoughts on what it means to them to be in the creative industries, their inspirations, aspirations, iconic role models and sage words of advice.
Next up, we have Alice Mayor, Founder of We Built This City, a company revolutionising London Souvenirs created by independent makers
What does it mean to you to be female and in the creative industries?
From the talented female creatives that we champion at We Built This City, to the inspiring female mentors who have helped propel me forward in my career, I feel incredibly lucky to be a woman working in the creative industries at this time. Too often women at work are painted as competitive and cut-throat, but without exception I have always experienced collaboration, generosity and support from women in all my creative career roles. I am also proud to say that we now employ a predominantly female team at WBTC both in store and at our HQ.
Do you have words of wisdom for other women looking to break into the industry?
When I was looking to break into a creative business from my days in PR, I wrote down a long list of everything I wanted from my next role – eg, creative autonomy, working with artists etc. I used this as a guide all the way through applications and interviews and it helped me to stay focused on the end goal. I’ve used these lists at every career turn to date and still rely on this method at WBTC when directing the future of the business!Also, network like a crazy person! I’ve always found creative professionals far more receptive to helping emerging talent up the ladder than in other industries, so use that to your advantage. If you can show great work and passion even over a coffee, there’s a good chance you’ll get invited back to pitch for more opportunities.Lastly, belief in your ideas is everything. Unlike many other industries, whatever your experience, there’s far more opportunities to break into the creative sector on a great idea pitched with passion and conviction.
Who is your all time female creative icon?
I don’t have an all-time great but I am excited at the thought of meeting female creative icons of the future through my work at We Built This City. In fact, I’m convinced that i’ve already met a couple of likely contenders!
Check The Dots, our blog, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for inspirational insight throughout the week.
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