New to the Team: My First Week @ Mbilla Arts

Hello everyone! My name is Eric and I'm now working at Mbilla Arts as Management Assistant.

Going into the work placement, I was nervous but excited – I knew I would be working for a great local company, but also that I’d have new responsibilities. Being out of work for a while meant that I felt just that bit unsure. However, my first week went well, as I felt reassured and knew for sure that I would be working in a good place and without intense pressure; I am here to learn.

I think my favourite part of working here so far is my manager, Chantelle, is very understanding of my position as being quite new to work, but also interested and committed to learning more. As we look forward to a hopefully more opened-up summer with events on the horizon, I’m feeling quite comfortable with settling in and learning about different aspects of the job and what it means to help manage a local arts business. I’m also excited to experience the workshops and events coming up as I’ll get to see how things work practically beyond office work, and of course, African drumming will be great fun!

What I’m learning is very good for me especially as an artist myself. I studied Photography at university and create an array of work that explores the creative potential of imagery and sound. The image attached to this post is an example of one of my lockdown photos, blossom, an icon of spring which reminds me of a brighter, warmer time of year coming. In a word, it evokes optimism.