A friend had heard good things about Arts Emergency and I was convinced to apply for a mentor. I write fiction, plays and a lot of poetry. At the time I was torn between studying Creative Writing or English Literature so I was hoping to get some direction of where to head in the future career-wise and what university to apply to.
I was hoping to get some direction of where to head in the future career-wise and what university to apply to.
I was paired with Billie - a writer and playwright who also works with youth groups who are interested in getting into the art world so they were a good fit for me.
At first our chats were about my goals and what I wanted to achieve through mentoring but over time our relationship changed and I saw the meetings as a time where I could talk about how I was feeling beyond university choices and career goals.
Billie had experienced a lot of things I was going through. I didn’t know I wanted to go to Oxford, but talking to Billie made me decide I did - I applied and got in! Billie went to Cambridge University so I was able to ask them about their experience there. These places have a lot of Wren’s Mentoring Journey stereotypes but Billie reassured me.
I want to sharpen my skills and become a better writer, maybe write scripts for film and theatre in the future. Before mentoring I didn’t know how the creative industry works. Billie absolutely helped me gain knowledge about the whole process of writing a script and how it becomes a final version. They also arranged a meeting with a Film & TV Script Editor who gave me insights on how writers are picked to create shows.
Billie absolutely helped me gain knowledge about the whole process of writing a script and how it becomes a final version.
Billie and I went to see lots of plays and talked about them after. They were working on a play during my mentorship and I was able to sit in rehearsals. It was interesting to see what Billie’s role as a writer was in that environment and this experience has helped me feel much more confident with my Drama and Theatre A-level.
Arts Emergency and Billie reaffirmed that I want to go into the arts. The arts is my home.