Internships and why they could be good for your artistic practice

12.3.2025 0 Like 0 kommenttia

Snowdrop, student ambassador from the Academy of Fine Arts, shares insights on why and how an internship might further your artistic practice.

When you think of art school, you don’t typically think of sending out multiple emails trying to land a job, nor do you consider working as an intern. Most of us imagine creating in a studio. The Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki (KuvA) has provisions for both preferences. There are allowances for those who would like to do an internship and for those who do not want to. In KuvA, an internship is not mandatory, but what if I was to tell you that it might help with your artistic practice.

Let’s start with the basics. The recommended years for doing an internship are in the spring of your 3rd year, your 4th year, or during your masters. The internship should not delay your graduation, and you should have enough credits to include professional training.

Professional training can be done full time or part time. The process involves contacting artistic organisations or professional artists who are not affiliated with KuvA as full time staff and applying for a job. The internship can be done within or outside Finland. The internship is paid, and financial support is given to those who want to do their internship outside of Finland. To know more about the nitty gritty of internships, contact the study services for advice and proper procedures on the whole process.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s talk about why a job placement is beneficial for an art student.

1. An opportunity to get your foot in the door of an organisation you want to work in

Is it your goal to work in film, or to be a commercial fine artist, or to learn from a specific artist? This is your opportunity to use the backing of the academy to get yourself through the door. Why not apply for an internship at the gallery you want to be signed at? Why not apply to work in a film company? Or perhaps contact the artist you are interested in learning from? They might just need interns and even if they are not, this is a good opportunity to share your portfolio, maybe something will stick out of it for them.

2. Valuable life experiences

Creation of art is based on life experiences, and the experience you get from your internship will be drastically different from that gotten within the walls of KuvA. Perhaps you might get to witness the creation of art that inspires you, or you might help a nonprofit organisation, or you might learn a new skill, all these experiences will enrich your life and therefore your art.

3. Getting out of your comfort zone within a safety net

As students, we become used to the safety that being a student provides. An internship helps to prepare you for the inevitable end of student life while still within the confines of the school as the school helps along the process. This is a safe environment within which you can learn what the professional art world is like in your industry.

4. Learning from other artists or art focused organisations

There are skills that cannot be taught at school but instead must be experienced in the wild. Better yet there are questions whose answers teachers do not always have the answers to as they are not specialised within what you require knowledge on. A job placement is a hands-on experience that opens your eyes to the everyday of the professional artist life in whatever industry and country you choose to focus on for your job placement.

5. Networking with people and making new friends

During your internship, you will meet all sorts of people within the industry which is important as it is a good time to practice networking. After graduation, these networks can be called upon to help you with getting jobs, and it is not unheard of that an organisation hires an intern as a full employee.

Internships don’t have to be something foreign to your artistic practice. Instead, they can enrich you and gently guide you towards the life of a professional artist.