Speaking to three creative about their experiences as a working class student, and what can be done to offer additional support.
University can be a daunting experience for anyone. Having to move to a completely new location, make friends from scratch and learn something entirely new are some huge changes – and this experience can really depend on the way in which you have been brought up.
According to the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, the creative workforce consists of just 16% working class people, a huge under-representation. People from less privileged backgrounds are not able to express themselves and get exposure in the way that wealthier people can.
The issue stems back to university. Creative courses have a huge disproportion in terms of class, and it still seems that there is some inequality in the opportunities working class students have access to. Having spoken to three working-class people in different creative courses, it is clear that, to this day, it is a struggle to stay on top of the course.
Harry Bates is a 20-year-old Fashion Design and Development student. Having grown up in Cumbria before moving to London for his studies, cultural differences are noticeable as well as the class divide within his course.
“There’s a lot of rumours at uni of people cheating on their work, so paying people to write essays, sew their garments and stuff like that. They come in with all these designer clothes, and sometimes make comments. It isn’t even malicious but that’s what comes with ignorance and privilege.”
With these unhealthy rumours circulating, it’s clear that wealth comes into the equation and is a topic of conversation. There seems to be a disconnect with those who can or can’t afford certain commodities, and as Harry says, it often goes unnoticed by those who are wealthier. This could be one of the many reasons as to why working class students feel unwelcome within their course, and perhaps feel unmotivated to continue in that field.
As Isaac Scott, a musical theatre student, said to me: “It’s hard for [wealthier students] to distinguish between what’s normal for them, and what’s normal for working class or even middle class people”. It seems – especially in the performing arts industry – that many students already have an advantage with their parents being “rich executive people, dance mums or people already in the industry”.
So these are the problems that working class students face – what support do they get from the faculty? Fine art student Leilani Howlett explains this.
“Higher up people in my uni are pretty good for helping with working class students”. This can range from checking up regularly via tutorials and giving guidance when it is needed, which is given to everybody but can especially help for people that need advice on how to go abut more financially difficult tasks such as sourcing materials.
At Lani’s university, they also received a “pretty generous bursary” that helps those from lower incomes to have access to the resources they need. Creative courses in particular can require some additional items such as paints, canvases, or in Harry’s case, a knitting machine.
“I’ve been wanting to explore knitwear, and the costs of getting a knitting machine or even renting. I’ve had to resort to hand knitting with two needles. It’s cheaper but it’s more time-consuming and you don’t really get the same effect. If I had money I would buy this machine and go to extra lessons, but they cost £200 for 3 hours – I don’t have that kind of money. That’s a big part of my rent money, or my food shop.”
It isn’t even malicious but that’s what comes with ignorance and privilege.”
This is something that wealthier students could do at the drop of a hat, but for those with less wealth, it is an entire process and can result in the end product looking different. In fashion, it is critical to have your project to look as polished as possible, which makes it harder for working class students to succeed on their course.
In terms of creating work and the ideas behind it, all three students feel as though they have a more authentic way of producing and expressing themselves in their art.
Leilani explained that “there’s definitely a different form of understanding between the people who have experienced some form of hardship, whereas the people who haven’t have a very clinical approach.” Much of their work at the moment is based off of popular modernism, which is rotted in social injustice, largely involving class. It just shows the need to have proportionate representation in creative subjects – so these issues can be shown by those who have personally experienced them.
The British Art Network have devoted a section of their work towards showcasing working class artists. They admit to the “long history of discriminatory practices” against underprivileged people in arts organisations and wish to change this; they have since promoted a podcast named “What’s Your Working Class?” and have held a seminar featuring three working-class speakers. It is really a step in the right direction.
Representing the working class becomes even more vital when you take into account the concept of ‘class appropriation’ – the image of being less wealthy is becoming a trend in many creative subjects. Harry has noticed this from his time in his course.
“Using tower blocks and council estates as photo shoots is really wrong. It’s sort of glorifying it – it’s nothing to be ashamed of, obviously – but it just feels so weird as someone who is working class for people to take photos of where I live as an aesthetic. It feels offensive and I can’t quite put my finger on it.”
Isaac saw the positive side of his background since moving to university, stating that “you know how the world works and what you are and aren’t capable of – and you know how to budget! You can work well under stress.” It definitely comes with some advantages and disadvantages.
From speaking to these three working-class creatives, there is obviously leaps and bounds to be done to change the structures and attitudes of the arts education system. Organisations such as The British Art Network are one of the first to make this step toward representing classes and their art proportionately. Yet this emphasises the importance of working-class representation – to be able to vocalise issues such as this!
Click here to visit The British Art Network’s campaign.