Summer – Marcus' Blog

Term has started again, just had my first day back and handed in my summer project. We had 1main project and another not so main project. The briefs were simple. Watch 3 films and produce an ‘Emotional Response’ to one of them. The films were Carol Reed’s ‘The Third Man’, Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Spellbound’ and Jaques Tati’s ‘ Mon Oncle’ – which is the one I did my emotional response piece on. I played around with a few ideas. Originally I was going to make a video that causes the viewers to feel the emotions I felt during the film, but I decided on a photo montage with a goat (which represents me) and the emotions spewing from it’s head.

Here’s that piece:

Then I had to find a quote that sums up my philosophy on life which for it I used “If you don’t open your mouth, you don’t get fed” as it can apply to anything, such as business, life in general, or actually eating. If you don’t make yourself known or speak out and get noticed, who’s going to pay you to do a job over someone else? Then make it into a typographic piece, so here is the piece I produced for that quote: (click image to make it bigger)

So that’s that.

There’s always some sort of panic that occurs between students when summer roles around.

The overdraft is being used, there’s nothing to do for a few months, they need a job.

Something, anything to replenish the bank’s money.

Bad times as well to be looking this year due to the recession, all the jobs are gone before you even break up!

So what can you do? Well, there are plenty of ways of earning money off your own back, rather than working for someone else.

A couple of examples are mowing lawns, everyone who has a lawn is a potential customer, washing cars is a nice market, do it with a friend and it can be quite fun.

“But I’m older than 12!”, even though these jobs are very lucrative if done right, I see your point, they’re child’s play. Delegation, however, isn’t. What if you could get a few kids from you block, and you pay them £5 per car, but charge the customer £7-£10.

Money for nothing, just stay in charge, keep organised and outsource your tools to them, do the same with mowing lawns, painting a fence, menial tasks that need to be done that people can’t really be bothered to do.

If that still doesn’t tickle your fancy, how about utilising the skills you already have?

You’re a student, you’re studying whatever. Use it. There are so many people out there that could use your insight into whatever it is that you do. Networking? I’m sure you know more than just the basics and can offer very good prices for small businesses. Graphic designer? Sell your skills, you know the software more than the people that need the work done and you also have a better eye for it (hopefully).

Whatever you’re doing, there is some sort of a demand, but if all else fails… get a job.