Igniting Creativity: A six-week internship with Ignite!

Hi! I’m Radu, a 23 year old Romanian illustrator and animator who worked with the team at Ignite! for the past 6 weeks. During my time, I helped illustrate the Curious Tots booklet, as well as create the logo for the programme. I also created “How to draw” pages for the Creative Sparks programme, one of which will be published in the upcoming issue of the “Nottingham Festival of Science and Curiosity” magazine. Finally, I revamped the design for the mascot of the Festival of Science and Curiosity, the monkey, as well as animated it.

I loved working with the team at Ignite! for numerous reasons. For starters, the pleasant atmosphere and friendly team made it easy for me to relax and work on my tasks efficiently. One of the most valuable things for a creative is the atmosphere they work in, since creativity isn’t something you can force. I know from personal experience how stifling a hectic work environment can be for artists, something that I fortunately never encountered at Ignite!.

Secondly, I felt like my work was appreciated during my time at Ignite!. Many people tend to overlook the work of an artist and take the things they do for granted. This doesn’t usually come from a place of malice, rather it’s a product of ignorance. I truly felt like my work was valued by my co-workers, with feedback sessions being thorough and well-communicated. I never felt like I was kept in the dark or ignored, which made me feel validated and seen as an artist!

Lastly, I couldn’t have managed to complete all this work without the tremendous help of Megan Shore. Her clear communication and great leadership helped me organise myself efficiently and, as a result, produce better work in shorter timeframes. Megan was one of the reasons I managed to finish the booklet so quickly and, along with Elaine Winter, created an interactive and memorable story to be enjoyed by parents and children.

Thank you to the team at Ignite! for the opportunity and for creating memories that will last for a lifetime. I hope that in the future our paths will cross again and when that happens, I look forward to being greeted with the same smiles I saw during my first day at the internship!