Creative Intern Spotlight – Kayleigh Adam
‘We would like to introduce the latest member of the Connecting Threads project team, Kayleigh Adam. Kayleigh worked with Connecting Threads over the autumn 2021 as their new creative intern, an opportunity that was made possible through a partnership with CABN. During her internship Kayleigh assisted with the publicity and documentation of pilot events, sharing all the work that had taken place over the year.
Kayleigh is a recent graduate of Design for Textiles at Heriot Watt University in Galashiels. Since graduating Kayleigh has established a textile and illustration business, selling her own products and designs online and at local markets and events.
During her internship Kayleigh was looking forward to developing her graphic design skills and learning more about different aspects of the arts and culture sector in the Scottish Borders. Kayleigh is originally from Darlington in the north-east of England but is now living in Galashiels full-time.’
Follow her on IG @kayleighroseprint and @katextiles
Kayleigh rose prints on facebook
Connecting Threads is the cultural strand of the landscape-scale initiative Destination Tweed. Led by the Southern Uplands Partnership, Connecting Threads is developing a 5-year cultural programme shaped by the River Tweed’s habitats and heritage. You can read more about the project HERE
A CONVERSATION WITH KAYLEIGH ADAM…
What did you know about Connecting Threads before you started?
I knew it was a creative job and I knew I had the digital skill set to apply but I had no idea about this sort of project and that jobs like this existed especially that there would be a project all about the river and culture surrounding it. There was lots of stuff I needed to learn but it has been so rewarding and interesting.
What did you enjoy most about the internship?
I loved organising all the events and especially the events surrounding the artist residency for example, all the different workshops. I didn’t know that artist residencies were really a thing before now.
Would you like to work in a similar post in the future?
Yes, I’d love to. It’s hard to look for a job that combines everything I’m interested in like illustration and textiles and administration and events organisation. It would be great to be self-employed and working on my own projects and then have a part time job within the creative industries too. Like a hybrid career but no one really tells you about opportunities like these. It would be great if universities and career services could highlight this part of the workforce.
What was it like being a new graduate in the pandemic?
It was awful as everything ended so suddenly with no final year celebrations and getting projects finished was difficult as being online was so new to everyone. Just as everything should be getting busy and going up a gear to finish a creative degree we all had to leave the studio spaces.
Did anything positive come out of the pandemic for you?
Well my own small business in printed textiles and illustration went really well and helped by Instagram I had lots of success and sales that I want to expand on. I’ve also been asked to run workshops and have started to attend craft markets and considering pop up shops with my products and I have set up a little home studio.
I also really enjoyed going for long walks in lockdown (like everyone else!) and enjoyed exploring the Borders and seeing a side of it you are not aware of as a student. Like the walks around Abbotsford House!
Had the internship made you think differently about your career?
Yes it has. It has made me realise that I don’t have to move to a city to have a creative job and that I can pursue a creative career here in the Borders.
