Do we even help anyone?

A reader interview for Gatecrashing

Ranjini got in touch with us to share her story about using this newsletter to progress in her creative career and it is full of helpful insights so we asked her a bunch of questions!

If you have a multifaceted career, looking to apply to grants and not from the UK.. all of her knowledge will apply.

Hi Ranjini, can you tell us a bit about your background and career?

I grew up in Delhi, India, where after completing a degree in English Literature and a diploma in Advertising and Public Relations, I began dancing almost full-time while also working part-time in communications and content writing for various charities.

My dance career led me to a role at an arts education charity, and in 2019, I moved to the UK to pursue an MPhil in Arts, Creativity and Education at the University of Cambridge. Realising I had much to say about dance, I went on to begin a PhD at Cambridge, where I explored Indian classical dance and its replication of social hierarchies.

During my PhD, I started working with Uncomfortable Cambridge, a company dedicated to telling underrepresented histories through walking tours, and that’s where my focus began shifting towards museum and heritage education.

Over two years with the company, I worked across several walks and projects, both as a tour guide and as an R&D Assistant, including creating the company’s tagline, now featured on its website and promotional materials.

This experience sparked my interest in heritage interpretation and creative programming in museums, and I’ve since been building my experience in the sector through smaller projects and volunteer roles.

You mentioned ILN has been a “game-changer” for you — can you share how?

I can’t remember exactly how I came across ILN, but Instagram tells me I’ve been following the page since 2022, and have been telling people about it since ☺️

Before this year, I followed ILN more passively, accessing only the free version of the newsletter to understand the range of creative careers that might be possible.

But last year, I upgraded to the paid newsletter as I began thinking more intentionally about the kind of career I wanted to build.

Seeing the range of jobs, open calls, and opportunities meant that while scanning the newsletter, I started to see possibilities beyond my immediate field. I began applying to opportunities I might never have considered otherwise.

After a season of job rejections, these small wins gave me hope, financial support, a sense of accomplishment, and confidence to keep going. They built up my CV and reminded me that progress often comes in steps rather than leaps.

You mentioned wanting to encourage others to “look more broadly”

For me, “looking broadly” means not limiting yourself to opportunities that fit neatly into your current role or experience.

Apply for things that catch your interest, even if they seem slightly outside your path—you never know what will come of it!!

These opportunities can build confidence, give you tangible projects or drafts to keep reusing, and provide small creative wins while you wait for the bigger ones to fall into place.

I wrote about this idea—and about noticing the patterns life might be offering—on my Substack here: Shit, How Do I Artist Again?

Try saying yes to things that stretch you a little. Keep applying, even when it feels slow. Every application builds something: skills, confidence, or clarity

Any top tips for applying for opportunities?

It always helps to show that you’ve done prior research around your idea.

I also make a point to send follow-up emails after conversations; thanking them, expressing continued interest, and leaving the door open for future chats if that specific opportunity doesn’t work out.

Subscribe to newsletters in your area of interest and write proactively to organisations you’d like to collaborate with.

I’ve received responses from museums and public engagement events by sending curated pitches about what I’d like to do. Sometimes it’s a long game, waiting for funding or logistics to align, but it nearly always leads to new connections and conversations that open doors later.

Could you tell us more about the paid mentorship you secured through HIGH VIBE?

This year was the first iteration of HIGH VIBE, run by Ella Schwarz, who herself was navigating a career switch from her earlier roles to intersectional coach. With funding from the Arts Council, she created an incredible opportunity, a free group coaching and mentoring incubator with a small financial bursary we could use as we liked, for emerging Global Majority women writers working on their first novel, play, or screenplay.

I found Ella inspiring. Her own desire for change became the reason I now feel more confident calling myself a writer. I loved her sessions so much that I joined her next offering, Espresso Collective, a monthly gathering where we take out time to recommit to our creative projects and work through our fears of realizing them.

Through HIGH VIBE, I gained confidence to finally voice the idea that I wanted to write a novel, along with a wonderful community of fellow creatives, many of whom I’ve stayed connected with both online and in person.

I’d love to hear more about the Southwark Council–funded walking tour.

I approached this call creatively,bringing together my dance, research and tour guiding experience. It was aimed at developing walking tours around migrant community histories. The funding came through Inspiral London, who applied for Southwark Council’s Together Culture grant.

I realised I had two key strengths to bring: my experience with Uncomfortable Cambridge and my PhD research, which explored a lesser-known history of Indian dance in 19th-century London. I used this research as my creative hook, knowing it would intrigue Inspiral, while my tour-guiding experience complemented the project perfectly.

The result was an exciting walking tour that featured these dancers among other stories, and it became an opportunity to develop my skills in heritage interpretation and in managing and curating an entire tour from scratch, skills that I hope will be valuable to future organisations I work with, while getting paid to do so.

As part of my research for the tour, I also met the curator at the Southwark Heritage Centre, who was keen to have the archives and collections used more actively. We’ve since begun conversations about future collaborations, which is an opportunity I wouldn’t have seen coming!

What’s next for you?

From an open call I saw on ILN, my proposal was selected to run a dance workshop at Sadler’s Wells, which will take place in March. It’s an organisation I’ve long admired, so working in that space for the first time feels incredibly special.

I’ve also joined the community board at Siobhan Davies Studios, where I get to participate in programming decisions, an experience that’s helping me develop vital skills for my long-term goals around creative programming and producing, as well as leadership.

Right now, I’m leaning into all my skills, as a performer, researcher, and someone who loves connecting community with creative practice, to build the experience I need for the kind of work I want to do next.

I remember an ILN newsletter once saying something along the lines of look at the job descriptions for roles you want in the future, and start building those skills now. That’s exactly what I’m trying to do.

How can people connect with you?

I’m most active on Instagram: @r.a.n.jini

Have a story to share? Get in touch!

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