5th October 2025
On the first day of my internship, I felt a gap between what I had imagined and the actual workload. To be honest, I was a little overwhelmed at first, but the staff and another intern at the studio were so kind and sweet that I thought, maybe I can make this work. I mean, I have to make it work anyway. This is my choice, even though I’m still not completely sure. So anyway, I have two main goals for this placement: to learn how businesses operate within the creative industry and to improve my English skills.
The reason I decided to take the DPS year was because I couldn’t picture myself as a working adult after graduation. I left Japan almost on impulse, but since I came to London with a clear goal and determination, I want to get closer to the person I aspire to be. To do that, I needed to test myself through an internship, to find out whether I truly want to work in the creative industry.
However, when I started researching internship opportunities, I quickly hit a wall: I didn’t have any media skills. I’ve always focused on physical, sculptural works and had barely used any digital tools like Adobe. Yet, most of the roles I was interested in required Adobe skills. Luckily, that’s when I came across a position at a materials studio.
I passed the interview and was ready to start in two weeks, but then I received the worst news. Due to changes in the work visa rules introduced in July, I was no longer allowed to do the internship there. With the help of UAL staff, I managed to arrange an individual contract with the studio, which wasn’t officially counted as part of DPS but still allowed me to work there. My DPS year was set to be based at UAL, and before I knew it, summer ended and my uncertainty never really went away. That’s how my DPS year began, with a mix of confusion and hope.
To be honest, I still struggle with emails and online meetings. Sometimes I think I understand everything, but I actually don’t. There are moments of miscommunication, and I don’t always know how to correct them. When it’s time to share my opinion, I can’t find the right words, and it gets frustrating.
Even so, I chose to put myself in this challenging environment because I want to become more confident by the end of the year. The anxiety hasn’t gone away, but I believe this experience will become something meaningful that strengthens me as both a person and an artist.