Children’s Book Illustrator and Printmaker

I’ve been involved with SIGNAL since the beginning. I attended one of their first workshops, at the age of 15, and it was with Ghost Patrol, who showed me pathways for people who liked what I liked. I got very lucky. Right place, right time. SIGNAL introduced me to people who taught me important professional practices that are built into being an artist. They’re amazing at developing not just the love for the art but also the professional practice. It will take a lifetime to build your voice and your path. There’s not just one way of having a creative career. You just must keep following your intuition and taking the next opportunity and making the stuff that feels personal to you.

Filmmaker

For me, SIGNAL is first and foremost a community – one that is steadfast in its commitment to uplifting and supporting young artists. It’s a place for young people to hang out and meet other artists, kind of a much-needed bridge between the ‘regular’ world and the ever-elusive ‘arts’ world. SIGNAL has shown me unending and constant support in my arts practice, I really don’t know where I’d be without everything they’ve helped me to discover. Especially in my industry, there’s always been this sort of ‘sky is falling’ feeling. It’s good to change as culture progresses, but I think [AI] is one issue worth sticking to your guns on. Do you use it in your daily life? In your art? Take some time to think about it.

Playwright, Screenwriter, Director

When I think about SIGNAL, I think about that early-career, emerging artist space. It’s warm, it’s open, and it kind of fills that gap between studying and a professional career—when you’re not quite sure what discipline you’re committing to, or even what the next step is. I remember pitching Die Guy, which was like a satirical Web Series version of Queer Eye. We never made it, but we wrote all the episodes. At the time I had no idea what I was doing—I’d never done a real screenwriting gig. But SIGNAL was just like, ‘yeah, go for it.’  That freedom to try something without the pressure of it needing to exist in the world—that’s what I really associate with SIGNAL.

Education and Arts Worker

My most memorable experience at SIGNAL was being able to experiment with Super 8 thanks to the funding of the Screen and Sound commission I received in 2020. It was such an interesting medium to explore, and I was then able to combine this with my digital experimentations. SIGNAL gave me the opportunity to explore a more tactile and experimental medium which I hadn’t had the means to before. This helped develop my practice and interest in film mediums, and its intersection with digital manipulation and editing. The path of working in the arts can be unconventional at times, but you will meet the most amazing people and constantly learn and experience new things. Keep being curious and interested and it works out!

Artist

I came from a very non artistic world. I studied economics and gender studies and I kind of ended up there because my self-identity at the time was academics and I never thought of myself as a creative or an artist. Additionally, being an immigrant and never seeing anyone in our similar life circumstances be an artist, it was hard to envision such a life for myself. I saw a Facebook ad for SIGNAL’s Young Creatives Lab and I was just like… I want to apply for this. I did a project with my friend Emily where we got people to send in their notes app writings and compiled them for an installation at SIGNAL I remember I went down one night to see the projection and saw so many people stop and watch and engage with the work. That’s the first time I thought ‘I’m an artist’ and saw my work affect peoples’ lives. That night, something clicked in my brain and opened the door for me creatively.

Artist

I think SIGNAL serves as a great connection place for artists, and to get to know other people from different backgrounds and art practices. My most memorable experience at SIGNAL was testing the external screens during our Screen and Sound commissions project. We all had this collective excitement of wanting to see how our artworks were going to turn out. SIGNAL helped me build my confidence and I was so proud to be able to show my work in Melbourne! Overall, the one thing I would want my younger self to know is that it’s okay to take your time and believe in yourself. I think things take time to grow and develop, and it is important to take care of your health as well and not burn out. SIGNAL was a time for me to get to know myself more as an artist and learn how to be more sure of my choices.

Composer, Sound Engineer & Designer

SIGNAL provided my first public art commission and gave me a chance to fail in making a piece that truly did not work for the context it was presented in – which I couldn’t have known without that opportunity. I learned a lot from this experience about my own practice, how to balance concept with outcome, and the importance of spaces that allow you to simply try things out when you’re developing your own arts practice. To younger artists – slow down, there’s always time to get where you’re going, but you won’t get there if you try to do too much too quickly. Just because the people around you really know what they’re doing, doesn’t mean you know any less about what it is you do.

Digital Designer and Founder of HOISZN

I joined SIGNAL at a pivotal time, right after finishing my degree, so I had the space to explore passion projects and creative opportunities. One of the most valuable parts of my time at SIGNAL was having the opportunity to collaborate with a team of creatives. I helped oversee key deliverables for our exhibition Swarm at the Science Gallery. It gave me a real taste of collaborative leadership and shaped how I approach teamwork in my practice today. While it’s exciting to constantly be in creative mode, it isn’t an endless resource. It needs time, rest, and inspiration to regenerate. It’s just as important to step back, take time to explore, and consume art as it is to make it. Give yourself permission to rest and be a fan, recharging your mind isn’t procrastination but part of the process.

Photographer

Whilst my art practice has pivoted significantly into the commercial space, I know my time at SIGNAL has enabled me to see things through a different perspective and approach all commercial jobs with a more open mindset. A significant issue affecting young artists today… I would say funding in the art space – unfortunately I don’t have a solution for this, and I also don’t want to be too negative but I know how much financial stability impacted my ability to continue in the arts space so for young artists I think it’s keeping an open perspective to other avenues of generating income whilst building your practice.

Founder of Liminal Magazine

I’d always known about SIGNAL but was too shy to attend the workshops. When I was 24, I finally applied for the inaugural Young Creatives Lab, to run a poetry, art, dance and music night through my then-fledgling publication Liminal. SIGNAL is an incredibly supportive space for young people and emerging artists, and you need to make the most of this program that has been made with you in mind. There’s room to make mistakes and learn in a way that isn’t offered at university. You’re allowed to fail, and people will pick you up and will be there for you. That learning environment is so rare. It’s free, it’s there and they’re excited about you and ready to help you!

Arts Worker

I came to SIGNAL through the Young Creatives Lab back in 2019; I was 20 years old when I applied for the program, and 22 at its completion. With hardly any previous professional engagement with arts institutions, it was a wholly transformative experience. When I reflect on that time, and SIGNAL’s enduring meaning to me, I think of a space where possibility was brought forth from the private realm of my dreams and into the world. Six years on and I find that my time at SIGNAL continues to inform my journey in myriad subtle ways. What was so incredible about the Young Creatives Lab was the holistic approach to supporting artists that the program took. It provided not only invaluable financial support to our project, but a year of mentorship, skill-building and space to work from, so that by its completion I knew what it meant to not only dream up a big creative project, but how to actually make it happen!

Artist

Spaces like SIGNAL and smaller arts organisations are so important in Australia. SIGNAL helps foster creativity and connection to the arts and it’s something I really appreciate SIGNAL doing as an institution. SIGNAL helps artists realise their own ideas instead of putting something in their head. I think SIGNAL has helped me accept myself as an artist. It’s quite difficult to accept these kinds of labels when they are tied to money and capitalism… but then I look at my life and one of the things I’ve been doing consistently from a young age is making art. SIGNAL is a body that’s been around to help me see myself for what I am and treated me as an artist before I was ready to call myself that.

Sound Artist

SIGNAL ignited within me a deep passion for public and spatial art. I had never created site-specific or public work before, never considered space as a compositional element. The experience was truly transformative and inspired a deep love for sound art that continues to shape my practice. The feelings of familial and cultural longing and disconnect I uncovered during SIGNAL’s Sound Commission have continued to influence the work I make today. Prior to this project, I had never considered myself a sound artist. I don’t think I even understood what a site-specific piece meant until after I had been accepted. This commission’s effect on me was twofold: it gave me a new sense of creative purpose and direction and made me recognise the personal themes I want to hone in on in my art.

Recording Artist

My most memorable experience was definitely working on SIGNAL Sound Commissions on Flinders Walk. The immersion and environmental sound aspect of it gave me lots of elements to think about and play with. The experience made me think more about spatial awareness – where people listen to my music and what they may be doing – passive or actively listening. How can I make my music an interesting part of their day? You have got to be OK with any outcome – the uncertainty of the process and the journey is part of the experience. Relinquish control.

Composer and Curator

Something super relevant to me right now has been recognising how unique and important it was to have the experience of making sound work for a large multi-channel system. It’s so rare to have access to that sort of technology, especially with the resources and assistance to learn how to navigate it technically and creatively. That’s an opportunity that I haven’t had in the same capacity since being supported by SIGNAL. It was such a leg up in laying that foundational knowledge to grow from and take to other contexts. I think it’s hard to value your art as a young person when you are within institutions that often prioritise one way of doing things – whether that’s technical or conceptual. Of course, there is value in these spaces and teachings, but I also think we shouldn’t be afraid to push forward certain ideas. Keep your ears open and try to experience art from many perspectives.