Being an Artian Intern: Creating, Curating and, Managing Content
Two critical junctures led me to pursue an internship in content creation at The Artian. The first one traces back to 2017 when I attended Nir Hindi’s, founder of The Artian, renowned keynote “Renaissance of Renaissance Thinking” at a university fair in Bogota, Colombia. This novel approach to art and business piqued my interest, and most importantly, it put The Artian on my radar.
The second defining moment was years later, in late 2020, once I was enrolled in IE University (the same university behind 2017’s event). After attending one of The Artian’s online events, I was fascinated by the experience. So I contacted the company suggesting we carry out a similar event with my colleagues, and I even mentioned that I could help coordinate.
I didn’t know this at the time, but that proactive attitude was precisely what The Artian’s team was looking for in their interns and the reason I eventually got the job. Nir and the team at The Artian believe in giving the right people the right opportunity; regardless of my skillset, I demonstrated one of the company’s core values (proactiveness). If you find yourself restless, full of ideas, and with the energy to implement them, this can be an opportunity for you too.
Unsure about what an internship in content entailed, I was enthused and ready to give it my all. I was keen to start writing, planning, and creating content. One thing I found refreshing about content creation is that the possibilities of content to produce are only limited to the available information. In this sense, The Artian has heaps of content, news, and events for you to get immersed in and produce diverse content. The creative license as a writer was also outstanding; if I had any inkling of an idea, I was not discouraged from trying and pursuing it.
In my role as a writer, I was also fortunate to receive detailed and constructive feedback from my boss directly. As a result, I gained a critical understanding of business writing and produced valuable content for particular audiences through countless feedback cycles. Moreover, I was also encouraged to find other content creators, take writing courses, and engage with fellow writers to enhance my skill at hand.
This might be my first internship, but I can acknowledge how rare it is to receive personalized and detailed feedback from superiors. Especially if they find the time in their day to sit down, explain, and contribute to one’s learning process.
Although writing occupies a significant portion of the role, you also have to care for your readers. There is no point in shipping content if nobody is reading it; for this reason, I learned to engage and put myself in the position of those that consume our content. Furthermore, I was able to take a course on SEO to understand and potentially apply new practices to enhance the company’s content strategy. This was an important learning experience for me as an intern and a business professional; people-centric institutions invest in their human capital.
Being an intern at The Artian means being proactive and autonomous. If you have an idea or any suggestion, rest assured that you will be the one seeing it happen. No internship will grant the degree of autonomy and leadership that The Artian provides their interns. However, autonomy and leadership come with responsibility and accountability.
As an intern, I always felt that the company had a genuine interest in enabling my professional and personal growth. Spanning from company outings to the museum or the business courses I was able to take during my internship. I have also started building a network of my own, and I have met and worked with remarkable people across several different projects.
The challenges I faced allowed me to explore the depths of my professional capabilities, which is what internships are all about. In a supportive environment, I am compelled to take the risk of trying and essentially daring to suck. This lesson came with time; of course, I started in my shell, warding off any daunting task that remotely exceeded my abilities. However, with the support of my boss and colleagues, I eventually took on tasks that I wouldn’t dare do before.
Today? I am managing the website and the Linkedin page of the company, helping reshape company branding materials, and engaging with our readers on all our social platforms. I still lack some skills on the IT side of things and managing social media; however, the work ethic that The Artian promotes has inspired me to learn, research, and invest myself in fulfilling these duties to the best of my ability.
The label of an intern has never limited me to do anything in this company. Of course, it is important to know your place, but the boundaries between titles are not set in stone; the best products, services, and solutions come from working across disciplines.
The lessons that I learned at The Artian I carry for life. I am grateful for the genuine interest in my professional and personal development, for the challenges and opportunities that led me to explore my true potential.
If you are passionate, driven, proactive, and ready for a challenge, The Artian is the place for you. The Artian does not promote the role of art in business arbitrarily; it lives and breathes by these ideals. Therefore, if you want to pursue innovative and creative projects, enhance your personal competencies, and benefit from diverse perspectives (beyond business), I encourage you to apply.
