Fair Freelancing for Creative International Students

I’ve been formally on a student visa sponsored by a university since 2015, and through the years I’ve explored multiple creative disciplines, never able to solely focus on one. For Applied Imagination I initially centered around film because I have a special interest in filmmaking, and wanted to expand on the field. However, after researching film subjects that could be relatable to me with areas I could introduce change in, I realized I wasn’t experiencing the spark I thought I should be feeling about an area I’m supposed to be excited about. This feeling came from not being able to relate to the subject, so I concluded that the spark I was seeking would come from an area I related to and had experience in, all while leaving room for the uncertain.

I then listed everything I’m passionate about, from colors to social issues, and figured that somewhere in the list there would be elements that spark an area of uncertainty where I wished to see change. A lot of what I listed were things I could not profit from legally on a student visa, that is, from selling art. For my past six years in the higher education system, I’ve always been restricted by visa rules, which limit students from being self-employed. Especially in the creative industries, a big share of students relly on being a freelancer not only to have a source of income but also build a network and reputation in their fields.

Such side of relationship and income building are areas creative international students (IS) miss out on unless they share such work for free, but working free of charge often reinforces the idea that an artist’s work isn’t valued enough by those who will consume the artwork. I continued to deduct that not only are creative students more likely to work for free, but IS’s who wish to sell their art but can’t must be disproportionally impacted and experience creative frustrations.

This led me to find an area where there is room for change, where the field could be leveled for domestic and foreign students in the creative fields who wish to be self-employed, so I began comparing student visa restrictions in the United States and in the United Kingdom – the two countries where I have experience being an IS. I then researched the IS population in both countries together with the top areas of study and found that there’s a reasonable share of creatives from abroad in such countries that could greatly benefit from being able to sell their work.

Further research regarded the creative economy as a major area for the change I want to see. In the US and UK, the creative industries are powerful economic drivers and have the potential to grow when a share of creatives in the respective countries become able to contribute to such economies through their work and initiative.

The intersection of US’s and UK’s IS’s, the creative economies, and creative self-employment then became the area in which I’m excited to introduce change.

My research led me to recognize four main stakeholders:

1. Creative IS’s
2. Higher education institutions
3. The legal entities in charge of overseeing student visas
4. Art buyers

These stakeholders all participate in either the creation, administration, regulation and consumption of different areas impacting IS’s and the creative economy.

Taking all the above into consideration, the change I’m proposing consists of four steps:

1. Creating a platform that acts as an outlet where creative IS’s are seen and heard. Here, they can participate in a marketplace where their work is recognized and “sold” in exchange for a contribution to a non-profit; this since, legally, they cannot directly profit as that counts as self-employment. The platform would also provide immigration and job guidance, a zine where IS are the main contributors, networking opportunities with other IS’s, among other resources.
2. The second step, linked to the first, is to educate art buyers that they cannot expect to obtain creative work for free.
3. Begin a campaign targeting legal entities in charge of student visa regulations and universities. It will spread the word around the issues impacting creative IS’s and encourage universities to advocate for the creative rights of their IS’s. The main goal of the campaign would be to reach government officials with the authority to influence student visa legislation.
4. The ultimate step is to make self-employment for creative IS’s legal in the United States and the United Kingdom.

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