How Priya Khanchandani became an editor

What I do

I’m the Editor of the monthly design and architecture magazine Icon. I take a curated approach to each issue and oversee an in-house team and freelance contributors to manifest a theme. We publish long-form opinion, analysis and commentary about objects, the built environment and the stories that surround them. I divide my time between editorial work in the office and travelling to international events, from Istanbul Design Biennial to Milan Triennale.

As a design expert, my work has a number of other strands, too. I’ve contributed to publications like The Observer, the Sunday Times and Frieze and curated exhibitions at international biennales. I also give talks and chair panel discussions about visual culture at institutions like the Design Museum and the V&A and appear as a cultural commentator in newspapers and on the radio.

Why I chose my career

Growing up in Luton, I was curious about a career in the arts but I didn’t know anyone who worked in this field and didn’t think it was truly a viable career. From a young age, I spent time outside of school playing music and learning classical dance. I loved going to galleries in London on the weekends with my family. I think those experiences shaped my desire to study an arts subject at university. That was where I started to find out that a life of culture might be a genuine prospect. It wasn’t so much that something inspired me: it was more a process of evolution, realisation and ultimately, a question of financial capacity.

Jobs in craft

There are a number of routes to a career in this sector. One path is going into cultural institutions – I started out my arts career by working at the V&A. Permanent jobs are competitive so it helps to have a higher education qualification. I then worked at the British Council as the Head of Arts Programmes for India which involved working on the UK-India Year of Culture. Public programming is a growing area of employment in the arts and there are interesting specialisms, such as programming in a learning and education context. Arts journalism is still a viable career in a digital context although print titles are by and large shrinking in terms of staffing. It is becoming increasingly common to have a portfolio career across a number of these areas, combining curating, writing and teaching, and even artistic or design practice.

What I studied at school

GCSE: English Language, English Literature, French, Spanish, Maths, Graphic Design, Religious Education, Science, History

A Level: English Literature, Spanish, Maths, Music

I did a questionnaire courtesy of a careers service we were offered during our GCSE year which suggested I should become a puppeteer, which was somewhat bemusing. Seriously though, I didn’t have a clear idea of the career I would have, so at that time I wasn’t being consciously strategic in my choices. What I did was to choose the subjects I enjoyed even if the combination didn’t guarantee me a set path. Since I enjoyed studying both the arts and sciences, I struggled with the idea that you should specialise in one or the other. But I think that if you study what you love, you can’t go too far wrong. The variety of my education has enabled me to have breadth in my career, which has kept me constantly engaged.

What I studied after school

My first degree was a BA in Modern Languages at Cambridge University, specialising in Italian and Spanish language and culture.

I wanted to engage with contemporary culture and decided to do an MA in the History of Design at the Royal College of Art joint with the Victoria and Albert Museum, which was a life-altering experience in many ways. I learnt to analyse the material world through theory and history and research a museum collection. I threw myself into my 30,000-word dissertation about the making of a new city in India, which drew me into ideas around architecture and urban design. I also used the time to grow my professional experience, by writing journalism and curating exhibitions. I haven’t looked back since.

I spent two years training at the RCA before starting a full-time job in the arts. However, training is a fluid term and I am in a constant process of learning through reading, meeting people, travelling to see new places, cultures and exhibitions; and also from a formative perspective, by taking on new and distinct challenges that push me to think in fresh ways.

My career path

I did my first internship while I was still at school at the BBC working on documentaries. I then did other media internships during summer holidays. Motivated by a desire to work in a private sector in my early career, I also did an internship at a few law firms, and was offered a training contract by Clifford Chance. During my time there I advised Prada, went on secondment to Liberty, the human rights charity, and spent two years working on a complex dispute between two international financial institutions in over 30 jurisdictions.

I began my MA in the History of Design at the RCA. During this time, I secured funding from the European Commission to curate an exhibition and edit a catalogue. I also launched a blog about design and the material world with my peers and I threw myself into these subjects. I worked at the V&A as a curatorial researcher and was then offered a full-time role in development working on object acquisitions. After a few years, I joined the British Council as the Head of Arts Programmes for India. Once I had returned to the UK, I decided to take up a freelance portfolio of curatorial and writing projects, before joining Icon full-time as Editor.

I have not had a linear career but looking back, the dots have joined up. From law to languages and design, I have always been drawn to humanities subjects in an inter-disciplinary context. I’ve been driven by a curiosity for how objects and the material world intersect with broader issues that shape the world in which we live. Once I began working in my early twenties, my way of thinking about my career shifted. I realised that I wanted more from my career than a job – I wanted it to be a way of being. Before I went to the RCA, this ambition seemed like a pipe dream. Now I am glad I started chipping away at it then, while I was relatively young and probably more bullish.

Important decisions

When I began to contemplate leaving law to pursue a career in the arts, I talked it through a lot with my friends and family. My family were reticent about the idea because I had a stable and financially secure career but were supportive once I had made the decision and have come around now that they have seen the work that I do. While I was deciding, I spoke to peers from university who had embarked on creative careers and this got me excited, but also made me realistic about the possibilities, both positive and negative, that lay ahead. I knew there was no guarantee that it would work out and that it wasn’t going to be a lucrative path, so I made sure I had enough savings from my law days to allow for a buffer. Overall, given the energy we put into our careers, I came to the conclusion that it was worth taking the risk.

My advice to you

To anyone considering a career in my sector, I would suggest absorbing the aspects of it you think you could get obsessed with – whether that is through books, exhibitions or biennials – in order to work out what really drives you. That might change as your career progresses, but that’s OK. Once you have identified what interests you, a career path that is right for you will emerge. Internships are helpful from a networking perspective, but I also think there is a lot of scope for self-initiated projects and I found this helpful in enabling me to establish an identity within my field. Anyone can set up a blog or with the help of their university, organise a pop-up exhibition. Be a self-starter, and opportunities will follow.

Challenges

The biggest challenge I have faced has been balancing my professional identity with physical hardship. Five years ago, while I was working at the V&A, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and had to undergo arduous treatment that took a long time to recover from. During that time, my work helped keep me going – I went back relatively quickly even if, for some time, I had to be flexible with the sort of work I could do. During this time, I took up writing. I pitched to publications and wrote about exhibitions and events, initially those that I could access within London. With time, I began to travel on press trips and was invited to curate the India Pavilion at London Design Biennale, which took place at Somerset House. Balancing my body with my curiosity wasn’t easy. I learnt to be flexible, patient and never, ever give up. I also learnt that physical impairment is not something I should have to hide or be ashamed of.

Everyone has a story, and learning to own it can help you grow your work such that it becomes synonymous with who you really are.