HOPES, FEARS AND OPPORTUNITIES (PART DOS)

The end is finally in sight. The last few months of university have absolutely flown by at an unreal speed and I honestly don't know where the hours have gone. The time has come to now look back at the last four months to evaluate and assess my major project.

 Having looked at what I wrote for my first Hopes, Fears and Opportunities last term, I’d say that I was pretty happy with how I’ve progressed since then and feel like I’ve ticked off most of the things I wanted to achieve. To some degree I find this worrying as though the targets I last set weren’t that challenging enough and I should be panicking that I’m not there yet. My major project has been completed and I’m pretty pleased with how it all looks. Undoubtedly there are elements I still would have liked to change, but feel like that about most of my work and its something that I need to get over.

The thought of leaving the family unit we have at the moment is something that I’m going to miss a lot. I can’t stress how much I’ve enjoyed these last three years and have made some amazing friends along the way. A small few of us are thinking about clubbing together to rent out studio space, whether it be working individually or as a collective but it’s still just at the ideas stage. I think this could play in our favour as working alongside other creative’s that have a passion for their work does nothing but drive you forward and inspire. I tend to get lost in my work at times and know that being surrounding by others would definitely make life easier and more enjoyable I’d say. I still manage to work well in a solitary environment but I’m worried that I might turn in to a complete hermit live on my own with lots of cats. Either way, I know I’ll get work done, as it’s what I love doing most.  

 Creating work outside of uni was something that I aimed to push forward with and had begun to start this last term. I am still continuing to produce more personal in my spare time, which I definitely seem to be benefitting from. In doing so, I am gradually beginning to see improvement in my work and have noticed that I am beginning to work much faster then before. Collaborating with others is something that I wanted to get involved with so have spoken with another student about perhaps teaming together to set up some sort of online clothing/print store. Its something we’ve spoken about for a while now and gets us both pretty stoked that it could all take off. It’s an opportunity to turn the work we create for fun into something that we could realistically sell that only has boundaries and limits that are set by ourselves.  Keep your eyes peeled, as pipeline ideas should start to become reality soon.

 Looking back at what I’d written last term, I wanted to try and branch out more through socialising with new people in the art industry. Since then, I have attended a few of the Draw North West meet ups (a night run by the talented Chris Madden) over the last few months. If I’m being brutally honest, I found them a little awkward at first and struggled to get stuck in and talk to people. This was purely down to nerves and I’m sure that the more I go, the more familiar faces will become. As well as this, I met a lot of exciting new designers when on my placement for Lord Whitney. This alone was an incredible opportunity to work with talented professionals for a week and I learnt some valuable lessons and gained some great advice on the first few moths after graduating. I feel that by offering to work as an intern with them, I have built up a great relationship with them both which has ultimately lead to them offering me to work with them. I couldn’t have asked for anything more really and thoroughly enjoyed the days spent with them.

The fear that strikes me most is obviously, ‘what the hell am I going to do now?’ as I’m sure is the case for most people. The contact trip down to London a few months ago really shook me up and realised I needed to pull my finger out if I wanted to push myself as an illustrator into work. I found it both difficult and daunting when trying to get in touch with agencies and art directors as I was finding a lot weren’t getting back to me. This was something that I had to overcome quickly, and follow emails up by phone calls followed by more phone calls. It made me realise that I’m not going to get anything handed on a plate to me, not that I ever expected it to be that easy, but it’s certainly made me up my game and put all I’ve got into things. I’m going to be constantly searching for illustration jobs over the next few months but I think it’s crucial that I keep pushing my own ideas and work along side this.

By including editorial work in to the last part of my project, it has helped me think about the ideas being my art more so then usual and has done nothing but push me forward. The fast deadlines are something I’m slowly getting used to and is something I’m constantly aware at the moment. As my work is nearly all hand generated, its time consuming but doesn’t always reflect the time consumed. By practicing this type of work, it has allowed me to focus on the break down of my time much more efficiently and more importantly set myself realistic, achievable outcomes.

I’m starting to come to terms with the fact that’ll I’ll no doubt have to get a part and maybe even full time job running parallel with my illustration work. This really depends on a couple of things. 1. If I can actually get any work outside of uni and 2. If I do get offered work am I going to be picky about what I choose? It depends if I’m going to compromise on jobs for the money. You might not always agree with the company you’re being commissioned by but realistically if its going to pay the bills, it might have to be one of those things you just go with. I’m talking as though I’ve got loads of work lined up to pick and choose from but have got absolutely nothing.

To some things up, I’m not really sure how the next few months are going to turn out. I feel like I’m turning into an ‘proper adult’, which is something I’ve always tried to fight against but need to deal with it. Its going to be a huge challenge that is most certainly not going to be easy, but I can’t wait to grab it by the horns and give it all that I’ve got and hopefully have the time of my life along the way. It all starts now.