Kirsty moody portfolio

Kirsty Moody Marketing and Promotion Graduate Portfolio kirsty.moody@hotmail.com 07733451287 https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiitskirstyy/

Contents: 1) About Me 2) Research 3) Research 4) Development 5) Development 6) Campaigns - Product 7) Campaigns - App 8) Campaigns - Billboard 9) Campaigns - Adshel 10) Campaigns - Bus 11) Campaigns - YouTube 12) Campaigns - Instagram 13) Campaigns - Press Pack 14) Campaigns - Face Cards 15) Campaigns - Stickers and Badges

16) Campaigns - Press Invite and Release 17) Campaigns - Tissue Paper and Stamp 18) Campaigns - Press Event Moodboard 19) Campaign Plan 20) Media Plan 21) Journalistic Work 22) hiitskirstyy 23) The Tab UCLan 24) VIVA 25) Imogimoon 26 & 27) The Pulse 28) Photography

About Me: Third year Fashion and Brand Promotion with Journalism student at the University of Central Lancashire.A hard-working and outgoing person who works well under pressure as shown with University deadlines, who can work well in a team but also independently when needed.

Has a desired passion for beauty and lifestyle writing in blogs and newspapers as well as broadcast.

Full Time Address: 60B Liberty Village Great Shaw Street Preston Lancashire PR1 2HF 07733451287 kirsty.moody@hotmail.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiitskirstyy https://hiitskirstyy.wordpress.com/

Education: University of Central Lancashire 2014-Present BA (Hons) Fashion and Brand Promotion with Journalism First Year Modules Intro to fashion & brand promo Intro into promo campaigns Intro to colour Reporting Skills Creating content The business of media Second Year Modules Promoting fash relat products Dev Skills rel to promo camps Product development Promo related report Specialist reporting Feature Writing Third Year Modules Personal Penultimate Presentation Final Presentation Review In Depth Report to support Final Presentation Newspaper and Magazine Production Vision West Nottinghamshire 2012-2014 BTEC Extended Diploma in Clothing and Textiles Grades DistinctionX3 Outwood Academy Valley 2007-2012 11 GCSES Grades A-C including Maths, English and Science

Awards:

Work Experience: UCLan Students Union February 2017 - February 2017 Money Buddy / Activator / Facilitator Creating a budgeting presentation to students as well as working alongside other money buddies during National Student Money Week to promote what the Students’ Union offered to students.

UCLan November 2016-Present Student Ambassador Signposting on open days, helping lost students and parents.

UCLan Student’s Union The Pulse October 2016-Present Lifestyle Editor Editor for the Lifestyle section of The Pulse, both online and in print.

Generating content for other students as well as creating content.

UCLan Student’s Union September 2016-Present Student Engagement Assistant Receptionist in the advice centre; triaging cases, booking appointments if necessary, signposting students Freshers welcome team; signposting students, interacting and helping students and parents if they feel lost.

MyCommonGoods May 2016-August 2016 Blogger and Social Media Intern Writing blog posts every 3 days for the website to keep customers up to date with latest trends and shows, helping out with social media ideas and campaigns VIVA Magazine May 2016-August 2016 Intern Writing articles for online and print, writing up press releases for online, looking after advertisers social media by posting advertising tweets every week, in charge of interns when the editor and editors assistants weren’t in the office Imogimoon (Blog) September 2015-April 2016 Writer Occasional blog post writer covering various subjects The Tab (UCLan) April 2014-April 2016 Journalist Writer for the tab covering various subject areas Primark September 2015-December 2015 Retail Assistant Vodafone March 2014-August 2014 Retail Sales Advisor

UCLan Livesey Award: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Highly Commended (124 hours volunteering) UCLan Students’ Union Media Newcomer 2017

Held position of Course Rep for Fashion and Brand Referees Available Upon Request Promotion/Management at UCLan 2014-2016

1

Research Idea Fashion Makeup

The chosen brand for this product is Amazon Instant Video. Within this brand, the TV show created will be individually branded, however it relies heavily on Amazon and the influence they could create.

As the show would be created for Amazon Prime, a lot of research has had to be undertaken about them and what they offer as well as if this is the right basis for the show.

Lifestyle Beauty TV

Competitors

Bloggers

The idea is to combine makeup, beauty, fashion and lifestyle into a TV show, this will relate to the content bloggers are putting out there for their viewers and readers.

It will be a step up from the typical videos which they are creating and become a step up from the typical YouTube videos.

Very QVC MTV

Customer

Vogue

InStyle

Netflix

The primary customer is the type of person who will constantly be on social media, checking out the latest trends as well as watching tutorials and how to’s on YouTube. They are innovative and want the shows they watch to be at the same speed they are, they don’t want the typical videos they were watching three years ago. They are quick thinkers and even though they want the latest trends, they wouldn’t class themselves as mainstream. They will create their own looks and be independent with how they react to the media. The primary customer will shop in a range of stores to get the best deals and create unique looks, from physical stores such as Primark to Topshop to online stores such as Boohoo and even eBay, they will never limit where they shop. They like to travel and want to explore new places.

As the chosen channel is Amazon, they have quite a few competitors, including Netflix and Very but also the brands which offer fashion in magazines as well as their videos. These are competitors purely because the majority of the target audience would also have access to these channels so would want to know what they are offering and what they can watch on these rather than paying for another subscription.

2

Research Gap In The Market The purpose of the show is to give hints and tips with style guides, such as menswear, womenswear as well as makeup and hair. A TV show will supply the consumers with what they need daily, as this show will cover all the different elements of a typical day it will help the consumers with certain tasks that they may not have realised they wanted guidance on.

With over 9.8 billion YouTube makeup views (Pixability, 2014), it creates a stronger base for makeup lovers to view and purchase all in one app. “Since 2010, traditional television viewing by US adults has remained flat at 4 hours and 31 minutes per day” (Pixability, 2014) this gives interpretation that adults need to be brought back to watching TV and on demand seems to be the way forward with “more than 45% of all videos viewing for this demographic is on non-linear channels – whether broadcast, VoD, YouTube, Facebook or other online video.” (Chesters, 2017) .

As the show will constantly be on demand consumers can come back and search for certain episodes. There is a gap in the market for individuals wanting a show all about trends and styles, this is backed up with 36% of survey respondents expressing an interest in these shows.

Giving it to them on demand and on Amazon, means they can keep everything in one place watching the videos they want, learning new styles and techniques but also being able to click through devices into the shops to purchase the products shown in the videos.

Photography by Kirsty Moody

Market Segment Craze with Amazon’s market fits into a variety of markets. As this is a TV show, it fits in to the market of demand for shows, but as it is also catering for makeup and fashion addicts it fits into the cosmetics market. It fits under both so it means more consumers are going to notice the show.

Craze fits into the beauty industry as a lot of the content will be correlating that, but beauty is such a wide market with the variety of products but as the Raconteur report on The Beauty Economy states “beauty has been recession proof” (Raconteur, 2014), this is showing that this market is strong for the TV show to fit into.

The market for TV shows are broken down into the category of what the TV show has to offer, with many being comedy, documentaries, crafts, news. Craze would fit under a cosmetics category with tags linking it to documentaries and how to’s like crafts. As well as being a TV show, it also fits into the markets of e-commerce, as Amazon will be a big part of the service with viewers able to click through and buy the items.

Photography by Kirsty Moody

3

Development Bloggers Bloggers were investigated to help understand what their viewers were wanting from them, this helped understand what the TV show needed to work for their consumers.

A range of bloggers were looked into, from all of them the common factor was how to’s as well as honest reviews of products.

They were also investigated to help clarify which social media was used to their advantage.

They were a main source of influential ideas purely because of the link with videos, the idea was created off the back of vloggers and bloggers. However, the idea was that it would be a step up from the typical vlogging YouTube video.

Brands Many makeup brands were investigated, similar to the bloggers to understand which brands would work well with the TV show and how this collaboration would happen.

They were also investigated to see how they use their social media to build their brand more as this would impact a lot on the TV show and how they would correlate.

These were also an influential aspect to the project because of the different products which are created means the consumers needs the information and guidance from a trusted source.

Idea Development The idea for the TV show for Amazon, developed into the idea of creating a brand to use alongside Amazon Prime, rather than only using Amazon, making it more relatable and promotable.

By creating a brand to work alongside Amazon makes it more recognisable for consumers and will get them more intrigued into the brands.

Brand Identity

The brand created is Craze, with the creation of Craze comes the creation of social media, constantly linking back to Amazon but having its own style.

Craze is quite an identifiable brand with the use of the Amazon orange to help the logo stand out. This is a characteristic of the brand with the usage of a rolling camera to help the consumer link this with either a video or a show.

The initial idea for just a TV show, quickly developed when exploration into promotion started, an app was created to back up the idea that beauty and fashion lovers wanted more. With this app the consumers were able to order products and the app already know their size and shades.

Craze is a 10 episode series focused around a variety of lifestyle and fashion trends, designed to inform and educate viewers on latest trends as well as how to create certain looks and styles. It starts off as a 10 episode series to see how the consumers react to this before a renewal of the show.

C 4

Development Direct Marketing

Gifting Flyering Bus tour Press event Press pack Press invite Press release

Delivery

Image Development Indirect Marketing

Instagram YouTube App Adshel Billboards Tube Stations TV Ads Cinema Ads Magazine Ads

The delivery of the product would be accessible for everyone on Amazon Instant Video, but the first episode will be available for all viewers to watch regardless of if they have a subscription or not. This makes it so the consumers want to watch the rest of the series. Also, as the show is on Amazon, this means it is viewable on any device with an internet access meaning the viewer can watch this on the go.

Sneak peeks and snippets of the episodes will all be released on the Craze Instagram and YouTube account to draw in more consumers.

The campaign delivery is slightly different as it involves a variety of styles to draw in different consumers and get a lot of people talking about the show whether they would be a customer or not. The campaign is slightly smaller than an average Amazon campaign, purely because the Craze brand isn’t as big or with well known actors / hosts.

The image development shows that I have edited the images to create a white background, slightly lightening the photograph to make it look more professional and Amazon worthy.

5

Campaigns - Product

Craze is a 10-epsiode series focused around fashion, lifestyle and beauty trends. The product is available on Amazon Prime Instant Video, meaning the consumers are able to watch this on a tablet, a phone, a computer, a TV. Anything which has internet access and can download the Prime app.

Models: Ivy Kusaloka and Ciandra Birnbaum

Photography: Emma Louise Carney

Makeup Artist: Nicola Wilson

Concept Creation and Editing: Kirsty Moody 6

Campaigns - App The app links with Amazon so consumers can purchase through this app, it knows skin types and can recommend products. When a makeup product is added to the basket, it already knows what shade is needed. It can recommend products relating to the type of skin you have or what would suit you. The app can tell you if a product might not suit you before purchasing. There is also a live BOT available 24/7 who knows all your data and can help you with decisions on what would suit you. This application has been designed as a part of rich media, this is basically features which allows consumers creation and manipulation of product images to simulate experience with the products (Kim, et al., 2013)

7

Campaigns - Billboard

The Billboard is an interactive one with constant images from the Craze social media and campaign images running. These billboards are located in key cities to engage with the target audience as well as their family members as they will end up using this as a way to connect with their family and engage with them.

The billboards will stand out and make many people want to know what it is all about, which is why both the Craze logo and the Amazon logo are on there for the consumers to know where to look to learn more.

8

Campaigns - Adshel

The Adshel is also an interactive one with constant images from the Craze social media and campaign images running. These adshels are located in key cities to engage with the target audience as well as their family members as they will end up using this as a way to connect with their family and engage with them.

A4

The adshels will stand out and make many people want to know what it is all about, which is why both the Craze logo and the Amazon logo are on there for the consumers to know where to look to learn more.

9

Campaigns - Bus

The Craze Bus, will stop off at key locations such as Brighton, Coventry, Leicester, Lincoln, Exeter, London, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Sheffield, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol, Newcastle, Belfast, Dublin, Cardiff, Swansea, Aberdeen, Nottingham, York and Oxford.

Visitors on the bus will receive goodie bags which will include miniature products alongside stickers, badges and sweets. On the bus, they will also get an exclusive viewing of the first episode and can try products from the series with makeup artists and hair stylists around to help them recreate some of the looks. They will also receive discounts on the products from the series and will receive the packaging that will be sent out from Amazon.

The bus will be wrapped in a pattern similar to the image to showcase exactly what it is about and with the logos of Amazon Prime Video it is clear where the viewers need to go to find out more.

10

Campaigns - YouTube The YouTube channel is used for sneak peeks and behind the scenes of the episodes to engage with customers and get them wanting more.

It will also showcase members from the show speaking about every day life, from the look that was created to the makeup artists talking about how they have created everything. It will also showcase the hosts and guests speaking out about the comments that have been made on the YouTube channel, whether these are positive or negative.

Having a YouTube channel as well as the TV show will create another base for content and a way to engage with different followers, allowing them to watch and understand what the show has to offer.

11

Campaigns - Instagram

Vodafone

13:10

craze The Instagram page is used for sneak peeks and behind the scenes of the episodes to engage with customers and get them wanting more.

It will also showcase a lot of behind the scenes imagery including shooting the films and editing.

Having an Instagram page is a great way to connect with the audience as it will create a way for the consumers to see the show and all the aspects as well as be able to share their experieence witht the show on their own instagrams and regram different images.

AMAZON ORIGINAL

10

posts

CRAZE

976

followers

350

following

Edit profile

Craze

An Amazon original lifestyle show with makeup, fashion and lifestyle tips.Stream all episodes of our first season now on Amazon Prime Video.

www.amazon.co.uk/craze

30

12

Campaigns - Press Pack The press pack consists of a USB which holds images from the campaign as well as the trailer and the first episode for the press and influencers to know more about the TV show.

The press pack will be sent out to: A Model Recommends, Fleur De Force, Josieldn, In The Frow, Just Jodes, Lily Pebbles, Pandora Sykes, In Style, Elle, GQ, Love, Shout, Dazed, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan and Sky. It also contains a few goodies for the journalist / influencer, as well as the branded badges and stickers. It also offers a face card which is a main part of promotion with a pair of eyelashes to match.

13

Campaigns - Face Cards The face cards are designed to show the consumer and viewers to experiment with different makeup looks, they also recieve a pair of eyelashes with the look to help them recreate it.

On the back of the cards it details the look and what products are needed to create the look.

These will be handed out at all gifting events, goodie bags, press pack and the press event.

14

Campaigns - Stickers and Badges

CRAZE CRAZE CRAZE CRAZE CRAZE CRAZE CRAZE CRAZE CRAZE CRAZE CRAZE CRAZE CRAZE CRAZE CRAZE CRAZE CRAZE CRAZE

CRAZE CRAZE

15

Campaigns - Press Invite / Release Dear InStyle Team

Dear Lily Pebbles Craze Invites You To Their Event at Display Gallery, Morley House on Sunday the 12th of August 2018 at 2pm-late.

Craze is a 10-episode series focused around a variety of lifestyle trends, designed to inform and educate viewers on latest trends as well as how to create certain looks and styles. our first episode will launch on the 1st of September, but we have included the first episode and the trailer as well as our promotional images on the usb attached for you. we would love for you to feature our new show in your magazine and we hope you enjoy the little freebies attached.

love the Craze Team xox

Craze is a 10-episode series focused around a variety of lifestyle trends, designed to inform and educate viewers on latest trends as well as how to create certain looks and styles.

At our event, we look forward to sharing with you our trailer which you can see online here: www. youtube.com/craze or on the attached USB. We will also be streaming our first episode for you to view before anyone else.

With a few goodies to give away, bubbly and popcorn to enjoy whilst viewing, makeup artists and hair stylists, we have you covered for the day. Bring along the kids, we even have a little area for them to enjoy the celebrations.

love the Craze Team xox

16

Campaigns - Tissue Paper and Stamp

17

Campaigns - Press Event Board

Flatplan and photofraphy from The Display Gallery

The press event will be held at The Display Gallery, Morley house which is across the road from the Amazon London HQ. With the main entrance floor being the smallest which would be decorated with stills from the shows as well as balloons with the craze logo on.

As the guests walk into the event they are greeted by hosts with a selection of drinks, from prosecco for the over 18’s to sparkling juice for the under 18’s.

The entrance floor is a way for everyone to get a tiny glimpse of what is on offer and what they are in for.

As the guests venture downstairs, the gallery opens out into a bigger space. Downstairs, there will be a standard photo booth where guests can go and use props to take different images, but the selfie sisters will also be there with their selfie mirror for guests to receive different styled images.

There will also be stations where guests can recreate makeup looks and hair styles from the shows with the help of makeup artists and hair stylists. Guests will get the exclusive chance of watching the first episode on a screen with cinema styled chairs for them to enjoy this in, whilst also receiving typical cinema popcorn.

For the younger guests and any other guests, there will be a social media corner where the guests can recharge their gadgets and try out different filters on their own platforms to show off the event.

There will also be a bar where the guests can create their own cocktails and mocktails, sponsored by Corky’s Schnapps and Coca Cola with all variations of their products, with these being sponsors it means that all the guests can create a variety of drinks whether they use alcohol or not. Once the event is finished and guests are leaving, all guests will receive a goody bag which includes a gift from the sponsors, as well as vouchers for Craze products, stickers, badges and a full-sized makeup product.

Photography by Kirsty Moody

18

Campaign Plan Time January

February

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

march

April

may

June

July

august

sept

October

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41

42

43

44

Logo Design Planning of shoot Planning of video Search for models and photography/filming team Test shoots Photo shoot filming Editing of photoshoot Editing of video Trailer launch Trailer on social media / TV Instagram account launch Instagram posts App design App launch Post card design Face cards design

1/03/2018 Trailer launches on YouTube, Instagram, alongside TV and cinema adverts.

30/03/2018 App launches on the Apple store and Google Play.

Figure cards design Sticker design Badge design Lucky dip design Press event planning Packaging design Press pack creation Adverts created Post card printing Face card printing Figure card printing Goody bag creation Press pack dispatch Adverts sent out for billboard Bus event planning Bus event hiring Bus event locations researched

10/07/2018 Press pack is dispatched to: Love, Dazed, Shout, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, GQ, Elle. A Model Recommends, Fleur De Force, Fashion Mumblr, In the Frow, Just Jodes, Lily Pebbles and Pandora Sykes.

bus brands planned Bus brands organized Bus locations organized and booked Bus tour starts Adverts sent for ad shell Adverts sent for tube Adverts sent for magazines Lucky dip launch Press event Launch day Tissue Paper created Stamp created for tissue paper

12/08/2018 Press event held at Display Gallery, Morley House.

1/09/2018 Episode one launches on Amazon Prime Instant Video.

19

Media Plan Time January

February

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41

42

43

44

Logo Design Planning of shoot Planning of video Search for models and photography/filming team Test shoots Photo shoot filming Editing of photoshoot Editing of video Trailer launch Trailer on social media / TV Instagram account launch Instagram posts App design App launch Post card design Face cards design

1/03/2018 Trailer launches on YouTube, Instagram, alongside TV and cinema adverts.

30/03/2018 App launches on the Apple store and Google Play.

Figure cards design Sticker design Badge design Lucky dip design Press event planning Packaging design Press pack creation Adverts created Post card printing Face card printing Figure card printing Goody bag creation Press pack dispatch Adverts sent out for billboard Bus event planning Bus event hiring Bus event locations researched

10/07/2018 Press pack is dispatched to: Love, Dazed, Shout, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, GQ, Elle. A Model Recommends, Fleur De Force, Fashion Mumblr, In the Frow, Just Jodes, Lily Pebbles and Pandora Sykes.

bus brands planned Bus brands organized Bus locations organized and booked Bus tour starts Adverts sent for ad shell Adverts sent for tube Adverts sent for magazines Lucky dip launch Sticker launch Badge Launch Post card launch Face card launch Figure card launch Press event Launch day Press Release Created Press Release Sent

12/08/2018 Press event held at Display Gallery, Morley House.

1/09/2018 Episode one launches on Amazon Prime Instant Video.

20

Kirsty Moody Marketing and Promotion Graduate Journalistic Work

21

HARSH REALITY OF FINAL YEAR April 16, 2017

hiitskirsty

So you’ve probably figured out that I’ve had to have a few days off from blogging and missed quite a few days of posting.

In my last post you may have noticed it was a very quick update on what’s been going on, well as it’s a weekend and I’ve sent my report off to print (YAY!) I’ve narrowed down my work load…. or I’m just avoiding doing my large art boards.

CORKY’S SCHNAPPS CELEBRATIONS April 5, 2017 So this post is later than I had hoped, time wise and date wise. I was wanting to post this at the beginning of the week and have another post scheduled for today but my degree / dissertation seems to have taken over my life but that will be explained at a later date!

If you saw, on Friday I was fortunate enough to go to an event, you probably saw all the cocktails and glitter and thought what the hell?

Well I was in my element, I was loving life.

So I’ve decided this post is going to be very lifestyle and my opinion on my final year so far.

I was lucky enough to have been invited to Corky’s Schnapps blogger event showcasing their new glitter range, sneak peek its amazing!

Obviously I knew final year was going to be tough, but I didn’t actually realise how tough it was going to be.

I was moving back into halls after my disastrous first year in halls and I was definitely not looking forward to it, until I actually moved in and met my lovely flat mates. Yes Claire and Michael I’m actually calling you lovely. What’s wrong with me?

First semester wasn’t too bad, I was juggling French lessons with volunteering, working part time and my degree, as well as blogging. Can someone please tell me how I managed to do that?

This was my second blogger event, and to be honest I was fairly nervous as I didn’t know anyone going and it was in Manchester, but I went shopping before hand and treated myself (that will also come at a later date).

So on arrival, I had no idea where I was going, the event was held at Dive which I have never been to before, but the set up for this event was amazing.

But after a while, the stress did get to me and it was after Christmas as I had started my final campaign that it all got to me.

from the glitter (The Gypsy Shrine) to the selfies (Selfie Sisters), this was going to be a great night and I was fortunate enough to make two new friends! Lacey and Jess, Lacey is also a blogger so make sure to head over to her after this (http://laceyfitspo.com) .

I ended up having a week away from university and work, away from all the extra stuff I had been doing to try and get me back to wanting to finish my degree.

img_1600.jpg

It ended up with me having a meeting with my tutor, in which I told him I’d had a breakdown and I didn’t want to continue. I basically wanted to give up after 5 years of studying fashion.

I had such an amazing night, from the first drink (which I’m sure was prosecco mixed with their raspberry Corky’s Schnapps), this drink was amazing as it was a lovely refreshing change from the typical glass of prosecco.

Obviously, my tutor laughed and said he wasn’t letting me leave (thank you Paz for making me feel a lot better about everything) and he spoke through everything I needed to do. Which made it seem a lot more manageable than I thought it was going to be.

I was given this on arrival from Catherine, who I had been liaising with over this event, it was lovely to put a face to a name and she explained everything that was going to be happening over the night and what to expect. I was also handed an envelope which had my name and blog name on, it was the added touches which made it all amazing.

After that conversation, and speaking to my bosses (who even agreed I could cut back my hours if needed) I ended up dropping French as that was causing me extra stress and I decided to not force myself into blogging which I had been doing.

Inside the envelope were little cards with glitter on the back, which gave us a glitter makeover, selfie image, cocktails and a masterclass. I mean how much better could this event get?

I’ve actually been letting myself have a few off days, which including mine and my mums visit to Nottingham.

Theres so many photos I want to share with you from this event that I’m going to include a slideshow down at the bottom.

The reality of third year is, you can’t do everything. Sometimes you have to say you can’t do it and you need help. If I hadn’t asked for the help, I would still be struggling and hating my degree.

Don’t think that just because you can’t do everything means you’re weak, it means you’re strong enough to admit you can’t do it all.

If you ever feel like it gets too much, speak to someone before it gets worse. I definitely learnt that the hard way.

But even though you’re going through all of that, you never realise how many people are there for you and I am ever so grateful to all those who have helped me. From my flat mates, to my pulse baes, my bosses, my tutors, my course friends, and obviously my family. Thank you is never enough to say to all of these, even though they may not even read this post, I am so grateful.

One more thing I’m going to tell you all about, was the food. I mean I like food like everyone else does, but these guys made the best little slider burgers which had edible glitter on! I ended up literally covered in glitter, with the glitter under my eyes to on my lips. I can guarantee my mum is glad I wasn’t going back to hers with all that glitter.

But I just want to say a big thank you to the event planners, to Corky’s, to the girls with Gypsy Shrine and The Selfie Sisters, you guys definitely know how to throw a party!

To make the night even better, when we all eventually said goodbye to the glitter and alcohol, we were given a goodie bag!

This goodie bag consisted of a big bottle of the blueberry Corkys Schnapps, some false nails (which we all know I love), some sweets, straws, and a little set of goodies from Kiehl’s which I can not wait to try! But after having our glitter done, we were also gifted some glitter from the lovely Gypsy Shrine.

IMG_1655.JPGOo I completely forget to tell you all that I actually ended up making my own cocktail…..and it was nice! With the help of Jess (who is a bartender) and the actual bartender, I was talked through the basics and let loose.

So I ended up making a mango Corky’s Schnapps mixed with triple sec, topped with cranberry juice. It sounds disgusting, but look at how amazing it looks! I was shocked and amazed at the fact I had managed to make that. If my career doesn’t pan out, ill probably venture into cocktail creation.

I also forgot to mention, I met the lovely Clarke Couture who shared my love and passion for journalism and writing. She definitely has the best job with the gypsy shrine so you should definitely check her out!

I hope you all liked this post and definitely go check out the people I’ve mentioned and don’t forget to engage with me on social media!

22

The Tab UCLan Fashion degrees aren’t easy so why are you taking the piss out of them?

UCLan is one of the top UK unis for students with sugar daddies

KIRSTY MOODY

KIRSTY MOODY

Yes, it is a real course Everyone thinks studying fashion at university is easy. They’re wrong. From designing, manufacturing to brand promotion, there are many aspects of a fashion course that they call “easy.”

“Is that even a real degree? Don’t you just cut and stick?” “How is fashion a course? It’s just clothes.” Just some of the things the haters moan all too often.

There are over 300 ‘sugar babies’ at UCLan

You’d think with over ten different fashion courses at UCLan, people would have got bored of saying this to us by now. I’ve been a fashion student for the past two years, I’ve heard it all. Coming to UCLan to do a degree in fashion hasn’t changed that.

UCLan is ranked as having the 19th largest number of student sugar babies, with 312 of our students being reported to have signed up to the website SeekingArrangement. UCLan is also ranked as the 7th fastest growing baby school, based on the number of new sign ups.

According to SeekingArrangement.com, UCLan has had 173 new sign ups to the site, just below University of Portsmouth with 216 new signups and just above Manchester with 172 new sign ups.

When I decided to do a fashion degree, many people thought I was joking. They didn’t think there was enough work and wondered what I’d get out of it.

So what is a sugar baby? They are people, recently a lot of students, who according to Angela Jacob Bermudo, European Spokesperson for SeekingArrangements, are “looking for the finer things in life. They appreciate exotic trips and gifts. Sugar Babies get to experience a luxurious lifestyle, and meet wealthy people on a regular basis.

Many people believe that fashion students are less intelligent. These people clearly don’t understand how much work and effort goes into making a dress, or creating a collection, or designing a display in Topshop. Well, we do. And it’s a lot.

“SeekingArrangement encourages student Sugar Baby numbers by offering free premium memberships to students that register with their schools assigned email addresses or show proof of enrollment.”

20-year-old fashion student Reece Orton said: “I would say it takes more brainpower than doing a degree where all you do is write essays because the amount of creative thinking we have to do to come up with campaigns is 24/7, not just an hour of focus when you’re in an exam. It really rattles my cage.”

“While basic Sugar Baby accounts are completely free, the premium memberships feature students to Sugar Daddies and Mommies, therefore increasing their visibility and chances of securing an arrangement.”

Catherine Brejska, 20, fashion student said: “Hate when people think: ‘oh they must not be as smart as other students because they study fashion.’

Winds me up so much.”

Fashion students don’t get free time. When we’re not in lectures, we’re still working.

Bethany Sherry, Fashion and Brand Promotion with Journalism student said: “It is unfair and selfish to date somebody purely based on what they can buy you.

However it seems like a win win situation, the sugar baby gets the things they want and the sugar daddy gets to date a younger person. It doesn’t seem like a real relationship, rather just an image thing and an ego booster”.

Second year Hayleigh Chamberlain said: “I think If it’s some bodies choice then it’s ok, like I think a lot of people would do it if they were never going to be found out – say like by their parents! I don’t know, Also like who are people to tell others what to do and how they live their life.”

We might not do exams, but sketchbook work and extra projects still take up the rest of our time.

And then there’s the extra cost. Fashion students are forced to spend a lot of money on projects, making sure it looks perfect and ready for every aspect to be scrutinised, no matter how much it costs.

We’re forced to collect a whole array of different magazines, even if we’re not interested in what’s inside them.

We miss out on nights out because we’re in the library or locked in our bedrooms finishing our projects or stressing over our many deadlines.

Beth Sherry, 19, fashion student said: “People presume fashion students are academically inept. Which is frustrating because it takes more than people think. And people always presume it’s fashion design and that studying fashion is unimportant to their lives.”

We have to make the most of the nights out we actually get.

We have to make the most of the nights out we actually get.

A fashion degree is as hard as any other degree, whether it’s design, brand management or styling. Many are combined with other degrees such as journalism or photography.

Fellow UCLan fashion student Hayleigh Chamberlain agrees: “I think my course (Fashion and Brand Promotion with Journalism) is hard to a certain extent. The journalism aspect is very different to the fashion work; it’s more academically challenging. I don’t know, nobody’s really said anything to me personally, but I know that people who choose to pursue a degree in it are often thought of as stupid. People think it’s an easy career choice, even though it’s such a competitive industry.”

Every course is hard, that’s what makes it a degree.

The next time you see someone studying fashion, don’t take the piss, they work ridiculously hard.

Annie Rees, Fashion and Brand Promotion with Journalism student said: “I think if they go into it knowing exactly what they’re doing then fine it’s their choice, I wouldn’t personally do it feel like it’s a bit of a cop out for people who don’t want to get a job and pay for things themselves.”

Preston couples spend more on Valentine’s Day than anyone else KIRSTY MOODY We’re the most generous people in the UK on V Day According to data from Worldpay, lovers in Preston will be spending more money for Valentine’s Day than anyone else in the UK. We’ll spend £53 per person on gifts, that’s not including if you’re going to be taken out for a luxurious meal. This is compared to the national average of £45.

What would they be spending this kind of cash on?

If you’re going down the traditional route of flowers, any other day you might be spending around £25 or so on a small bouquet of flowers (we are students after all), but data suggests that those who do buy flowers on V Day will spend an average of £50 for a bunch.

Generous lovers Generous lovers A decent bottle of wine will cost you around £10, depending on how many bottles you’re wanting to buy… but let’s be honest, who really spends more than £5 on a bottle of wine?

But what could you spend that money on in Preston? Considering the unhealthy reputation of our high street, how about taking up KFC on their Valentine’s special? Having a date night in the very first KFC in the UK would certainly be unique.

Whatever you do, it will probably be better than anyone down in Walsall in the West Midlands – they’re at the bottom on the splurging league, spending an average of £26.74 on the most romantic day of the year.

23

VIVA You Should VisitBerlin

By Kirsty Moody Travel

VIVA Attends Swatch VIP Launch 11 months ago

We were very lucky and excited to be invited to Meet us in Manchester – visitBerlin and the German National Tourist Office press event.

We love travelling just like you guys do and going to an event talking about travelling to a new place, that is a dream for us.

There was so much about Berlin and Germany that we didn’t realise, we especially didn’t realise that Berlin is classed as a city which is 365/24. A city full of high culture and sub-culture, high-end shopping and products, science and scholarship, and the best in lifestyle – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Are you the type of person who loves to see museums and exhibitions? Berlin has pretty much every type of exhibition you would want, including a collection of lipsticks, a collection of vintage bikes and starting in September is The One Grand Show which contains 500 bright costumes made by the one and only Jean Paul Gaultier. A few of these exhibitions prefer for you to book but if you contact VisitBerlin, they will be able to help you out. VisitBerlin has a huge list of events with all the dates, sights that should be seen, tours that can be booked.

There’s so many times when you’ve gone travelling and had to rush to get the last bus back to where you’re staying, this isn’t an issue in Berlin with public transport 24 hours a day, an amazing feature created by the creators of VisitBerlin is the Going Local App, within this app is personal Berlin tips from locals which will help you get the most out of your trip.

The app is perfect for those of you who want to cram in as much as you possibly can, with a map that is available to download and use offline. It helps you not get lost in a strange country, but also helps you see things you wouldn’t normally see.

VisitBerlin have sorted us out with a few images so you can see just how amazing it is.

Will Theresa May Make A Good Prime Minister?

By Kirsty Moody News

10 months ago

With the after effects of Brexit starting to settle in, we are having a complete change in parliament, or thats how it seems anyway. David Cameron resigning after the results were released leads Theresa May to fill his shoes on Wednesday evening once Cameron offers his resignation to the Queen.

As the news of Theresa May breaks, comes the questions; is she really the right person to lead us? Is she another Margaret Thatcher? What does this mean for equality?

With many people heading to twitter to voice their opinions, it’s easy to see that not many people are happy that the former Home Secretary will be their new Prime Minister.

With one twitter account announcing that on 26th May 2016, Theresa May voted in favour of repealing the Human Rights Act 1998, however during her leadership campaign she explicitly ruled this out conceding that there was no appetite for reform. Still people aren’t very happy.

As a woman who voted to stay in the EU, how does that actually fare for Brexit? Is she the right person to lead us out of the EU? She stated, mainly to reassure Brexit-supporting individuals, “Brexit means Brexit and we’re going to make a success of it.” She’s showing that even though she supported the remain campaign, she is going to back the decision of the people and carry this out.

But what does that mean for equality? Will having a female prime minister help in the ways of feminism?

May voted in favour of legalising same-sex marriage saying, “If two people care for each other, if they love each other, then they should be able to get married” but then previously voted against repealing section 28, a law that had banned schools from intentionally promoting homosexuality, and against reducing the age of consent for gay sex. However, during her leadership speech she spoke about equality of opportunity saying “Right now, if you’re born poor, you will die on average nine years earlier than others. If you’re black, you’re treated more harshly by the criminal justice system than if you’re white. If you’re a white working-class boy, you’re less likely than anybody else to go to university. If you’re at a state school, you’re less likely to reach the top professions than if you’re educated privately. If you’re a woman, you still earn less than a man. If you suffer from mental health problems, there’s too often not enough help to hand. If you’re young, you’ll find it harder than ever before to own your own home.”

As well as that comment, she’s an avowed feminist proving this by leading a fight to close the UK’s gender wage gap in 2008 and confronts sexist comments about her fondness for stylish shoes, does this mean that as Prime Minister she’s going to keep pushing for equality?

By Kirsty Moody Fashion & Shopping

9 months ago

VIVA girls were invited to the VIP launch of Swatch in the Arndale Centre this morning, previously Swatch had been on Market Street so it is now in more of a prime location surrounded by the likes of Fossil, Thomas Sabo, Starbucks and Lush.

With the shop officially opening on Friday, this morning was the perfect time for Swatch to invite us in where we got to see all the sneak peeks of the Autumn Winter collection and get treated to a few lovely pastries and a glass of bucks fizz.

With Swatch we knew they’d go all out with their colour scheme, and we were not wrong. We absolutely love the print on their back wall and how their creativeness reflects through from their designs on their watches (and newly released sunglasses) to their stores.

We just can’t get enough of the brightly coloured Swiss shop, from bringing back their Pop collection to the latest interchangeable sunglasses, we think there’s plenty for us to choose from and it proved very hard to pick when they gifted us with a watch of our own.

From the simple elegant bracelet styled watches to the brightly themed ones, we are in Swatch heaven. Not only do Swatch and the Arndale Centre know how to put together a good event, they also know how to put together a great goodie bag.

Swatchs’ Autumn Winter collection has once again proven they cater to everyone’s needs with three new collections launching in September (Magies d’Hiver, Es War Zweimal and Voice of Freedom) and a new collection in November (Look Fab) with their two collections from July (Archi-Mix and Grüezi All) already in stores.

Archi-Mix is a living lookbook where everyone can find the ideal hero for their own life story. Grüezi All! is having fun with its Swiss roots, assisted by cuckoos, conifers and cuddly mountain rescue dogs. Liberty expresses itself visually and verbally via the Voice of Freedom watches, as words and pictures say exactly what they think. Magies d’Hiver is set to warm up the winter with icons of the Swiss picture postcard season and some tales of the unexpected. What better way to spend a chilly evening than curled up by a fire with a storybook? The Es War Zweimal timepieces promise never to lose the plot and will rekindle childhood memories. And as the festive season knocks the duvet days off the agenda to make way for party time, Look Fab promises that every Cinderella will go to the ball.

VIVA girls want to thank Swatch and the Arndale Centre for inviting us to this lovely event.

Bill Cunningham You Will Be Missed

By Kirsty Moody Fashion & Shopping

10 months ago

The whole fashion and photography industry were heartbroken when the news broke of Bill Cunnginham’s death.

The iconic man, almost always dressed in a bright clue jacket, travelled by bicycle around New York’s city blocks with his camera hanging from his neck.

Bill began his fashion career in millinery, after he was drafted during the Korean war he started his career in journalism as a fashion reporter for the Chicago Tribune and later for Women’s Wear Daily. In 2009, Bill was named a Living Landmark by the New York. In 2010, the film world came calling and a documentary about Bill, Bill Cunningham New York became a hit to everyone but Bill who claimed to never watch it. In this documentary Anna Wintour stated “We all dress for Bill.”

Bill’s work which spans more than 40 years, forms a study of our societies fashion and will be one that is remembered for years to come.

Cunningham just wanted to see and capture everyone.

Throughout his life, he led a very simple lifestyle, he didn’t go to the movies, he didn’t own a television. he ate breakfast nearly every day at the Stage Star Deli on West 55th Street, where a cup of coffee and a sausage, egg and cheese could be had until very recently for under $3.

Bill regularly photographed designer work and fashion shows, but continued his main focus, documenting what style meant to the everyday citizen.

Bill Cunningham wasn’t just a photographer, he was fashion legend and he will be deeply missed by so many people but his life work and his actions will live on.

When she was home secretary, she pushed for more action on domestic violence, including a law against coercive control. As minister for women and equalities, May was criticised by the Labour party for scrapping a legal requirement on public bodies to try to reduce class inequalities. she said “That was as ridiculous as it was simplistic.”

Is this her way of saying she’s going to try and make equality better or is she simply stating the facts?

With Theresa May its hard to see if her promises to support equality is actually sincere as when you look at her past records of voting and what she says, its tragically different, she defends those votes by saying if it was today they would be different and they were “some years ago.”

With everything else in Brexit, we’ve just got to wait and see what the government decides to do, but with Theresa May, previous Home Secretary and Equalities Minister, we should hopefully start to see a difference in equality.

24

Freshers isn’t all it’s made out to be

Imogimoon

By Kirsty Moody · On September 27, 2015 Going into my second year at university, I see all the freshers posting about how excited they are to get drunk for 2 weeks – yeah, I felt the same…. until I got to university. Saving money up for months for what? 2 weeks of drunkenness… sorry, but that’s not my type of fun.

Yeah you’re making friends, having a laugh… but is it worth paying for the wristbands/tickets to the event? For my university (UCLAN), the freshers wristband this year it is £80. £80 for what? A few events which you then have to pay for alcohol on top of, and then, of course, the junk food on the walk home, or paying for a taxi every time if you’re not that close to the town centre. I was lucky enough to live close by and got a taxi once when it was chucking it down, but if you were to do that every time it would cost you even more just for a night out.

In total, you’re probably looking at spending about £300, and that’s if you limit yourself to spending £20 a night. So, in your first 2 weeks of university, you’re going to blow your student loan and not have anything left to live on until your next student instalment.

Does that actually sound like fun to you?

In my first year, yeah, I decided I would go to freshers, and, yes, it was fun, however, I didn’t go out every single night; many of my friends chose to, but I realised that if I went out every night I wouldn’t be able to afford to live, so instead I chose the events which I would prefer to go to and went to those with my friends rather than to everything. However, many of your brand new “friends” will try and make you go out to all of these events, and you’ll agree purely because you want to fit in. Trust me, I did it last year with my flat mates, going out just because they were, and you know what? Out of the 5 flat mates I had during freshers, I now only speak to one.

Even though freshers is for 2 weeks, in that second week I started my course. I didn’t start properly, but we were still expected to attend every lecture and workshop on time; if I was going out every night and getting extremely drunk I wouldn’t have been able to attend those sessions.

Freshers is great for making friends, but do you want to be remembered as the person who got so drunk they passed out? Or threw up on the bus?

Yeah I’m always up for a night out, and I do enjoy myself when I’m out, but I don’t feel the need to go out every night and get absolutely smashed. I would rather just go out every now and again and actually have a good night.

If you’re not the type of person who goes out all the time, limit yourself until you know what you can handle, it’s not much fun for everyone else if they’re looking after you all night and I doubt you wanting to be nursing that hangover from hell the next day.

Halloween is approaching

By Kirsty Moody · On October 20, 2015 If, like me, even though you’re far too old to go ‘trick-or-treating’, you still love Halloween, the only options for you are either clubbing or parties if you’re too young to go to clubs.

The next big decision is: what outfit do I wear? Do I dress up or do I just wear normal clothes?

The last thing you want to do is not dress up when everyone else has or dress up when no else has, so before you make the big decision on dressing up and which outfit you’re going to wear, talk to your friends and figure out if they’re dressing up or not.

If you are dressing up, why not think of original ideas? As I recently had my hair cut and bought a turtle-neck jumper, me and my mum claimed I looked like Velma from Scooby Doo, especially as I wear glasses, so my friend and I considered going as Daphne and Velma, so do you have a close friend who you could collaborate with?

How about; Daphne and Velma?

Cher and Dionne?

Mario and Luigi?

Anna and Elsa?

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum? Thing 1 and Thing 2?

Serena and Blair?

Buzz Lightyear and Woody?

Guess Who? Starbucks?

Devil and Angel?

Maybe if you’re a couple you could collaborate together with ideas such as; Barbie and Ken? Aladdin and Jasmine?

Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley?

Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley?

Fred and Wilma Flintstone?

Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo?

Cookie Monster and Cookie?

Pac-Man and Mrs Pac-Man? Tooth and Tooth Fairy?

Mr and Mrs Potato Head?

Light Yagami and Misa Amane?

Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett?

Many of these can be altered so you could go as Barbie on your own or even the devil, or mix and match with friends and partners with outfits.

I just think it’s interesting to see people actually making an effort with their outfits rather than just sticking on anything, if you’re short on cash why not improvise with outfits you’ve already got?

So look at outfits you have and think about your favourite films or television shows and think could you use what you already have to become a certain character?

Many costume shops allow you to hire a costume if you are really stuck on what to wear but sometimes these can be expensive.

Last year I bought an Alice in Wonderland costume which was designed for Halloween to go as a “Dead Alice” from Matalan which was fairly cheap at about £15, so it is worth while looking in places like Matalan or even Tesco and Sainsbury’s as they often do Adult Costumes at cheap prices if you’re really stuck with ideas. With my outfit I then just did my makeup like normal but added black lines across my face with eyeliner and also added fake blood to make it look more realistic, obviously you don’t have to go to all these lengths just for Halloween but it makes it more fun when you’re getting ready with your friends if you’re dressing up.

25

[REVIEW] 5 Seconds of Summer, Manchester (23/4/16) KIRSTY MOODY May 14, 2016 Culture, Music, The Pulse

The Pulse

From cover videos on YouTube back home in Sydney to World Tours, 5 Seconds of Summer have really taken off, from supporting One Direction gaining a loyal fandom, all of that you can see on Twitter and Instagram. With sold out arenas for their world tour, it’s no surprise in Manchester Arena for their second night in the city that all you can hear is young girls screaming “5SOS”, with their band merchandise and face painted with the bands logo.

The Calm Through The Storm KIRSTY MOODY - LIFESTYLE EDITOR January 27, 2017 Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, The Pulse

Obviously, the exam period is now over and we’re all free from semester one…. Yay! But now comes the dreaded second semester, meaning for a lot of people it’s one thing. DISSERTATION.

With opening acts Jessarae and Don Broco, the two acts got the crowd warmed up but that was nothing like the screams and chants the four Australia boys when they stepped onstage for their first song Carry On.

Especially for me, I know when it creeps closer to march and I don’t have as much done of my final campaign and marketing report, I will be stressing and probably have a few break downs.

The Australian band knew exactly how to interact with their fan base, stopping during songs and trying to ask questions but as Calum said at one point “it’s kinda hard to keep like some general conversation with fifteen thousand people, it’s a bit of a tricky thing to do”.

This is where we need to learn to take some time away, calm the mind. It’s easy to say but that’s why we’re creating a list now on how to stay calm so we can start to implement this daily rather than too late.

At many stages the boys went round to each section of the arena getting everyone to make noise for the, if you weren’t a massive fan of the boys and only went as a favour to friends, then your eardrums would probably have burst from the screams of joy from the fans.

There’s so many people who end up burning themselves from working so hard and crashing. Breaking down tends to be a popular thing which happens closer to deadlines purely because people get themselves so worked up and stressed.

Before the boys even managed to sing their own songs, the fans were already singing along, the lyrics clearly etched into their brains and hearts from the over listening to the albums. This proved helpful at the times when the boys asked the fans to sing the words back to them.

These are just a few hints and tips which you can start to implement into your routine so you don’t crash:

The boys performed the majority of the songs on their latest album Sounds Good Feels Good but still played some of their original songs from their first album which is what made them as popular as they are, even so the fans seemed to be more excited about the latest songs rather than the popular ones. This could be as they probably attended the first tour Rock Out With Your Socks Out.

Take some ME time, whether reading a book or watching a film Keep hydrated – mainly water Keep a diary of deadlines and organise what needs to be done for when Create a schedule for university work / jobs / social life Take breaks throughout work Eat well-balanced meals Limit caffeine and alcohol Take a walk, fresh air can re-energise the brain 30 second dance party – take inspiration from Greys Anatomy and dance it off

Even though they are out on that stage performing for their fans, it’s still easy to see the love they all have for each other, with the jokes of who wants to kiss Calum and who wants to shout profanity at Michael. Many of the fans probably go to the shows just to see the boys talk to each other like that.

Even if you find yourself getting closer to the deadline or exam and you’re stressing, there will be tons of stress related activities happening around the SU, and there is also the support of your tutors and friends.

Throughout the night, Michael tried to sing the beginning of Jet Black Heart acoustic but before he could even get the words out the fans were screaming for him, this just shows how invested the fans are in this band.

A highlight of the night for many fans and their partners who may not k ow the bands song is the cover of Oasis’ ‘Wonderwall’. As the boys said the sections of the show is used to normally write a song relating to the city they were performing in, but Ashton pointed out “why make up a song when the best come from here?” Muddling through the song with the help of the audience, it may not have been the perfect cover but it was definitely something different for the audience.

We know that there will be the Well@UCLan drop in sessions which aim to tackle issues around stress as well as many more and don’t forgot the crucial dissertation drop ins which start in February!

Do you have any stress related tips? Let us know @PulseMediaUCLan With the amount of love the fans clearly have for the band, it’s no surprise that the four boys are absolutely dripping with sweat after the show, from running to one side of the stage like Calum, Luke and Michael, but Ashton is sweating with the amount of effort he puts in on the drums, it’s a surprise that he hasn’t broken a drum set.

26

The Pulse Breaking The Silence: Mental Health Campaign Launch KIRSTY MOODY - LIFESTYLE EDITOR January 25, 2017 Campus News, Lifestyle, News, The Pulse 0 The Perks of Being a Wallflower

“I live and breathe media. A lot of the time it gets mental health wrong. It’s what the creator wants you to see. TV soaps cover a lot of mental health issues but who lives in a street where the coffee shop blows up every week, the train lines crash and there’s a new chippy every week? It’s very over dramatized. But recently Coronation Street has created a storyline speaking about miscarriage which leads into mental health.

Films romanticise it. You want to escape from everything around you. Sometimes you need a good cry; Marley and me, titanic. You’ve got to have that happy ending. Earning money from media rather than putting a change out there. Awards and money ruin the change of stigma and help.”

The launch started with a few technical issues such as the computers not turning on/working…. not much of a shock though.

Everything needs to be spoken about. Breaking the silence. Other people are wanting to learn and support them.

Renaye had organised the showing of the wonderfully diverse film: The Perks of Being A Wallflower as the launch of the campaign; Breaking the Silence: Mental Health.

Throughout the film, there are many underlying messages about mental health and the different effects it can have.

The idea of the campaign is to change the way mental health is perceived, normalising this and opening discussion and being frank.

To end the discussion, Renaye asked the panellist what would they want the audience to take away: Mark Roy – “Take the message from the film, transition. Engaging and his life gets better, his mood gets better. People who are unhappy push people away and can bring you down a lot. Being a part of a network had a profound affect. Connecting with people and interacting. Being a friend to someone. “

Renaye chose an appropriate film to then open a discussion with the panellists:IMG_7356 Renaye Roberts-Sinclair; Campaigns Officer Mark Roy; Psychologist who has worked in Mental Health Hannah Mason; Media Officer Mike Edwards; Mental Health Advisor at UCLan Matt Dickinson; Engineering lecturer who has suffered from clinical psychosis Gloria Ayob; Facility of Health who looks at the philosophy of mental health

Hannah Mason – “The film showed that all of them had good and bad days. Enlighten the people who don’t know about. Patience is a virtue. A simple smile. Hey how you doing? Engaging with lectures. “

Renaye kicked off the discussion with asking the other panellist what their definition of mental health would be, with different statements such as “the Issues are far from resolved” “there’s an ongoing debate about how to define mental health’ “it’s about making sense of their own experience rather than using existing medical paradigms.” “it’s a way of life”.

Gloria Ayob – “Advising or encouraging people. 5 min pause to breath. Giving some space and time at the weekend. Getting perspective to detach. Stepping out of it. “

Topic quickly ventured into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders which has a standardised way of diagnosing someone with the logic “if someone has this then they fit into this category”. It has the common understanding of what the person is dealing with and the alliance but it doesn’t always assign the diagnosis and sometimes the diagnosis would change because of the predication of it.

Mike Edwards – “MH Advisors- Understanding the resources available at uni. If someone needs help can get seen that week. Different avenues for students “ Matt Dickinson – “Sharing a story. Showing you’re not afraid to show who you really are. Having communities. Engagement. “

For more information check out the website and keep your eye out for Renaye’s workshops!

Need more advice? Get in contact with Renaye via email or twitter

A spectrum of university papers describes it as bad health – health – good health, but the discussion lead to whether well-being should fit into this as mental health issues can’t be defined as simple things.

A main point picked up within the discussion was the negative context such as mental health “problems”, why should it be defined as a problem?

Also, men don’t talk about things often. They feel they need a validation to make a man go and talk about things, normally from encouragement of a partner.

On this subject our lovely editor in chief even said: “two people can be diagnosed with depression but can come from different backgrounds and lifestyles. It can’t be defined as the same so a scale would be easier to understand. It Ends up being quite complex”.

On the topic of helping the students and keeping them positive throughout it all, Matt Dickinson who suffers from clinical psychosis and spent a lot of his life hiding it said:” Once students start to slip and fall behind, relating to the process, if they look pale/not slept I try and assume their problems and open up students about my own problems, showing them someone else has been through it and there’s nothing wrong with being like this. It promotes positivity around students”.

Mike Edwards, one of the mental health advisors even said that self-referrals come from some certain schools and it tends to be a bigger topic in certain schools. Meaning that not all the schools are speaking to students about the issues and what can be done to help them. He also said that not many people want to engage with the services, leading the panel to discuss that students may be worried about it affecting their career and they don’t want to subject themselves to something going on their record.

The discussion lead to the stigma of men not speaking out, and how a man will try to look at the cause and addressing that but only when it becomes problematic and at a crisis point do they ask for help. This is all built up from being asked “What you crying for” “don’t be silly” “get over it” when younger, leading to both males and females to question themselves when they’re at low points.

Hannah spoke again but on the pressure of student life and how the perception of students is a negative one and this stems from media as well as her opinion on how media showcases and affects mental health. She spoke about how student life is a lot more difficult and they need the time to do what they want to relieve the stress such as sports clubs, societies and volunteering.

“Student life has changed so much, getting from a to b isn’t straight anymore, you zig zag, cry in the library a few times, just for a piece of paper”.

27

Kirsty Moody Marketing and Promotion Graduate Photography Work

21