MARCH The past couple of months have been incredibly productive for me, and I feel that I’ve really found my identifying ‘style’. Something I really enjoyed was my campaign for Student President. The reason I feel this project was successful was because I was so passionate about it, and invested so much time and energy into producing and applying the outcomes. Unfortunately I had to change my approach due to a clash with another campaign, but it just meant I learnt a great deal about how to build a campaign, and think around just creating posters. I was really pleased with all I managed to create in such a short amount of time, and even managed a really successful collaboration with a Graphic Designer within it. The thing which I could have improved is starting with more a meaningful visual identity, so that the outcomes had more impact. From reflection within my first tutorial, I realised I needed to really work with intent in my practice, and make something more personal in order for the character and feeling to be present to the audience in the piece. I have been able to continue this reflection through the ongoing development of my blog, which has allowed me space to step back and critique my work and identify the strengths and areas for improvement.
Don’t be afraid to say no Something I have struggled with a lot over the past few weeks is working collaboratively, as we both found it difficult to communicate what we were wanting, and it ended up with me doing a lot more work to make the outcomes fit into a compromise, rather than being clear from the outset what we were both wanting to achieve. If I am to undertake more collaborative projects, I will ensure I clarify early on what it is we are working towards, and that I am prepared to say no when I don’t think the project will be useful to me. However, I did learn a great deal from my Art Fund project, as in addition to learning important collaboration skills, I have really improved my skills in drawing figures. I think forcing myself to depict character, I have really strengthened both my confidence and skill in drawing people, which I have already been able to use in more fun, personal projects, such as for my sister-in-laws hen party, which I found really enjoyable, and was something I was proud of at the end.
As soon as I started to work on a project which was really close to my heart, I could see how much the outcomes improved. I really enjoyed my project based around my Grandma and her Estonian heritage, as I was able to work from a lot of personal research, as well as use the traditional colours from Setomaa, the region she was from. I also researched a lot into artists, such as those shown on Matchbloc (See blog post Eesti Project) and I was able to build on their aesthetic in my own creative process to make a successful set of prints. I have also discovered a way of working which I think really suits me, as through cutting paper and scanning to turn into positives on Photoshop, I take away my impulse to create perfectly accurate drawings, by replacing a pencil with a blade. I would really like to continue using this process to create more characterful screen print positives.