FIRST YEAR
I want to start my presentation with a little look at first and second year. That way the journey I’ve been on is a little more clear and you can see the progression of my work.
So this work is from my first real passion project, exploring magical places and creating an atmosphere in my work.
I like looking back at my old work because I think it’s a good reminder of what I want my work to say in a simple way and also shows me the progress I’ve made.
I like this work, it’s pretty naive and not that great in terms of the painting but I can see what I was going for, I can see the start of a tone of voice and there’s motifs in there I still like, like fire and moons and shadowy figures.
SECOND YEAR
So then going into second year, to me these images are so much refined but you can see the continuation of a tone of voice.
That sense of place and magic is there, but it’s a bit more conceptual this time.
This was my cop project, my focus was on a beach 10 minutes from me at home and how could I tell a story about that place. I created a narrative of a fictional history of the place and expressed that through maps and images and creative writing.
I really love this project and it was a big turning point for me. I realised sense of place was a big part of my project and that I really benefit from having researched led work. Basing my illustration work around a place and being able to take visits and photos and immerse myself in the physical place but also the written history is so beneficial for me and I think is how I make my best work.
THIRD YEAR DISS
So in third year I repeated this process with my dissertation. Again comparing these images I think you can see that full circle progression going on and how similar they look but also how my practice evolves over time. This project was based on the moors near me, the North Yorkshire ones, and the rich history and omens and the feel of the place. I ended up getting my dissertation printed into this book which was really nice and making this archival box of objects and letters and images to tell the story I was going for.
I’m really happy with this work now and I can see that I’m really hitting that tone of voice I wanted in my work. I'm still working on this put looking at the progression of my work I am happy that I'm getting closer and closer to what I want. At the time I wasn’t very pleased with this project but I’ve recognised a pattern that I only really like my work at least 6 months after it’s finished. I think at that point I’ve had enough separation to feel comfortable with it and I can actually see it finally without being too judgemental.
PRACTICE
My practice has been a bit all over the place this year. From the work I’ve done I’ve realised that I’m really interested in editorial illustration and publishing as a home for my practice, just generally telling stories through images whether it’s sequential narratives or one image to bounce a piece of text. I'm pleased I've explored a variety of options because through doing this I've found I love working on fast paced editorial and also longer form, more in depth projects. I’ve noticed I’m really into black and white, and simple images, and motifs like these women and houses and nighttime scenes. Honestly this year I’ve really struggled with image making. I’ve been very distracted and found that I’ve been very foggy brained. As well as this a lot of my ideas I have are for videos or gifs or poems not really images, I think just because I’ve been a bit visually exhausted. To combat this I have been writing a lot and also experimenting with film.
FILM
I’m not going to show any because it would take up too much time but here are some stills to show the visual tone I'm going for. I’ve just been carrying around an old camera with me and documenting Leeds and the weird areas of Leeds especially at night. It had such a weird vibe to me I’ve found it very interesting to play with. I’m planning to make some kind of video or moving image piece for the final show because I've always wanted to go into film and more and more at the minute I’m interested in moving image and how Illustration and break out of still images. I think including some moving image work on my website will be really helpful because it’s something I’d love to try more of. I've always loved music videos and horror films and I'm hoping my exploring small experimental projects like that I could potentially angle towards working on something like that in the future.
THIRD YEAR/EVENTS
So third year I’ve been exploring and learning a new skill. In an attempt to get some experience and have a more hands on involvement in the creative community here in Leeds, I took on a role part time organising exhibitions and art events at a space in Leeds.
This has been super helpful for me in terms of my experience, my practical knowledge, my contacts and relationships and also my confidence in my own ability.
There’s good and bad to this though. My illustration work has definitely taken a step back because I’ve been very busy, and the job kind of evolved into events management and PR and bled into everything so it was very full on. Events is the kind of work where you have to check in on it daily and have a calendar in your head all the time so because of that I've emotionally been drained and found sitting down and really just concentrating on image making difficult.
Because of that my illustration practice has definitely suffered. In first and second year I dedicated all my time to making images so I made loads of progress and felt very creative and excited. This year I didn’t have that time to dedicate to it, I had other things to manage as well and I had the looming worry of how will I pay my bills when I graduate. By doing events stuff my CV is looking a lot more impressive, I’m applying for jobs I could have never applied for before and I just feel far more competent moving into the real world after uni. I'm in talks at the moment of getting a full time job when I leave uni, managing events and also working on a creative publishing team. Hopefully that works out but if not those are the kind of areas I'm looking at.
FEMALE GAZE
A wanted to talk a little bit about the most successful event I did this year.
So this exhibition was for international women’s day, and was my kind of baby that I put loads of effort into in hopes it would do well. At work I’m given a lot of freedom and responsibility so it was up to me to pitch an idea and decide yes, we’re doing a women’s day exhibition. And from then I found my artists and reached out, I had to pitch them the idea and kind of curate the work. I designed the artwork for the event, I did all social media promotion, I wrote press releases, I found people to send them to. I invited people I emailed people I even spoke on the radio about it. I set it took it down, I did almost everything myself.
I also featured my own work in this exhibition which was great! This was the most successful event I put on and it was really lovely to see the room and see loads of women talking to about the work and about women they love, I felt I did my job really well there!
PROFESSIONALISM
And as well I did get my work in an exhibition back home, that was some dissertation work I got in a folk museum that was on the moors.
This year I kind of tried to say yes to everything especially when it comes to professionalism. So instead of being shy I talked to everyone I wanted to, I interviewed at hanburry, I got myself in exhibitions. I also did a bit of branding for some events at work, they would need a quick Facebook banner so I’d bust something out. These are a nice exercise in working with a graphic designer and with a brands identity and also just making quick professional work for internet use age. I didn't enjoy these as much but being able to have some experience working professionally in design was really great for me.
JOB
From all the experience I’ve gained this year I’ve made a few decisions about post grad. I have a flat sorted so I’ll be staying in Leeds which meant I was already thinking, where the hell am I going to work?
I’m going to D&AD and I’ll be sending my work out everywhere as much as possible, but I’m also planning for the chance that that goes absolutely nowhere. As much as I love illustration, the idea of freelancing straight out of uni sounds very turbulent. Im a very anxious person and I fix that by getting stuff done, so instead I’m applying for jobs so I can work and learn and grow but also save for a year and do Illustration is my own time.
PLAN
because I’m planning to pursue illustration while also working, I’ve set myself some goals to make sure I keep on track a little bit and don’t just let it dwindle. So i'm planning to try and have one of my big location based projects a year, just so the work I am making is really at the heart of what I love and is something I'm proud of. I'm also hoping to keep in touch with all my friends who'll be continuing working creatively. Meeting up with those ones in leeds for crits and support and also trying to keep that feel of the studio alive. I really benefit from the creative environment we work in at the moment so I want to keep in touch with everyone and with uni as much as possible. and finally keeping my own creative energy alive through my social media, my website, sending out portfolios and work and keeping up with contacts so that I can keep my involvement in the creative sector up and hopefully keep building up relationships and my work.
