This first term has taught me a lot, and it is a highly beneficial exercise to evaluate it now.
My biggest personal success has been to do with process. I have been very experimental this term, and have tried many different processes. One major factor in this has been my tutorials: I have used these for reflecting on what I would like to do, and then I have made steps to change and grow. The most noticeable aspect of that is my use of colour, especially watercolour, which I previously had wanted to use despite continually falling back on using pen. I have also experimented with other methods such as printmaking, collage, and pastels, which I was inspired to use following some research on Cuban poster art of the 1960s which was introduced to us in a lecture. As well as inspiring me to use pastels, that lecture also changed how I visually communicated for the first part of the next project, Project 5. Influenced greatly by Eduardo Bachs, I started using block colours, very bright, and simple graphic pictures to illustrate my point. I highly enjpoyed working in that way, despite the fact htat I felt it was not my style. I think experimentation is very useful in determinig or understanding how one works best individually. I have vastly improved my actual drawing skills, and I have become quicker. This is evident from a consideration of my first work drawing people in the class on the first day compared with my most recent portrait work during the joint ‘Camberwell Needs’ project.
My work has been enhanced by new opportunities to learn, such as the printmaking workshops, and by challenging briefs, for example for ‘Object’ I set myself the challenge of learning to bookbind. Self-motivation in regards to process drives a lot of my work. Also, seeing the work of others has been inspiring and has also taught me about how I work.
My visual resaechhing skills have greatly improved, as a direct result of Project 2. my visual research has also been informed by contextual studies into ways of drawing and seeing more intuitively and sans camera. This research stemmed from the written assignment, which, like the lecture sersie, inspired me to dig ever further to learn more, even though it wasn’t always directly related to the course, but to wider psychological and sociological issues.
Visual research has also been a stepping stone to imagination, which surprise me as I had never previously seen the link between a lot of research and greater imagination. I now recognise that research provides the toys my imagination can pick up and play with, and the more I do, the more toys it has. The ‘Object’ brief is the greatest indicator of research leading off into vastly imagined realms.
The biggest threat to my research is probably time combined with stress. The workload of my actual work often limits the time I can dedicate to research, especially artist research, which admittedly I could do better with, as I hardly feel it directly influences my work. I tend to look up artists and designers but not reference them because I find no link to my work or working style. This is one area I would like to improve this next term.
Time and stress also affect my practical work slightly, albeit not as much as I know they could. This problem tends to curb my enthusiasm greatly, meaning I produce work robotically and without care sometimes, although I make sure I never work sloppily so it might look like it. Stress has also impacted on my physical health and emotional state this term, and I am avowed to improving that next term by putting better systems in place, whether that’s to do with time management or something else. This will help me to dedicate time more productively and produce better work.
In conclusion I feel this year has started exceedingly well and I look forward to another wide range of projects that will allow me to develop further.
I hope that was all spellchecked. I'm about to read it now.
http://www.dieselpunks.org/profiles/blogs/practical-futurism-fortunato