Personal And Professional Practice: Study Task 1

I think the turning point for me in PPP was 'The Illustrated Self' questioning what exactly was I interested in. I found it so hard to pin point my interests because I felt they were so broad and I was open to everything. However, I looked back on the work I'd been creating and thought okay there's a re-occuring theme here of human behaviour and how we do funny things, how we are sometimes ignorant, how we act, how were similar to animals, animals as humans doing human things etc. So I am interested in Human. Being human, what it means to be human, how different we all are yet are all the same.
I am really interested in (and think about all the time) how we are all born into the world with the same right to live. Some people have those rights taken away from them by other humans which is not right i/e slavery - what gives a human the right to take another human's life, or take charge of their life. We're born with a life to live the way we want to live it. We may face struggles financially to do this but none the less we're free to pretty much do what we want. I am interested in how society puts a structure on the way we feel we should live - when really this structure is just put there by other humans equal to ourselves, so we don't really have to take notice. One thing that echoed this interest was Richard's COP lecture where he showed us an image and told us the tale of Plato's cave. Human's trapped in a cave where they have a distorted vision of the outside world and how they think they should be living set in place by other humans.
I am interested in feminism, equal rights, gender equality, movements that echo that we should all be treat the same. For example HEforSHE with Emma Watson and her speech "If not me, who? If not now, when?" I want to do something based on this. I want to make people think, make a statement, but something relatable. I made work about Michael Jackson previously acting 'normal' eating Quavers etc to show how the media portrayed him as a monster when he was just a human.

I looked back on one of the first posts I had ever done for PPP which was ten things about myself as a learner, as an individual and ten things I was going to promise to work on. It was interesting to see the type of things I really have improved on and things I still need to work on.

Things that have changed about me :
- I am pretty hard on myself ... not so much anymore I think I have more confidence in my work
- I am pretty quiet and shy ... again have become more confident with speaking
- Taking notes helps a lot ... not so much anymore I think I am more visual and need to see things

Need to improve that I haven't yet:
- Eat better vegetables etc ... I still need to work on this
- Need to be more experimental with media ... still quite afraid to do this, I did more over the summer with my drawing materials using ink and watercolour

I think my people of interest and illustrators has become less broad because initially I didn't realise what exactly I was interested in. I didn't know the kind of work I wanted to create so I was open to anything. I then began to look more closely at illustrators that created work similar to my own with the same aim to be funny or to make a statement.
I said in my first ever post I wanted to become better with digital techniques and I feel I have definitely done this. Looking back at my work from Foundation I am quite embarrassed by it. The concept was there but there was no consideration for composition, everything looked flat and were not well executed.

I also said earlier on that I wanted to make my work look more finished which I think I am slowly achieving through editing on Photoshop. I put that I was interested still in narrative and writing and I feel I am still exploring this today through poetry.

Monday 6th October

At this moment in time

5 things I want to know more about

I want to know the best methods of making money within the Illustration industry - what sells?
I want to know where my drawings can fit within the world, what kind of work do I want to be producing? To what audience?
I want to know more about what is available in Leeds for illustrators in terms of careers and then again outside of Leeds in other countries (driven by my own research)
I want to look into doing a PGCE
I want to know more digital skills - more Photoshop and Illustrator
I want to know more about professional website designs and putting my work out there

5 strengths that make me me

I am very focused and driven to do well after University and keeping my goals in mind
I am able to turn a brief on it's head if I don't enjoy it and make it into something I want to do
I am organised and punctual and get up early to get in on time
I will put the work in and stay behind if I need to
My strength is making work that people can relate to, and feel something whether its make them laugh or shocking or emotional

5 things I want to improve on