I find PPP my strongest module because I enjoy engaging with industry and speaking to people. I found this was my favourite part of the course in Level 4 when I created Tea and Talks discussions which was incredibly helpful and inspiring in terms of motivation and gaining an insight on the way people think about their current or past degrees and work now. I want to expand into a series of podcasts or videos within Level 6 just to expand and give a more personal aspect to the blog. I also have found through Level 5 I enjoy watching talks and it's easier to multitask work and gaining extra information by listening to talks such as Ted Talks.
I revisited YSP this year because I enjoyed it last year. It was good to revisit sculptures and i like that all the art work is outside. I found that this year being outside or doing work outside in a public location helps clear the mind and let you work to the best of your ability. I find it harder to work in the house because it's a cramped room. It's important to separate work from play so I take myself out of the environment I would usually use to relax and found that it has made me so much more productive. Even if I just separate the day so I'm working all morning/afternoon and have nights off to turn my brain off and stop staring at screens. It's more productive to organise time and found myself improving and better at setting my own small deadlines this year. Other things I have enjoyed in particular is going to Glug in Leeds. It was inspiring to see people we had already met such as Only do a chat about their background and how they are within industry. It was an extremely chilled environment and easy to engage with the creative community.
This year has been the most difficult for me mentally. A point of the course I struggled with this year was motivation and happiness which when speaking to other people I thought would come across weird and an overreaction but it's completely normal because everyone else seemed to be having it too.As a creative you do get mental block but it is your job to get out of them this is why I enjoyed YSP so much because it was food for the soul not only the mind. As second year is the middle point and third year becomes real and it is terrifying things can get a bit too much. I found ways to make myself happier and sometimes that is taking a day to completely not think about Graphic Design or anything but making sure your mental health is better. This can be confused for laziness but it's cleaning your mind and stopping yourself from becoming overwhelmed. I found listening to interviews of celebrities and people in industry going through the same things and talking about issues such as depression helpful. There are also Ted Talks based on happiness such as "What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness | Robert Waldinger." The most important thing I have learned since being at university is at the end of the day if you're not happy what is the point.
Moving on to Level 6: next year I'm going to be even more industry driven and focus on getting my work out there via social media and shop. I want to go to an art/craft fair and sell things more physically because I sold a few prints locally by advertising more to friends and their friends but I want to branch out and expand even more. I want to speak to more creatives and get at much advice as possible whilst I'm a student. I also need to find a place to go on placement for. In terms of work I need to put my visual identity into my practise more. I think it has become more rounded this year and I can focus on my individual specialisms and focus on my self branding next year so that it is more fluid.
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