#blog 11

I have already meditated before but I never quite succeeded at it. Every time I intended to fall asleep when I could not so I would try to meditate to bore me into slumber. Therefore, I am not expecting much out of this, but I figured that a video guiding me through it in a different context might work better. Since this time, I will be writing my blogs for 30 minutes, then take a break to meditate for 30 minutes and then write for another 30 minutes.

 As I expected, it did not work at all. Every time I tried to follow the instructions, I just could not do it. When I had to control my breathing to try and be in sync with the videos it seemed as if I forgot how to breathe and I would be stressed out instead of relaxing. Then, when I gave up and just breathed normally, the voice was so slow and tame that I would get distracted. My mind would start to sing lyrics from the musical I watched the night before called tick, tick… BOOM! by Lin-Manuel Miranda. I was stuck inside my mind with nothing stimulating enough to focus on apart from the constant loop of lyrics.

Resulta que no soy para nada malo codeando, quién hubiera dicho?

Decidí que este va a ser el gran drama de nuestras vidas. Una vez que termine la pandemia va a ser todo smooth sailing.

Today's session was about Post Graduate Studies, which fall under three categories: Taught, includes masters, Professional qualifications, and Research Studies.

Pros of Post Graduate Study:

You get more qualifications for jobs

You gain more experience and skills

Better pay in jobs

You gain more respect and get taken more seriously

Makes you stand out from others

You gain more knowledge, which is useful if you want to change your career at some point in the future

Cons of Post-Graduate Study:

Finding the money

Takes longer to get into industry

It was recommended that we look on Prospects for Post-Graduate Courses, and also to Tracy Tomlinson, who is the MA/MDes course leader. Also that we make sure that it is definitely something we want to do. A Masters Course is very intensive work, but the reward is worth it.

Several post-grad students came to talk to us:

Liv:

She did a BA and MDes in Illustration, and her preferred method is tradition types of print-making and inking. She likes animals and incorporates that into her work. She said at the end of the day, you have to make your own decision, and that it helps if you are passionate about what you do.

Marie:

She did the MDes from the beginning. It means she has the time to learn everything she needs to learn. The Careers and Employment services are very helpful.

Doing a Post-Graduate course is like a slingshot - it's taking an extra year to draw your stone back more so when it launches it goes further. You also get to network with a lot of people.

Some post-grads end up doing part time jobs - this can be helpful for job opportunities.

You don't have to have a set idea about what you want to do, and you might even find you want to do something else. However, you should have some ideas about your interests.

There is a lot of research involved, and also collaboration, especially in the first year as you're all in the same boat.

The Networking Event at the Sixty Seven Café

I managed to meet all the artists I'd put down on the form.

Pippa Pixley and Karen Logan

Pippa Pixley is a children’s picture book illustrator who works with schools, arts organisations, theatres and the BBC.

Karen Logan is an visual artist whose practice uses familiar materials and craft processes to invoke recollection and memories. Central to her work is engaged practice in galleries and schools.

Advice for Freelancers:

Look up illustration agencies and start finding work ASAP

Have an online portfolio, and send agencies 10 to 12 pieces of your best work

Show that you're interested in them, for example, talk about an illustrator they work with

Make your emails small and to the point, as agencies don't want to read a lot of text

Getting a rejection doesn't mean they don't like you, sometimes it's a way of seeing how committed you are (how many attempts you try)

Rejections are regular

Social Media is very important, but getting out there and meeting people is very important as well

Create your own opportunities - sometimes you just have to get out there

Be professional with everyone you meet - you never know who they might know

Have goals in mind

Follow trends

Have a digital portfolio, a physical card, and a sketchbook

Be yourself - practice in the mirror or video yourself to see what you look like

If you get nervous, take deep breaths or pour cold water on your wrists

Having anxiety isn't the end of the world as most people will understand

Rejection isn't personal, it's more whether they think your work first their MO

Pippa's Instagram

Adam Buss and Vikki Jones

Adam - The CEO of QUAD and founder of mainframe, a network for digital creatives, also the Summer Nights film festival.

Vikki -  A freelance youth engagement specialist, focusing on getting young people involved with practical arts and cultural activities.

Advice:

When you start working in the industry, people expect you to be multiskilled

Keep inspiring yourself - go and use all those free galleries, theatre performances, exhibitions etc

A portfolio career - Vikki has several jobs (isn't necessary however)

Find the thing that you're good at and the thing that you like and try and combine the two

Don't beat yourself up for the things you haven't got, focus on the things you have

First jobs are very important and often teach you very important skills. Adam’s taught him about deadlines, managing budgets and organising events, and Vikki’s taught her about meeting other artists and designing.

Adam said that a third of the people QUAD hires are Derby Graduates - one of whom founded the monthly Japanese screenings at the QUAD, and now the Japanese foundation

Drew Taylor-Davis and Shannon Watson

Drew Taylor-Davis is Derby University Graduate who co-founded Future Proof Films with two of his friends to make visually engaging video content for companies and brands throughout the UK and the rest of the world.

Shannon Watson is a Content Producer at Crocstar - a creative content agency that works with organisations to create content. She wants to help creatives in the city.

Advice and about their work:

Sometimes you will get into something soon out of Uni - Shannon worked as an intern, before getting taken on part-time and then full-time

Drew did film studies at Uni, but wanted to get on with actually making films so formed the company with his friends

He got quite lucky in getting video gigs

If you're passionate about something, try and work in that

Drew collaborates with graphic designers for storyboards, and gets both graphic designers and animators to create animated elements to show clients

He says that he reaches out to companies, follows their social media, and sends messages - most won't reply, but it’s still important as you never know who they might know

The cons of having your own company is that it’s hard to switch off at the end of the day

The pros are 1; it’s quite cool to have your own workspace, and 2; it’s fun to be with other people and to have a shared goal

Networking is the best way to get a job as a freelancer

Some of [Drew’s] biggest clients include Microsoft

Again affirming that it’s about who you know as much as anything - Shannon’s personal trainer’s girlfriend landed her a gig

One of the questions asked was what was the most challenging aspect of your career:

Shannon has never been very confident, but you kind of have to get over that, as although it’s nerve-wracking the rewards are worth it. She had to teach something on her own and it was a learning experience.

Drew didn’t get paid properly for a while, and also stated that while confidence is very important, try not to oversell yourself. 

Another important piece of advice is that it’s important to keep relationships with companies. However, if they don’t value your work or they don’t pay you properly, then it’s not worth it.

What I thought:

I honestly really enjoyed the Networking event, despite my initial nervousness at the idea. It was fun meeting a variety of artists, and all of the ones I met gave very good advice, which I will be taking on board.

Action Plan:

Research about any other upcoming networking events

Starting draw more, and sharing more of my work on Instagram (and cross post onto my art tumblr)

Talk to Tracy about swapping onto the MDes course, especially as I am not sure about the funding.

Follow more people -especially companies - on Instagram, Tumblr, and Facebook

Start being more productive and building up a portfolio

QUAD offers help with portfolios so possibly talk to them, as they have been helpful to me in the past

As the picture I have painted in pervious blogs about my upbringing, I have been known to love and adapt to things that are different. I like the uniqueness. I enjoy learning about traditions even if they are not my own. 

You see my family is pretty small and with my mom being and only child and my dad’s parents deafness, the knowledge of family and/or cultural traditions are pretty lost. And lets not act like quite common in Black families. True African traditions were lost upon all African Americans due to the colonizers stripping and beating it out of our ancestors within an itch of their lives. It was my way or a death wish situation. But as I learn from exposure of my friend’s families, I really do enjoy cultural experiences . 

Lately within politics been a big push for America to go back into the decades of the severely white wash, but in the movies, I have seen just as great of a push to flex our cultural muscles. With movies like Get Out, Coco, and Black Panther, the brownish masses have said, “Oh, I think not.” And I’m living for IT. It’s sparking the hood, classy, old generation, and new generation, to scream and sing it loud , I’m BLACK and I'm proud! 

The absolute beauty in movies sparking, the young like my nephew to be proud of the skin their in, ask questions, rock traditional clothing and hairstyle is what our parents could only dream of back in the 1960′s. The fact that I can wear dreads, twist, braids, afro, and curls and be given genuine compliments and not deem an uneducated classless hood booger, is a fashion choice I would never have even felt conformable doing back in middle school. Well lets face it early 90′s could you really imagine a woman of power wearing hair anything other than fried dyed or laid to the side. It was strictly unheard of. 

Black Is In Style

If someone from Florida saw this house they would throw up probably, and the housing authority would be very upset but oh well. This is the first time I have seen a house painted black. I like it though because it stands out from all the houses and I enjoy things that stand out. It makes the world around it look like a canvas. When I look at this picture I contrast things around it so much. Like I never noticed how blue the sky looks till you look at this picture. It brings out the colors around it and makes them seem brighter. If the house would have painted like all the other houses then there would not be much contrast in the background of the picture. Painting the house black also makes the house warmer, so the family will not have to spend much to heat it. They will though have to spend much to cool it in the summer. There is not many windows on this house and its black, so it gives the effect that the neighbors can not see anything. To be honest I would not mind living next to or in this house.