final outcomes
collection / portfolio of work
https://lp26164118a6.myportfolio.com/work
(music embedded at the bottom of each page - press play and browse for immersive experience!)
reflective report
Looking back at my body of work for FMP is a positive experience - this module pushed me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to develop new ways of working and making.
I've learnt I enjoy work that is research based, that requires learning through reading and drawing - and that that's the way in which I produce my best work.
Initially the idea was to create a body of work that felt eclectic and energetic - that explored the possibilities of where illustration can exist beyond it's usual 2D flat image format. The intention to do so was there throughout the project and I'm happy I tried that with printing bandana designs on fabric (even though they came out too faded!) and making the j-card designs was also exciting and new for me. Having to work from home limited some of the grander ideas I had of screen printing on fabric and exhibiting the work in an installation format but I don't feel that any of those things took away from the learning that has occurred during this project. I've learnt a lot about my personal process and flow - and these were things I wasn't confident about prior to FMP. I know how I approach research based briefs now and how to apply those skills to other projects and that's really valuable. I've developed a tone of voice that feels refreshing and authentic to me; I was disengaged and uninterested in the work I was producing - it felt forced and flat but this feels very much alive because I've learned to embrace the immediacy, the energy, and intuition with which I naturally make images. :)
I'm definitely interested in continuing to make work about music and for music and can see this being profitable for me in the future. Other than that, I'm excited about exploring more personal narratives now that I'm more comfortable with the processes I've developed and the tone of voice of my work!
Contemporary Illustration research hasn't been at the forefront of this project for me - the initial research I did for my project proposal was important in helping me situate where I wanted my practice to be and that was really important because it widened my pre-existing ideas about where illustration could exist. However, I made a conscious effort to disconnect from the discipline at large and from other people's work because I was really trying to find my own flow which I really feel can be muddled by trends in style that come with illustration - and that was one of the things that was frustrating me also to begin with. I found research useful when I needed an insight in practical terms - so when making my website, it was useful to see how other illustrators and designers put together their own bodies of work but I didn't feel the need to constantly look at what other creatives were doing, and I think that was really positive for me.
This project went quite smoothly for me which is such a contrast to 2nd year and especially the first term of this academic year - the only problems I can think came up were just my being conscious of repetition within my practice and wanting to keep things fresh and different in each mini brief. Prior to FMP, with uni briefs I felt the same as I did in previous terms - disengaged and unsure of how to tackle them. However I really feel that if I went back to them now I would feel a lot more confident approaching them because I've gained a better understanding of my ways of working.
Looking ahead, I'm excited about exploring my practice further over summer and beyond - I'm really happy with the body of work I have produced and excited to see it translate over to different self-directed briefs and potential commissions. I think now that I know I can respond well to a music brief it'll be interesting to push the content itself in different directions and seeing what happens. I think that it's really positive that I've made my space within illustration when before it felt like I was trying to fit into already existing ones that didn't quite feel right - and I think that's what's made this fun for me again; ideally, i want to be doing things that feel fresh and engaged and I don't want to be doing what everyone else is doing; I want to be learning and moving forward and I see that being possible because even within this project I wasn't really allowing myself to be stagnant - i wanted every mini brief to have its own tone of voice and energy and I feel like i've accomplished that. here's to more hopefully happy making! :)
physical things!
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