10 Questions Task

How do you do book binding?
I really want to learn how to bind my own books so that I have the option of presenting my work in a new and interesting way. To learn this skill, I could attend a book binding workshop at college or research methods of bookbinding in my own time to get more knowledge of the subject. 

How do you go about getting work experience or placements?
I think it would be really beneficial to my studies to get some experience of the industry and gain an awareness of the different options available to me. Getting work experience may lead to new opportunities and I could potentially make some useful contacts. To find out how to get started with this, I could speak to second year students who may have done this in the past or ask my tutors for some pointers. I could also research local opportunities for students. 

How do you use a Wacom tablet?
By learning to use a Wacom tablet, I hope to improve my digital skills. I am becoming more comfortable with using photoshop and feel that the next step in learning about digital media is to learn what these tablets are capable of. I could ask for guidance from other students who are familiar with the technology and would be willing to help, I could then take some time to use the tablets in the studio and explore what I can do with it. I could also ask for guidance from a member of staff.

How do I know when I’ve spent enough time on a brief?
I understand the 20:80 hour ratio of taught hours to independent study hours is a guide for this but I hope to learn how much work I should be producing per task and whether I am working a a fast enough pace. I will ask this question at a one-to-one tutorial so that the tutor can see my work and hopefully judge whether I am on track. 

How do you screen print?
I think exploring various printing methods will really help me develop my work. I have worked with mono-printing mainly in the past so I want to see what outcomes I can achieve with screen print as I have not had as much experience with this process. Hopefully it will be something I can tie into my briefs and use to enhance my work. I could attend a screen printing workshop or ask for tutoring from a member of the workshop staff. Researching screen printing in my own time would also provide a good starting point for learning the technique. 

How can I continue to improve and develop my drawing skills?
I feel my drawing skills have improved even in the short amount of time I have been studying here. However, I don’t want to get comfortable with a certain style or technique so I need to push myself to be experimental and take risks with new processes and media that I haven't tried before. I am sure my work will slowly evolve into having its own unique style but for now I want to keep my options open and make the most of all the facilities available to me. Draw every single day! 

How would you organise a group exhibition?
This may not be relevant just yet but exhibitions seem like a great way of getting your work out there and they can often lead to new and exciting opportunities. A group exhibition seems like a good idea as it will show a wider range of work and people may be more interested in looking around. I would need to learn about how much they usually cost, how much time you have to prepare the space and the best venues to approach. Speaking to older students who have already done this would be a good starting point and attending local exhibitions to see how they are set up could give me some inspiration. I would need to talk to fellow students to see who would be interested in taking this on. 

If I become self employed, how would I set up a business and business account?
I would need to check whether this is taught as part of the course but if not, I could speak to student advice to point me in the right direction. I would need to learn the legalities of running my own business and also learn about the finance side of it. Contacting a few Leeds College of Art alumni who are now freelancers to ask them about how they started their business up could provide me with some valuable advice. 

How do I find a good balance between my workload and social life?
Similar to my previous question about whether I am spending enough time on each brief, I would like to gain an understanding of how I can balance work and play. I feel my education and my social life already blend into each other but I want to ensure I leave some time for me to relax because I have a habit of burning myself out. I feel this will become clearer to me the longer I continue with the course. 

Am I doing my evaluations correctly and in enough depth?

I want to find out whether what I am writing in my evaluations is meeting the required standards and if not, what do I need to focus on to improve this. I can take a look at other students’ blogs to see how other people are tackling their evaluations but I think it would be better to ask this question at my one-to-one tutorial where my blog will be reviewed.