Who am I? Why am I here?

5 things I have learned so far on the programme

• I have learned more about my own personal interests and preferences in regards to process and media (I don't like adobe illustrator).
• Everyone responds to a brief differently and has their own ways of working - there is no right or wrong and I understand that everyone does things their own way so there is no point comparing my own work to someone else's because they've probably taken a different route. 
• That I find it easier to work from reference material rather than drawing straight from my mind. 
• To be less precious about my work, to work looser in a sketchbook and be less afraid of getting things wrong. 
• That research and understanding of a topic is key to well informed concept and illustration. 

5 things that I want to know more about

• How to make contacts and approach people about work, business conduct and laws.
• What its like when I graduate - particularly about working for agencies or collectives.
• How I can make my work have a place and purpose in the world.
• The best method of selling my work to make money. 
• Traditional printing methods, I think this could push my work in new and exciting directions. 

5 skills that I think are my strengths

• I think using ink is one of my strengths, it is probably the medium I am most confident with (in the form of a pen or ink and brush).
• Time management, I keep myself organised and this worked to my advantage in first year. 
• Self motivation (although this may just be a sign of it being the start of the academic year and i'm still in keen mode).
• Research, both visual and written. 
• I set myself high standards and the amount of work I demand of myself challenges me in each module. 

5 things that I want to improve

• Although my skills in Photoshop have developed since the beginning of last year, I still have a lot to learn. 
• My confidence in approaching practitioners and companies to ask questions or advice.
• Minimising procrastination and time wasting.
• My up-to-date knowledge of world news and issues. 
• My personal sketchbook, I seem to forget about personal work once I have set briefs to get on with and I think investing a bit more time in my personal sketchbook and drawing for enjoyment will help me develop more as an individual and also keep me sane!

5 practitioners that demonstrate my interest in illustration

• Julia Rothman - I like where her work exists and the crossover between drawing,  illustration and pattern. 
• Olimpia Zagnoli - her work reminds me to break things down and simplify them which is useful when I'm developing ideas because I tend to over complicate things
• George Butler - he is a reportage illustrator, and I too like to record locations and experiences with drawing. Butler's practice also reflects my desire to go and see new places and find out what is going on in the world. 
• Paul Blow - My work shares very few similarities with his but his concepts are something I really admire; concept is definitely something I want to work really hard on in second year. 
• Emma Bridgewater - I like how recognisable her work is, how she works to please and satisfy her audience and how the range of what she does not has spread so far beyond just ceramics. 

5 websites/online resources that demonstrate my areas of interest within the creative industries

• creativesafari.com - I like browsing this website for inspiration and enjoyment, the work spreads beyond drawing and illustration to print, photography, 3D, etc. The shop site for this is ohdeer.com which is a site where I can imagine my work existing in the future. 
• handsomefrank.com - An illustration agency website including the likes of Jean Jullien and Emily Robertson. 
• varoom-mag.com - the articles on this website are not only good for improving my general knowledge of art and design but can also provide inspiration through reading 
• pinterest.com - this is pretty general but I do use it a lot for inspiration, images to draw from and for research purposes
• ted.com - this is all part of me educating myself about the world, it makes me think about but current topics and how my practice can stay relevant and maybe work towards making a difference.