Summative Position Statement

At this point I know that my long term goal is to work for myself as a freelance illustrator. I know that this will not be an easy step to take straight out of university which is why I intend to get another job (still in the creative industries) which allows me to learn new things, develop my skills and support myself financially. Although I am organised and methodical in the way I work, I don’t see myself having a standard 9-5 job for the rest of my working life. Therefore, alongside a job, I am going to be working on my freelance practice by taking on briefs I have time for, exhibiting and selling work wherever possible and generally maintaining a presence in the creative community. As time progresses I hope to build my portfolio of commissioned work, gain a following for my personal work and be earning enough from my freelance practice for it to be feasible to do full time. 

I used this year to try out a range of different briefs and I have learnt that my work is a lot more versatile than I originally thought. Although I almost always use ink for my illustrations, I don’t have one distinct style which is what makes me adaptable to different briefs, contexts, audiences and timescales. Aspiring to have such a broad practice is a little daunting but I really don’t want to limit the potential uses for my work. This year I have really discovered where my personal interests lie and this has informed the kind of projects I take on and the subject matter I want to explore.

Finishing my degree is not the end of my learning journey by any means. I am expecting to learn so much from my first few years outside of education about myself, my practice and the real working world. I am going to continue entering live briefs, reaching out to other practitioners and sharing my work with potential clients with the hope of receiving opportunities, advice and feedback in response. I am going to try my best to stay positive and not be disheartened by not getting where I want to be straight away. I know its going to be a long journey but at the end of the day I know I’ll be making pictures for the rest of my life, whether that’s for someone else or myself.