Starting the final level of the degree is both exciting and a little overwhelming. I am moving from a legacy curriculum approach to one that has evolved to be more holistic and (in the case of the Illustration pathway) more relevant to the fast-moving illustration industry. Instead of five assignments, things are split into relatively smaller projects.
I still have 12 months with which to complete this unit, and I hope to take less than that. My hope is that the smaller projects will facilitate a manageable way to structure my work. Additionally, now I am on Level Three (HE6) the content is much more self-directed. This filled me with apprehension initially; in the past, when presented with too much choice, I froze, looking for the 'correct' choice and not being able to start anything. I am grateful, therefore, for finishing Illustration Two the way that I did and the adversarial circumstances I found myself in. In retrospect, it's the operational equivalent of a 'happy accident. '
I have a stronger sense of who I am as a creative, what interests me, and the kind of work I am excited to do. I kept this in mind as I started these initial 'taster' exercises set up in the coursework. This exercise introduced me to four supporting sub-courses on the OCA learning environment. A lot of the content built on topics and skills that I have cultivated through my existing studies. All of it was useful, even if it was a refresher, and they will be an excellent source of guidance to assist me to be proactively self-directed in my illustration practise.
Looking through the different sub-courses, I did not feel compelled to complete the exercises therein. I felt I had a lot of strengths in the areas covered and wanted to focus more on building those strengths through moving my coursework forward. Also important to me is to identify gaps between where my practice and research skills are now and where I need them to be in order to build the illustration practise that inspires and excites me. I made notes in my notebook as I read, and these are some key areas that I decided I needed to think about and include in my plans in order to grow my skills holistically and effectively:
I will identify people in the areas that I am interested in to contact - not necessarily looking for work or even advice, but identify the people whose problems my work my help solve, and understand those problems (and their needs) so that I can understand those industries better. Also, to understand how my voice can make a difference to those industries/topics.
Investigate how my various interests sit apart from each other (allowing me to adopt varying personas with each and balancing a consistent voice with the benefit to my neurodiversity that variety brings). And to see where they might overlap for opportunities to cross-pollinate.
To make searching for, and joining, different communities of practise a specific task to complete. If left optional, my fear will keep me in my zone of comfort, and the last three years have taught me that I have a need for connection - to be seen and heard by others and reciprocate. This is not just about learning and networking - to me, this feels like an essential aspect for my mental health moving forward.
Make a calendarised list of events, conventions, fairs and galleries that I want to attend between now and the end of 2025.
My neurodiversity is linked to how my brain deals with dopamine. Dopamine is an essential requirement for building successful habits, which is why I struggle with habits throughout all aspects of my life. The key, therefore, is to focus on scheduling over habits. Current ideas I am considering:
Scheduling time every day to draw from life and/or doodle.
A monthly review/search for competitions that might present a useful experience and/or build skills.
My research skills have continued to build in strength, however, I should not rest on my laurels. The sub-course was very useful in laying out all of the aspects I need to consider, and I cannot neglect research now that my work is self-directed. It is not good enough to just rely on primary experiential research conducted blindly as part of the creation process.
The previous pathway approach has actually set me up with a model that I am familiar with, creates structure that focuses my effort, and assists accountability. While I do not have the assignment module any more, I can still adopt the themed project approach. I have decided that as I start each project, I will scrutinise the subject to create my own clear set of outcomes and/or learning objectives. This will then allow me to create several focused research tasks to deepen my understanding of history, place and context. Alongside these, I can also create exercise tasks to build the practical skills I need. I will write about this more as I create my initial project plan.
In terms of how I used this learning log, I need to account for the separate projects as well as the overall category of Unit 3.1. I have decided to utilise 'Tags' a lot more from now on as a way of grouping both the projects and the themes that each post covers (I am thinking things like 'digital', 'traditional', 'history', 'industry'). I'll keep an eye on this as I go and will listen for any feedback my Tutor has so that, come assessment time, my work is as easy to navigate as possible.
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