PROJECTS & PORTFOLIO

​

Reflecting on the beginning of this college year and last year, I can recall a version of myself that felt like a scared, timid little kid, lacking confidence and uncertain about the future. The contrast to who I am now is remarkable to me, and others who knew me before have noticed it too. The growth and development I've gone through has not only manifested in my character but also in my academic achievements.

One aspect that stands out prominently is the evolution of my confidence. While it's an ongoing journey, I've made substantial strides in managing tasks and navigating social settings. The initial feelings of being overwhelmed have shifted, and I now approach challenges with a more balanced and proportional level of confidence.

This newfound confidence has brought on a lot of positive changes. I've become more open to trying and learning new things, gaining a sense of courage that has translated into serious contemplation about my future. The main notion of progression being me doing things such as submitting applications and portfolios for university (and recently gaining an interview at my top choice to study illustration at Leeds Beckett) due to the newfound clarity and determination.

Another significant area of improvement is my creative skill. Over the course of this year, I've discovered an ability to engage with longer, more complex, and multidimensional projects. This shift in my creative capabilities has not only enriched my academic pursuits but has also opened up avenues for exploring my passions and finding what interests me more deeply. 

​

There are many different things I have learnt this year compared to last year, I have experimented with different software while also improving my skills within the software I already had experience in. Examples of new software I have had experience in are things such as Adobe After Effects for animation and Blender for 3D modelling, while I found this new software quite difficult at times I still managed to persevere and create projects with decent results in the end which is something I am happy with, as last year I found learning new software and new skills quite overwhelming and draining but this seems to be much easier due to my development while on the course - I've definitely had a lot less meltdowns this year, thats for sure!

 

Some significant highlights of this year so far include the client project I did for the Drama Department where I created promotional material for their 'Our Day Out' reenactment play. What was significant about this was that both my promotional poster and my opening title sequence I created for them were among their top favourites, meaning I responded to the client brief efficiently and correctly and I captured the vibe of the story well within this good quality work. During this specific project something else that stood out to me as quite a good achievement was the fact that a professional commented on my illustrative poster stating their admiration for my technique and imagination which was quite a proud moment for me. 

 

Another highlight, as I briefly mentioned before is that this year I have had a chance to improve my skills much more. The unit that I am currently working on allows me to specialise in a certain area which means I have had the privilege of looking into the things I am interested in more deeply allowing me to learn and experiment with what I choose. I am currently delving into the basics of 2D animation and learning some 3D modelling software while also studying artists and examples of work that inspires me. 

 

While I have changed a lot this year, and my work has evolved for the better, my confidence - even though it has improved a great deal - could be better as it is something I have majorly struggled with my entire life. The times I have felt as if it has been a significant weakness of mine are in situations where I may have to present or read aloud to a group as this is always something I've had anxiety around. Something else that is a weakness is that I worry a lot and get stuck on details within my work that are small or unimportant compared to another element and more often than not this worry and obsession over detail does more harm than good. Overall, I need to work on my fear of public speaking and also my fear and stress around not being perfect. Something I also want to work on is my skills within my illustration specialism, I want to next focus on creating more dynamic, interesting and dimensional drawings and I would also like to expand my skills instead of being constrained to looking for references and making static, 2 dimensional, flat looking drawings.

Despite all of the positive developments, I do recognise that my growth will continue to last a lifetime and is an ongoing process, so there are many things about myself that I try to face every day on the road to becoming a better, happier and more confident individual because I know the road ahead will be challenging, new, scary and bumpy but this year on my college course has helped me feel more ready for that now which is a feeling that, at the start of this year, I could never have imagined for myself.

​

In conclusion, I have to say that I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to experience this college course as it has allowed me to explore my talents and skills in a way I don't believe I would have been able to otherwise and it has also given me the gift of being able to look forward to, and to dream about my future a little more.