Study Task 7 - Self

A letter to Myself 

Looking back at the letter I made for my future self made me cringe. I have changed a lot as a person this past however many months. 

At the start of the year I put a lot more effort into the way I looked with glitter and a full face of makeup everyday. Now I don't care half as much because I've learnt that what I look like to other people doesn't bother me whatsoever, and if anyone is willing to tell me something negative about me, I'll be sure to shoot them down. 

I am much more confident to show my intelligence in both myself and my practice. At first I was nervous to experiment with new materials and ideas but this year so far has helped me progress to that level. 

However, I still think my confidence in my personal and professional practice can still be boosted which I am going to try and achieve when the next term begins. 

I want to try new mediums and try and come out of my sketchbook more as I seem to get myself stuck in there a lot. 

I just love filling pages with drawings and ideas otherwise my head will explode. 

When the next term starts I am going to manage my time better and do this as well as working out of my sketchbook and experimenting more.

Reflections on Myself

As a Practitioner

Strengths:

• I always make sure that my ideas develop throughout my work which is especially seen in my sketchbook which goes through the thought process before my final piece of work. 
• My skills have developed in screen printing e.g. I had never used the digital approach before/using the bitmap effect.
• I experiment a lot more by coming out of my sketchbook and trying new mediums before my final idea.
• The tone of voice in my work has always been a strong point as the message is clear behind the lighthearted approach that I often use.
• I make good use of my sketchbook when it comes to designing characters and altering them until they look how I want.

Weaknesses:

• My subject specific research could be a lot stronger (although this seems to have improved), especially with primary research.
• I could experiment a lot more with different mediums and come out of my sketchbook to make larger, more interesting work.
• Blogging is still a struggle. I'm rubbish at being critical of myself. I need to consider my own work a lot more and ask myself questions.
• I could improve my processes by experimenting more and being more playful with my designs.
• Try to make character sheets on larger pieces of paper rather than being limited to my small sketchbook pages.

As a Student 

Strengths:

• I am a well organised person, I always make sure my work space is tidy so I can get straight to it.
• There are regular bursts of motivation where I want to go out and make work.
• I don't go out too often so I don't feel tired and sluggish the next day because I know I won't get anything done.
• I have a good balance with my social life, eating and work to make sure that I can get everything done on time.
• Talking to Matt and Jamie about my struggles doesn't give me any sense of fear and I am always willing to find them when I need help.

Weaknesses:

• Working on a weekend can sometimes be a pain because I come home feeling unmotivated and tired meaning I get less work done than I could (but I need money to live).
• My regular bursts of motivation tend to be later in the night when I know I should be asleep.
• I sometimes feel too caught up in work to the point where I forget about tasks until the last minute. The more it builds up, the more nervous and stressed I become.
• Procrastination is a massive issue, I'll find myself at the supermarket walking around the isles in a slow fashion so I don't have to go back and do work.
• My phone isn't too much of a distraction to me but it can be which I want to focus on. Especially at lunch break when I've already eaten and could be doing something productive.