An Aberfeldy adventure

When I suggested that Karen and myself go to Aberfeldy for a wee camping trip I was expecting beautiful scenery but the town itself to be ye olde typical tartan and shortbread tourist village. Oh but no, after our wander up the birks we decided to wander about to see what Aberfeldy had to offer.

We firstly nosied into the Temple Gallery (www.thetemplegallery.co.uk) where we had a long chat with Ryan Hannigan the owner. As an ex DOJ Fine Art student he was keen to impart any words of wisdom he could with reguards to surviving art school and actually making a living in the real post degree show world.

It was particularly helpful to hear how all through art school his tutors told him that hwe was pretty much rubbish and that drawing and painting in his style was outdated. He, however, held his guns and just got on with his work in a dedicated and focused manner. Come degree show night he was the one selling paintings and those who had let tutors tweak and mould their ideas weren't. I think this year many of us have learned that really tutors are only giving their own opininon. How many times have we recieved completly opposite opinions from different tutors. I decided that if I was to get on I'd have to go into tutorials and articulately and clearly explain what i had done and what my intentions would be.

Grades really don't seem to mean much at the end of the day. Whether its fine art or textiles most people don't really understand the grades anyway. In design I think it is easier to compare students side by side. With fine art..ive no idea where they start!

So ultimately we came away with a bit of a kick up the arse to say get on with your projects and do what you believe is important even if the powers that be don't really agree with you.

a quiet adventure

With all the business of term time its sometimes easy to get swept up in the work hard play had way of life. I'm pretty glad that I'm not needing to work quite so much this year and just 20-30 hours a week is doing me just fine.

This summer instead of stressing an living in new look im having a great time just chilling out on my own.

Its sometimes hard to remember, when theres so much going on in your life, that a little alone time can work wonders for the soul. Last week I drove to kinshaldy beach to just feel totally alone. Sitting by the sea, it was so humbling to feel that the only thing between myself and Noway was the vastness of the choppy north sea. It really was one of these wow moments! From there I lay around and dug a hole in a sand dune. I'd recommend to anyone to just try and get away someplace for a quiet for an opportunity to blank out. On the way home I was so chilled out I even listened to some classic fm whilst diving super slowly....hhmmmm is this what being retired feels like? if so...now i understand why they drive so bloody slow all the time!

Summertime

I've been working away on my summer project the past wee while..not very much I must admit! I have, however reached a few conclusions about where I want to take my work for the forseeable future.

The bit of our course that really seemed to turn me on last year was our DHTP (design history theory and practice) although the only lecture that really was recognisable as 'history' felt to me like a token jesture to keep the old school happy. The only thing about our arts and crafts lecture was that it was held in the beautiful but bloody freezing arts and crafts style church in the hilltown( i forget the name!) The rest of the lectures I found thought provoking( all be it a little one sided at times)

4 years ago I left school to pursue a degree in Sociology, Public Policy and Geography with the nieve hope at 18 of learning to change the world. After 4 months I had infact learned to just be a lot more synical about the world we live in and not so narrow in my beliefs so much. I couldn't figure out what was lacking for me at first! I was doing well and actually loved the content of most of my lectures. Then I realised that all I was learning was to regurgitate some academics thoughts and not really pursue what was important to me or have any opportunity to think yeah well what can I do about all these problems in the world. Its a bit depressing going to uni every day thinking what problem in the world am I going to learn to feel completely helpless to do anything about today!

I'm certainly glad that this summer I won't be graduating!! Not only because theres not jobs but because I would have missed out on what I feel I'm really meant to do!

To art school I went!!!!


Hmm well after 2 years of general art and design training I was beginning to feel a sense of whats the point? I'm in this place an what use am I actually to this world. I was getting bored with not really feeling my brain was being stretched and longed to actually learn some STUFF. Agh am i never happy!

Untill this year.........

The penny really just felt like it dropped. I really can have both! I can be spontanious, messy, creative and still engage the bit of my brain that longs to learn about the world. Hurrah!!!

I have taken more time to investigate the work of companies like IDEO and the work of the Design Council. This is going to be the beginings of my summer project.


"how long is a piece of string" hmmm what to do. I know for sure I want to design some ideas to help solve real world problems and not churn out some decorative patterns.

1. fuck florals
2. human centred design is the way forward
3. I think I may be working against the system a bit...prepare for crap grades. how much is the thoughts behind our work appeciated when florals that have been done a million times before get high praise?!
4. For work placements think design agencies not textiles.
5. hmmmmm again what am i really doing in textile design. oh well!