Maja Hagen
Illustration and Visual Media Starting my DPS experience I had a clear idea in mind of how my DPS year should go. I was convinced that the only way for me to make this year productive was to find as many internships as I could. I did have a successful interview with Sarabande and was offered a 3 month internship starting in November. Unfortunately it was then pushed back to start January although I am still very much excited about this opportunity. This gave me a lot of extra time which I have been using to work on private commissions that have helped me get back into my illustration practice. In addition I used the time to redesigned my portfolio and website to better suit the jobs I would like to apply to and hope this will be more effective in securing internships. Although finding more internships is still an essential part of my year I also chose to use this time to focus on finding out what truly excites me in the creative industry. I have been lacking motivation regarding my current practice for a while now and people who have experienced this will know how incredibly frustrating it can be. As artists our emotional state is so closely connected to our practice that this frustration will reflect in our work. I always heard stories of people having moments of self discovery but I could never fully understand them until I experienced it myself. After days of research and sleepless nights I realised I had spend over two years dreaming of studying fashion design but was hesitant to fully admit it to my tutors or even myself. However after a very helpful meeting with Stephanie and a long talk with my parents I came to the conclusion that I should start fully concentrating on this ambition. I feel so lucky to have people around me who fully support this decision and the DPS programme gives me the perfect opportunity to start this process. For now this means I will be preparing a fashion portfolio which I will use to apply for a fashion course in January. I tailored my SIP to be supportive of this process and plan to do short courses to help me develop skillsets that are needed for this industry. At the moment I am working on gathering research by following an online course which has helped me understand the fashion designing process. At the moment I am learning about how to create mood boards and gather inspiration. This work has helped me to finally feel motivated and excited about my projects again and with a clear goal in mind I have been much more productive. I am writing about this experience because I want to be an example to everyone who might feel similarly frustrated to find the courage to follow whatever excites you, because this will ultimately reflect in the quality of your work. Having said this I think it is important to understand that these last two years have not been a waste by any means. I needed this time to reflect on my ambitions and the improvements I have seen in my illustration work over the last two years have been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
0 Comments
Lucie Walmsley (GMD) Something I found surprising and kind of funny although I probably shouldn’t is the giggles in the studio when a portfolio gets sent in and we all gather around the Mac screen and mock it… oppps sorry guys. It's an insight to see how the tables change one you are on the inside. God only knows what other studios have giggled about when I’ve sent my portfolio in… Before starting my internship I was worried that I might be asked to make coffees for people. This couldn’t be further from the truth, the guys have welcomed me into their studio with open arms and I hope I stay connected with Max and Jakob (the founders and creative directors) after my internship. After being here a month and a half I couldn’t be happier, my bosses are two of the funniest people I have ever met and I am ethically and creatively satisfied with the body of clients the studio works for. I’m meeting such an array of creatives, within the studio and out and obviously having a great time on the razz. The studio's clients are mainly cultural organisations such as religious arts festivals, theatres, and activism organisations. This aligns entirely with the type of designer and creative I wish to be – creating design that brings communities and people together. Outside of studio hours I have attended workshops such as actors of urban change and Citymakers which brings together a group of people to make artivism and create design for change. At this workshop there was a series of talks and group work, we then got into groups to create our campaign for change in which the group I was in focused on environmentalism using the term “eco over eco”. The workshop made me very aware of the insecurities I still have around public speaking and communication within a group, I am glad I had the experience because I can now look at working through this in the following 12 months through doing similar events in the future. My initial plan was to move back to London in Mid December and during my time in Berlin (mid-September to Mid December) to search for an internship in London. My intentions have changed extensively, I realize I no longer have any interest to return to London, there are a few studios I have reached out to and align with (style and with client base) but its an odd few. Berlin is far more playful and experimental in terms of projects and clients and I find I align personally far more to studios in European cities (outside of the UK) from my research and I feel so much healthier mentally and physically in Berlin. Three weeks ago I started to contact studios in Berlin, applying for an internship starting between December and February. Coming to Berlin has made me realize I need to grab this opportunity whilst I can, with Erasmus traveling across Europe is made possible, SO WHY would I go back to London? Making this happen on my own has made me realize the possibilities and see my value and self-worth to go and grab some more opportunities which may be out of my comfort zone. Most of the tasks I have done at Any Studio have been done autonomously, usually with feedback every couple of days. The project where I have been able to work with most creative freedom has been the ongoing work for The High, a bar in Munich. Producing Instagram content, t-shirt design, and stickers. It's great when one of my co-workers produces a piece and we all gather around to discuss it, I like to hear the different opinions people have on the same thing and discover how subjective design is. I have been taught certain ‘design principles’ by tutors at LCC and its interesting to see how these ‘rules’ are thrown out the window at the Studio. Berlin has been a bit of a challenge for me photographically as photography in clubs is strictly forbidden, ironically most of my photographs in the past have been taken of people in clubs. It’s a challenge that initially dampened my creative spirit but as I’ve spent more time here I’ve thought of different places to use my camera. I also plan on doing a shoot with my friend from Berlin Lin, who’s studying photography in Berlin. Whilst being at the studio I have been given the opportunity and time to learn after effects whilst on the job. I was given the task to create a 10-second long animation for Jewish Kulturage Days which was shown at Friedrichstraße U Bahn station on 1080x 1920 screens for a week. Initially, I have no experience whatsoever using After Affects, I had used premier once or twice so I was initially really worried. At first I found it a bit embarrassing that I was watching design tutorials at work but after the brief for the illustration was given to me Max told me he was no expert in using After Effects, and that most of the time he just watches tutorials on YouTube to help him do certain things this reassured me. I’m now feeling excited about using these skills in the final year of my degree. Having the structure of working within the studio over the past month and a half has taught me extensively about the importance of time and place. Whilst at university in my first and second year I would end up in an extremely unhealthy working pattern (unknown to me at the time) where I eat sleep and do work in my bedroom. Coming into the studio for a set amount of hours four days a week has reiterated to me how important it is to have a specific place to do work. I have found this way of work so rewarding for my mentally and practically as I have learned the importance of free time, and having a home and bedroom where I can come back to and relax. I will certainly be stricter with myself when I return to university in terms of doing work outside of my bedroom and being strict with myself to work ours and schedule. After moving to Berlin my mental health has improved dramatically and its extremely refreshing to be out of London and the toxicity of my living and working situation. I have come to realize how unhealthy university structure and culture is and will certainly do my best to create a more stable and constant university life once I return. Which we hopefully allow me to have stable mental health and not allow myself to get worked up over university work. https://www.instagram.com/lucielemonade/ https://www.instagram.com/lemonade___studio/ Still from Animation created for Friedrichstraße U Bahn Station!
|