First thoughts… DINOSAURS!

Chloe Shields

I was under no illusion in thinking that I would be able to jump from job to job within a matter of weeks. Which meant that January and February was a tough time for me. All those doubts that I had originally had about my work and skill level came flooding back, was my work not good enough? This is something that I have always struggled with, as I’m sure most others have as well. Leaping into the deep end of the working world is a slightly terrifying yet exciting thing and it’s something that we all want to do well in.
So, with these fears sitting at the back of mind I went to speak with Sarah about any upcoming opportunities that she had heard of, and to get some reassurance that I wasn’t completely failing. I ended up speaking with a student from last years DPS, who reassured me that I was doing fine and that it was perfectly normal for there to be a lull in your year out. As long as I recognised that I had had a dip, and it was time to turn things around, sending out emails upon emails to see if anything came up.
My next break came in March, earning myself the position of Junior Designer at the Natural History Museum. Now, when originally planning my year out; working in a museum had never crossed my mind. At the time it was something I didn’t think I would be interested in and didn’t know much about. But, for the few weeks that I was there, it was highly enjoyable; being able to explore the museum including the areas that the public do not get to see. The building itself was, inspiration enough; with it’s incredible architecture and design, it was like something out of a Harry Potter movie.
I felt that the work I was doing was important to my colleagues and although it was a short amount of time; I felt as though I was a part of the team. Similarly when I was with Ave, those that were in charge were female; showing me the potential of being high up in a design studio or even owning one. These experiences have opened up a whole load of new opportunities for me and I am excited to continue this journey.
One of the biggest struggles that I found working in this sector; was the fact that a lot of the time, projects would fall through because of funding issues. You could almost complete a project and have everything prepared to be produced, but those that commissioned the project would pull the plug and all that hard work would have gone to waste. This was frustrating at times because of how much time and effort had gone into the work, it’s something that no designer likes to do; we want to see our work through to the finishing stages. On the other hand, because this industry is quite large there was always something to be getting on with which I thought was great! I was kept busy and had a variety of projects that I could dive into.
The more experience I gain, the more excited I am about the future. I look forward to returning to LCC to get my degree and using the skills and knowledge that I have gained throughout this year into the projects I decide to undertake.
Overall, I am happy with the position I am in at the moment. I am currently looking at different places of employment and have had a couple of interviews with potential of work. My hopes for the rest of this year, is that I continue to learn and grow as a designer, and that I continue to push myself to be the best that I can be.