Research, Reading and Reflections

Charlotte Greenwood, Illustration and Visual Media

As the DPS brief submission deadline is getting closer and closer, I decided to start looking at some of the books on the suggested reading list as it is stated in the brief that:

• You will be expected to read subject related books, design blogs and to follow contemporary culture and news as you define relationships between your developing practice and real-world problems.
• You must contextualise/reference your writing with reading you have undertaken – see readings list on the brief and include other things you have read or viewed during the year – collect constantly. 
• You must provide a bibliography of what you have read and researched during your year.

Below, are some quotes that I found interesting or insightful from the books on the suggested reading list that I have read so far.

“Make It Now!: Creative Inspiration and the Art of Getting Things Done” by Anthony Burrill.
P. 44

• Find the extraordinary in the ordinary.
• Being in a new environment forces you to question yourself about everything.
• Changing your daily routine makes you look at the world through fresh eyes.
• You can discover more in the first day somewhere new than in a week at home.
• Document everything, take photographs, collect things and keep mementoes.
• Seeing the world helps you to put you and your work in context.

This advice made me contemplate my time in Los Angeles at The School of Light and made me realise that this experience had a significant impact on me as a person and as an artist. Being away from my friends and family and being in a new environment did allow me to learn more about myself and made me consider what it is that makes me happy. I found that at this time, my brain was inundated with creative ideas and I was inspired by my unfamiliar surroundings as I was constantly taking photographs and creating images. As I was able to exhibit my work here and work with practising fine art photographers, I was able to contextualise my practice and recognise that me and my work have a place within the art gallery.

P. 72
(My answers to Burrill's questions are italicised.)
Five questions to ask yourself when you’re starting out:

• What do I have to say?

My work is all about:

1. Visualising environmental issues in innovative ways in order to increase people’s awareness of and understanding of how humans negatively impact the planet.
2. Instilling an appreciation of the beauty in natural formations and the organic into people.

• How do I fit into the world?

​I believe that my place in this world is as a maker; I create things for people to engage with that make them learn and feel something.

• How do I want to change the world around me?

​I want people to be more observant of the world around them and I want people to look after and care more about the environment and our threatened ecosystems.

• What is it about me that is different from everybody else?

As I am a concrete, imaginative, and creative thinker, I believe that the way that I process information is different and the way I link ideas to form concepts. I also believe that my determination to find original but methods of creating in order to communicate something as effectively as possible makes me different from everybody else.

• How important is it to me that I make work that I’m proud of?

I think that if I am not proud of something that I have created, then I have not worked hard enough on it. As I am an artist and not a designer, I write my own briefs and my art is a form of self-expression and therefore, ensuring that I always put the time and effort required of me to make something that I am proud of is very important to me.

P. 157
“It takes a long time to find your own voice as a person and as a designer. It’s tempting to take a shortcut to get there, but don’t – you’ll only make your best work and be truly happy when you are being you.”
I found this piece of advice useful because I have always put a lot of pressure on myself to discover what my artistic voice is and what it is that I want to do as a career but, this makes me realise that for this to happen, I need to stress about it less, trust my instincts, and just create what I want to without always asking myself whether my concepts are good enough.

“Don’t Get a Job Make a Job: How to Make it as a Creative Graduate” by Gem Barton.
P. 117
“Have big ideas and don’t be afraid of them. In fact, nurture your weirdest ideas, feed them, water them, and let them grow into wild and wondrous things that no one else could ever dream of.” – Gem Barton, Chapter: Gusto.

P. 140
“Universities are communities of people, more than of facilities, but, just as you are exposed to thousands of different people during your degree studies, you can also access dozens of facilities. Be sure to make the most of all that is on offer; as nicely, broker deals, call in favours, trade skills with others – you are unlikely to be able to access (at no extra cost) such a wide range of equipment and amenities in one place ever again. Get as much experience as you can and expose yourself to everything; this way you will have the widest foundation possible, enabling you to make the most informed decisions about your future. Exposing yourself to such a variety of educators and facilities will allow you to experience real collaboration and discover whether a life of creative diversity might be for you.” – Gem Barton, Chapter: Getting the most out of your education.
Although it has been said to me before that I should make the most of the facilities at the University, when I read this, it really sunk in. In the final year of my degree, I plan to make the most of what is available to me as a student and make connections through my tutors with people in the industry that are relevant to me and my practice. I also plan to have my film processed in the Photography Department and work in the darkroom as much as I can as analogue photography is where my interest lies and I am very aware of how expensive it is to use these amenities externally.

I also read a couple of books that are not on the suggested reading list, one of which was: "What They Didn't Teach You in Art School: What You Need to Know to Survive as an Artist" by Rosalind Davis and Annabel Tilley.
P. 23
(My responses to the points are italicised.)
Understanding what the opportunities are is crucial to surviving your first year. Opportunities for artists can be broken into these main categories:

• Curating your own exhibitions or independent projects - self-generated projects that you initiate or are invited to contribute to - often self-funded but empowering!

Currently, I have four personal projects that I am planning to complete by the end of this year: "Corals in Crisis", "In My Remains", "Evanescent", and one that is yet to be named. I would like to come up with concepts for more but it requires a considerable amount of time, research, reading and reflection. I have also found that ensuring I make an effort to learn new skills and techniques and being open to new experiences helps me to come up with concepts for projects.

• Open exhibitions and competitions - application fees often apply and there are no guarantees of being selected, but they are good for exposure and expanding networks.

I want to apply to have my work published in a magazine that is relevant to me and my practice like "The Earth Issue" or "It's Freezing in LA!" as they both feature art inspired by the environment and climate change, or in a contemporary photography magazine. I also want to enter the "EcoArt Project Global Competition" - "An overarching series of open calls for artists and designers aimed at scouting and promoting the most brilliant and powerful artworks and ideas".

• Gallery/project proposals and residencies - application and proposal-based.

I would like to go back to LA as soon as possible and so a residency at The School of Light as it was mentioned that this is an option for me.

• Commercial galleries - by invitation only.
• Private commissions - often by invitation (or an invite to submit a proposal). The fee is usually subject to negotiation.
• Public art commissions - application/proposal-based with an interview. The fee is usually set by the commissioner.
• Other, such as invitations to exhibit by artist-led spaces, public museums, or pop-up events - think about how to raise your profile/get known and remind people you exist.

I want to have a professional Instagram account that I regularly update with my art or works in progress and use to interact with people and other artists in order to get my work seen and build my network.

P. 24
The progress and success of any art career is a mixture of luck, good judgment, strategy, and timing. Therefore, it is your job as an artist to ask yourself: How can I bring my work to the attention of others?
I can utilise platforms like Instagram, I can build my network by discussing my work with my peers and other artists, I can reach out to people/practitioners within the industry that the University has connections with such as David Buckland - creator and director of Cape Farewell, a project that "...engage artists for their ability to evolve and amplify a creative language, communicating on a human scale the urgency of the global climate challenge" - who gave a lecture at LCC not long ago, I can find opportunities through DPS, I can perhaps make industry connections through my placements and internships, I can apply to have my work published in magazines, I can be open to commission work, I can find spaces to exhibit my work or find artist residencies, I can create a website and keep it up-to-date, ...

The information and advice in these books made me reflect on how my Diploma in Professional Studies experiences have allowed me to develop as an artist and how as I grow and learn more about the industry, my thoughts about my practice, my place within the art world and my project concepts change.

Bibliography
Barton, G. (2016). Don’t Get a Job Make a Job: How to Make it as a Creative Graduate. London, UK: Laurence King Publishing.
Burrill, A. (2017). Make It Now!: Creative Inspiration and the Art of Getting Things Done. London, UK: Virgin Books.
Davis, R. Tilley, A. (2016). What They Didn't Teach You in Art School: What You Need to Know to Survive as an Artist. London, UK: Ilex Press.