In a short span of 2 months since starting this course it is without out a doubt I have been confused as to who I truly am as a designer and an artist. I’ve gone through all the emotions. I’ve learnt more about myself in 2 months than I did on a 2 year A-level graphic  design course. However this part of the course is all about discovery and exploring, correct? that’s why with all these new things i’m not only learning about other creators but im learning about myself as a creator too.

First of all being in a class filled with creative people and with similar interests is something that I enjoyed very much, I felt as I could express myself in any way I wanted to without being judged and I felt comfortable. This kind of environment is very good for me as I didn’t feel out of place and I feel like its where I’m supposed to be.

The intensity of this foundation course has been extreme and with having different workshops on all the days really tired me out mentally and it was a lot to take in especially in the first week as we dived in head first into our first brief. 

Everything was so new to me and I felt as I didn’t get time to settle in naturally as I felt rushed. Throughout all the workshops that we’ve done in part 1 each one has sent me on a rollercoaster of high’s and lows. I was quick to notice when I didn’t like a workshop, it was as if I didn’t get a rush of enthusiasm or that special “spark” This was the case for most of the moving image workshops and core design and typography workshops including the Redo and Undo workshop. 

I prefer one week project’s especially the White space project. I found this week very interesting and very fun because I had the time to do more research into the bibliography and I even visited the Olafur Eliasson - In Real Life exhibition at the Tate Modern which was by far an amazing experience and an incredible artist to learn about. I even read a manifesto called “Steal Like An Artist” written by Austin Kleon which was perfect for me to read as i’m feeling confused about my current life and feeling creatively absent. It also helped how the brief on this project was very broad which allowed me to be more independent and to go out into the world. I found out that I  learnt more when I discovered things on my own.

The work I created on this course during part 1 I want to say I feel as if I could’ve done better, but I do understand that it was a way of helping me to discover what I liked, which did work. I just felt rushed and a bit stressed over the weeks deciding on what I would want to specialise in. Now saying this I do know that with every fail we grow and learn as a person and it’s helped me narrow down to what I’ve enjoyed and liked the most. 

This would be the illustration and print workshops we did. I’ve really enjoyed from creating prints and to drawing ideas that create narratives. My outcome that I created for our final print Workshop  is my favourite piece because its one I had fun creating and I am proud of it. Even the process of coming up with the ideas through the illustration and print workshops was a journey of discovery that was very enjoyable. 

I would like to extend my understanding in illustration as I don’t have much knowledge in it but that’s not stopping me in wanting to specialise in it and to go deeper into it. Im interested in narration and the storytelling aspect. What’s interesting is that I didn’t feel like this at the start of the course when I started, I came in being interested into specialising into graphic design but what’s important is that i also arrived open minded.

Although I feel lost right now, I know I want to be a part of something big and that brings joy or even a range of emotions to an audience. If I just keep going and discovering things, I believe I can make a difference and maybe someday i’ll have an exhibition of my own.

I want to make an impact and I want to be proud to show off my work to the world. 

Mel Domingues Dias 

harvard references:

Kleon, A., 2012. Steal Like An Artist. 1st ed. new york: Workman.

olafur eliasson. 2014. Olafur Eliasson. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.olafureliasson.net. [Accessed 4 January 2020].

design week. 2016. im basically a nerd. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/14-%2020-march-2016/type-designer-seb-lester-im-basically-a-nerd-with-a-load-of-pens/. [Accessed 28 October 2019].

Juxtapoz. 2013. Junji Ito's Eerie Illustrations. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/illustration/junji-itos-eerie-illustrations/

liam wong. 2015. tokyo nights. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.liamwong.com/#/tokyo-nights/.

William Kentridge animation. (2014). William Kentridge "five themes" making a horse. [Online Video]. 23 December 2014. Available from: https://youtu.be/cWBumxzswhw.

its nice that. (2016). nicer tuesdays: Sarah Hyndman. [Online Video]. 15 March 2016. Available from: https://youtu.be/KAidpE5UW0Y. [Accessed: 28 October 2019].

blake, Q., 2016. matilda. gallery, [Online]. ., .. Available at: https://www.quentinblake.com/gallery/matilda

farina. 2016. leandro. [ONLINE] Available at: http://leandrofarina.com/#index.

<blockquote>ted talks. (2017). <em>The secret language of letter design</em>. [Online Video]. 16 July 2017. Available from: <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/martina_flor_the_secret_language_of_letter_design/details?language=en" target="_blank">https://www.ted.com/talks/martina_flor_the_secret_language_of_letter_design/details?language=en</a>.