A Big Thank You!

Hey everyone great news, I had my interview at Northumbria University on Thurs 19th and guess what......I GOT IN!!!
 As you can tell i am soooooo happy and i have to thank Cecilia Holmes for not letting me on the Creative Practice course as i wouldn't have had the confidence to apply as i thought i wasn't good enough for the course.

I am going to aim high to achieve my goals, as i said during interview i want to make a success of myself and i want to achieve something in life.

Also this week i have realised that its my family thats been holding me back, they are so negative when it comes to university and a good education, saying that its a waste of time and that i won't get a job out of it, well guess what they are wrong, i don't care if they haven't even bothered congratulating me on my success or that they aren't excited about me graduating in July, my friends are pleased for me as is my boyfriend and thats all that matters to me.

So when i get my Honours Degree in 2 years time and when i am a successful Interior Designer, don't expect a share in my happiness because you ain't getting nothing from me .

Rant over on that side of things.

Also thank you so much to my tutors Simon Chambers and Dan Civico for all the guidance they have given me and in helping me to achieve my Foundation Degree.

Bye everyone, the next time i blog i will be getting ready to graduate and preparing for final show!

Northumbria Interview

Hi all!

Well i was out around Folkestone, Kent today as me and my boyfriend have came down to Lydd for an Easter break and my phone notified me of an email, and it was from Northumbria offering me an interview!!!!!

To say i am excited is an understatement, yes i know i have applied for Creative Practice for 3rd year but if i was able to get a place with Northumbria Uni it would mean that i would gain more experience in the Interior side of the industry.

I have been looking at Northumbria's website to get some tips on what i should include in my portfolio and how to stay calm in the interview. This is what i found.....

Good Portfolio Guide

When it comes to portfolios we cannot give you a set of prescriptive rules to follow or a neatly presented recipe for success. With applicant portfolios each portfolio is as varied as the individual who creates it. We can however, share with you some of the key ingredients we always look for and explain why.

DO's	DONT'S
Show us you can draw	Just fill your portfolio with endless ‘still lifes’. Certainly show off your drawing skills but also include abstract images, graphics and photography. Try to relate your drawings to ready made imagery
Feature a variety of media and subject matter	Be a ‘one trick pony’ - show us the breadth of your experience and expertise
Express yourself – this is your chance to sell yourself and your design perspective	Show us what you think we want to see
Continuously record your ideas, observations, research, preliminary sketches and written notes	Leave your sketch book at home
Celebrate your creativity – show us how you’ve explored and experimented with colour, texture and form	Be too literal or restrained
Show us how a person, place or object can inspire you to create something new	Just provide unexplained images or photographs of people, places or objects
Tell us a story. Show us how your ideas evolved; include your initial sketches and concept development work	Just show us the outcome or end product
Demonstrate your interest in Design. Include images of historical or contemporary designers you admire or exhibitions you have visited and how that has impacted your work	Hide your enthusiasm and the motivation behind your work
Be selective. Think about what you include in your portfolio and be ready to explain why it’s there	Fill your portfolio to overflowing with unedited work
Indicate the running time of any time-based media that you’ve included	Include any films that run more than a few minutes
Include work that reflects the course you’re applying for	Include all the projects you’ve worked on
Be practical – where appropriate, photograph your finished 3D or large scale work	Try to transport over-sized 3D models or bring suitcases full of work with you
Remember presentation is important, so consider how you put your portfolio together. Think about using plastic sheets, creating a ‘book’ but keep it simple –you don’t want to distract from your work	Pull it together at the last minute and leave loose pieces of work inserted in the pages
Talk through your portfolio with your teacher or tutor	Be afraid to ask for some advice
Plan your portfolio presentation; start with something that will make us go ‘Wow!’ Then finish with something that will help us to remember you	Bury the good stuff
Bring examples of your current course-work and or design-related projects done out of the classroom	Don’t come empty handed – if course-work is being sent away for assessment, make copies of it so that we can see it

Interview Tips

Going for an interview, whatever the reason, can be daunting. So to help you prepare we’ve put together a few tips and hints that might help you on the day.

Try Before You Apply

Choosing a University is a big decision so it makes sense to visit a range of different institutions before you make your final choices. Open Days are an ideal way to get a real feel for a place. We run Open Days in October and June, so there are plenty of opportunities for you to check us out.

Make Sure You Know How to Get Here

This is not the time to get lost on route so for interviews in Newcastle. Click here for directions to the school.

Give Yourself Plenty of Time

The last thing you want on the day of your interview is to arrive hot and bothered. Also, if you are travelling with friends or family, make some time for yourself before your interview. It will help you stay focused and may give you a chance to chat to other candidates

Try to Relax

The interview is not meant to be an ordeal – just a chance for us to learn a bit more about you and for you to find out more about us.

Think Ahead

Be ready to tell us;

- why you’ve applied to Northumbria School of Design in particular
- what it is about our course that appeals to you above all others
- who and what inspires you
- what your aspirations are – where you want to be in 10 years time
- what you have done that demonstrates your commitment

Be Prepared to Talk Through Your Portfolio

Don’t get hung up about whether each piece is good enough, we’re much more interested in what inspired you, the research you undertook and your creative thought process than whether you’ve got perfect technique.

Tell Us About Yourself

Talent alone doesn’t guarantee success – it takes motivation, initiative, drive and sheer hard work. Show us you’ve got what it takes. Give us some evidence of work or projects you’ve been involved in that demonstrate these qualities. These examples don’t all have to be design related – they could be things you’ve done in your community or as part of a team.

Above All Come Prepared

Think carefully about what you want to ask us. Feel free to come equipped with a list of questions!

Why not do a dry run interview with your tutor, a friend or your parents? There’s nothing worse than sitting in an interview at a loss for words or tongue tied, so it pays to invest a bit of time practising.

I have also been asked to bring a Visual CV to show what interests and inspires me which i feel will be fun to make, this is what the Visual CV entails...

What is a Visual CV?

It is a creative personal profile made up of images that you feel communicate who you are, what inspires you and what you are most interested in particularly in the areas of culture, design and the wider world. The purpose of the visual CV is to help us to find out more about you and to allow you the opportunity to express your creativity. This is not about your favourite designer, though we do want to know what areas of design interest you. It is a Curriculum Vitae in a visual form that explains who you are. Think about, your favourite novel, film, band and current affairs that have affected you.

Use imagery from newspapers or magazines, photographs, original artwork etc. Add headlines or key word - anything that you feel communicates your message.

It is important to think about your whole presentation including layout, your visual CV should be presented on an A3 board.

Well thats all about interviews i will leave it at this, until my next post all about inspiring fabrics.

Appeals and Interviews

Hi all, well i said i would be back earlier but i got distracted, i am here now though :)

Well from my last post of been unsuccessful for Creative Practice i have became more determined to be successful. I have applied to Northumbria University and am awaiting a reply for an interview and i have appealed the decision for Creative Practice, i have a meeting on Monday 16th April regarding what i need to do to prove that i can be successful.

To prove myself i have decided to take in my final negotiated project to show that i am able to set my own goals and my own project, and to prove that i am able to direct my own studies.

Well thats all for now i will be back soon.

Its been a while, but i'm back!!!!

Well alot has happened since January. I have been on placement with Amanda Baker Soft Furnishings for a while now and i am really enjoying it. I have been making some sample curtains and cushion covers and getting to grips with a sewing machine which i will definitely be buying with my next student loan :) as its a future investment.

I have been very good at keeping things organized and up to date module wise, like my PPD is near enough complete (the folder is packed).

I also had an interview for Creative Practice last Thursday which i felt went really well but came back unsuccessful, i don't know what went wrong there and i don't want to go into it too much as it has knocked me in thinking i may fail this year if my work isn't good enough.

I am going to leave this post at that but i will be back later on tonight to tell all about the new module AD206 which i have to say i am loving!

Oh and its nearly graduation.....i can't believe i will actually be wearing a gown

oh well laters :)

Productive Week :D

It has happened........I don't know if i have mentioned me emailing Amanda Baker soft furnishings over a week ago or not, but i plucked up the courage to ring her regarding a placement and guess what......I HAVE A PLACEMENT INTERVIEW TOMORROW!!!!!!!!

Sorry for the caps but i am sooooo excited and nervous all at the same time because right and i know i am going to sound like a proper idiot here....i never thought i would actually get a chance at placement. This means if i get accepted by Amanda (fingers and toes crossed) i will be the 2nd person to be on placement from the group. PHEW!!!! So today i have put together some of what i think is my best work in a portfolio. I have included the work where i took a more interior orientated approach as this is what Amanda Baker is hopefully looking for.

I have actually shocked myself this week as i have done quite alot. I wrote my personal statement which i then sent off to UCAS to apply for Creative Practice, I finished my creative CV, i started AD207, i rang Amanda to arrange a meeting and then i put together my portfolio.....and now i am going to sign off here and type up my notes for AD205 which we started today and then do a bit of CV tweeking as i have had an idea of a new layout which portrays me more.

Oh one more thing Simon has arranged little masterclasses in other subjects such as textiles so i can gain some more experience there.....happy days!!!!!!

Ok i really am going now so bye bye for now :D

My Creative Space

For the start of term i had a clearout of my study space. I bought some new shelves to organise my space so its now clutter free!!! I wonder how long it stays like this?

Before:

After:

Birdcage Designs

I have found a new hobby over the holidays.......making trinket boxes and accessories. I discovered this hobby after i started to decorate my bedroom at my mams with wall stickers of birds in cages. I already have an obsession with owls so now its birds aswell. I have been looking out for jewellery etc with them on so far i have 2 owl necklaces and 2 pairs of owl earrings and a pair of humming bird earrings. Anyways back to the point, i went to hobbycraft and bought loads of plain trinkets and bags, some acrylic paint, brushes and gloss. I then came home and sat at my desk creating designs from off the top of my head, decorating the boxes using paints, ribbons and embellishments. I am hoping to one day sell these and maybe extend to cushions and home accessories. I have found the perfect start to becoming an interior designer!

My designs:
The black and white trinket was my first design, followd by the heart shaped trinket and matching magnet, the oval trinket is inspired by the colours of my bedroom.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my new hobby and i will be posting more pics soon.

Bye for now!