In The Process Of Things...

   Working in the Victoria Mill in Congleton last week has given me insight into what it is actually like to be a real artist who practices independently and freelance.

   I am going to start by being typically British and moan about the only problem had. I found that there was a lack of equipment which I had access to! For example, most importantly I did not have access to a heat press or a colour printer/photocopier and a photo studio if I required it. It has made me realise the type of equipment I will definitely need in the future when I go it alone. I did not take into consideration how much I rely on University facilities.

   It has made me feel really sensible for the fact that I saved my student loan last year because I am really tempted to buy a heat press after christmas because the amount of work that I can produce quickly will be astounding. I could even set up a little business whilst I am still in education by printing/designing my own T-Shirts and bags etc just to ensure I am some extra pennies to fund my projects. Also the bonus is that I will be continually gaining work based experience and I am sure that I will experiment and teach myself some new techniques in the process. I have been looking around just on ebay at the moment and I have seen heat presses at reasonable prices but they are not big enough. They are only 38cm x 38cm and I really want one to the size of around A2. I think that the best thing I can do is enquire and ask college about which suppliers are the best to use when buying such an expensive piece of equipment. Anyway, awful photograph I know but I suppose this just gives you the jist of what I want and what I don't.



http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PROFESSIONAL-QUALITY-T-SHIRT-HEAT-PRESS-38X38CM-/170554870789?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item27b5dccc05

    The skills that I feel I gained last week were very beneficial. With working in only a small group of 4 I found that I worked more independently and I was confident and vocal about my ideas when I was developing them. I am coming into realisation that at this stage in my career it is all about independent learning and thinking because before I know it I will be working entirely alone. Additionally the focus that I had on the work that I was doing was much higher than I would normally have just because the environment stimulated my creativity a lot more that usual. What I loved about the space was the fact that I could be as messy or as clean as I wanted to be and I could pin up whatever I wanted to pin up. To be honest I have never worked in an environment like that due to space restrictions so I felt like I really wanted to work instead of feeling like I have to because of the amount of work I have to do before the exhibition at the Victoria Mill.

   Anyway I am going to just put some pictures up of what was going on last week and what kind of place I was working in. Rhiannon, Adam, Jack and I all made the place look fab, in fact we even had a cake stand and it was our little home for the week. It was a shame I was only there for a week because even though I did not have the same amount of support from lecturers as usual, it was still good to have a small support network available there.