When I began this year, my intentions were to continue with my regular method of printmaking and painting in physical mediums, with my themes still centring around the female form. Although the themes have stayed the same, this year has pushed me further than I ever thought I could, with much of my work being created through digital mediums. I’ve never considered myself particularly proficient online, or with digital work. Yet, through trial and error, I’ve developed several skills and attributes I didn’t have at the start of the year. This year has been extremely stressful, but I’m so glad I pushed further on and continued this journey. 

 

In the studio practise module, I’ve cultivated a method of working creating digital paintings via a graphics tablet and Photoshop. This was something I wasn’t confident with at the start, although I did like using them, I lacked confidence and skill set. Additionally, in negotiated studio practise, I created a whole body of work through algorithms, allowing the coding I input into the system to create my pieces which were extremely successful. Not only that, but I’ve also survived a whole year in a global pandemic which almost shut down the whole world. My lectures have also mostly been online, which is a drastic difference compared to our hands-on approach in second year. Overall, I think I’ve adjusted well to this new way of working, and absolutely thrived in taking charge of my own learning. 

 

I’m proud of the skill set I’ve developed, pushing myself to work with systems that would have been completely alien to me a year ago. In my personal practise, I’ve become so much more confident in myself as an artist. I feel comfortable taking risks, because I now know there are no such thing as accidents, and things will develop as they do. In the beginning, I truly lacked confidence in making my own decisions, whereas now I do feel better in taking charge of my own career. I still have days where I struggle, but I’ve come to understand that these wobbles prove I care about my work. It is deeply important to me, and it is proof that I truly care for its outcome, which in turn, makes me a proficient artist. 

 

Although I have developed as an online artist, I do feel that this has been at the expense of my physical work. With much of my body of work being digital, I haven’t had the chance/motivation to create physical pieces. However, now I have come to recognise this, I will try to strike the right balance between online and physical work. Hopefully incorporating the two together. 

 

My future is not set-in stone and there are many variables at play, but I’m looking forward to beginning my journey as a post-graduate student. I have developed a more concise view of my abilities and passions. I’ve pursued professional relationships as well as making friendships for life and I’ve come to realise the importance of field experience. I will be looking to gain work experience to further push my ideas, and hopefully get an idea for which career path I wish to pursue. Finally, I’m excited for the future. These past four years have been exhausting, stressful, exhilarating, exciting and challenging at the same time, and I know that this degree was the best decision I have made for myself as an artist, but also for myself.