Considering what to display at CMV

 

Last summer I tackled the heavy subject of my own depression and turning them into visual metaphors, creating an editorial-style series of illustrations. This was challenging and therapeutic in equal measures. Am I saying too much or not enough in my illustrations? Which direction do I want them to go and how dark do I want to make them whilst still trying to retain my identity as an illustrator who loves telling stories where not all hope is lost?

Depression is often referred to as being "the deep blue sea," so I kept my colour palette simple with shades of blue, giving a cold atmosphere in the process. Compositionally and thematically I wanted to demonstrate the loneliness and isolation that depression gives the sufferer in metaphorical situations such as an uphill battle / struggle and drowning in too much emotion, along with more suffocating structures to represent feeling like a prisoner in one's own mind and feeling alone and defeated in a crowded space; the walls slowly closing in and people walking all over you forgetting that you exist. I added textures, rather than retaining solid colour and shape, to demonstrate the complexity and many layers to mental illness. It isn't just black and white and there is more underneath the surface of a person and their situation.

Contemporary editorial illustrators I used as inspiration for this project included Nick Rhodes (Switchopen) and Dadu Shin. Switchpen's White Lies concert poster has successful use of minimal colour palette of blue, black and white, cleverly moving the eye across the composition with colour contrasts to highlight focal components. Dadu Shin has a distinct minimalist approach to filling a canvas space where things still feel balanced despite the open space.

Reflecting on my work I consider it a personal achievement and accomplishment. A lot of thought and care went into making it with a genuine authenticity. 

I want to use these illustrations as a starting point and as a basis of contextual research for my One and Only picture book dealing with similar subject matter of a lonely bird of paradise who also suffers from isolation and exclusion. My own personal experiences can resonate very powerfully when illustrating the narrative and this is why the text is rather important to me. No one should feel alone when we are so surrounded by so many people but there are a variety of things that still cut us off in society.

I am also considering displaying this at the Colours May Vary exhibition on March 10th - either arranging these as a mini zine or as a print. This will be the most personal work I have ever displayed but I want to start opening up a conversation about mental illness with my work.

LAUIL502: Studio Brief 1 - Study Task 3 (Brand New You and CMV Report)

Personal SWOT Analysis

STRENGTHS
• Individuality by standing out from my peers as a severely sight impaired illustrator and creating work from an individual perspective.
• Great people skills built through voluntary work through sight loss charities, being a Student Rep, Student Ambassador and Student Governor in previous years.
• Clear communication built through voluntary work through sight loss charities, being a Student Rep, Student Ambassador and Student Governor in previous years.
• Very friendly and approachable as a mature student.
• Have excellent presentation skills over years of practice.
• Maximise my time and efforts with projects to ensure they reach their full potential.
• Great leadership skills as evidenced daily with owning a Guide Dog, being a previous Student Ambassador and Student Governor.
• Responsibility evidenced through owning and caring for a Guide Dog.
• Ability to problem solve effectively evidenced through the daily barriers I face.
• Perseverance and resilience as evidenced through still trying for a degree despite a lot of hardships and life difficulties.
• Excellent adaptability evidenced through life's hardships and being on an extremely sighted course with diminished vision. 

WEAKNESSES
• A lack of self-confidence through a series of very tough personal circumstances, health problems and, in turn, knocked mental health.
• Difficulties with time management through lack of self confidence, bad thoughts and bad mental health.
• Difficulties with collaboration; I don't like letting go of authorship and ownership.
• I struggle with motivating myself and have to set certain things in place to be productive so I don't fall into "old" ways.
• I struggle with prioritising tasks and often spend time on the things that aren't important.
• I struggle to manage stress until it consumes me.

OPPORTUNITIES
• A unique, disabled voice standing out from the crowd of sighted peers may lead to unexpected and exciting jobs and to be spotlighted and celebrated for overcoming physical obstacles
• Collaboration with other disabled illustrators 
• An opportunity to create unique work for sight loss and disability organisations and charities such as Guide Dogs, RNIB, Henshaws who may choose to pick my portfolio above a sighted illustrator
• An opportunity to collaborate with mental health organisations because of my deep understanding and experiences

• Opportunities for workshops and discussions about being a blind artist

• Opportunities to connect with artists in both Leeds and Manchester as I now live in both

THREATS
• My peers
• Fellow illustration graduates across the UK
• Fellow illustration graduates in the world
• Fellow creatives in the UK
• Fellow creatives in the world
• My disability creating barriers to opportunities

• My mental health creating barriers to opportunities
• Not having enough money
• Not having a studio space

• Not yet having an online presence with a website or illustration instagram
• Being perceived or stereotyped a certain way by people without even viewing my portfolio

Colours May Vary SWOT Analysis

STRENGTHS
• Local independent business in Leeds
• Locally source their products
• The first shop in Leeds to focus on design publications
• Leeds is growing in popularity and focus because of Channel 4 moving providing media opportunities
• Event space for exhibitions, events and workshops available to hire
• Friendly and approachable staff presence both online and offline

• Relationship building

• Connecting dots between clients and artists

• Strong organisation

• Making exhibitions happen

• A store dog definitely gets people in the door

WEAKNESSES
• Could be better at marketing
• People view the staff as shop assistants when thy are genuinely interested in illustration and building connects
• Students often come in but don't make themselves known or have much online visibility
• Only stock what they personally would buy which limits potential for sales

• Perhaps lost some customers in people who don't like having a shop dog around

OPPORTUNITIES
• Locally source their products.
• Opportunities to use the event space and to exhibit available through the website
• Open to work with fellow independents in the city
• Leeds is growing in popularity and focus because of Channel 4 moving
• Self-publishing

• Own branded products

• Opportunities to work with Leeds Arts Uni students

• To work with local business in Leeds - Jumbo, food and drink people, Design Industry Society, Modernist Society, Civic Society

• Able to join the dots between clients and artists and build networks

THREATS
• Galleries growing in Manchester and Sheffield
• Travelling Man
• Online sales surpass in-store sales
• Brexit has impacted customers confidence

• Coronavirus may impact, will CMV close?

• The retail scene is struggling a bit

LAUIL502: Notes From Session 3

• Who are you? How much do you charge?

• How are you going to communicate with you client? Through website, shop, email. Consider all of this.

• Have a clear passion for the work you make. You'll be stuck making he same portfolio for years to come otherwise!

• Marketing Mix - 4 key elements - Promotion, Product, Place Price - Should always be there in the background. 

• Helps you understand the needs you product meets. Markets the message underpinning your product.

• Analysis allows you to understand your collaborators, competitors, future clients and audience. Advertise to that audience in consequence.
• Marketing is not a static process!
• Study Task 3 market research
- Primary Research: First-hand research. Gathering new data. Taking portfolio to clients. Focussed questionnaires.
- Secondary Research: Existing research. Already verified. Reports, internet, newspapers.
• What is data? Quantitative through academic writing, surveys, verified. Qualitative. Opinions.
• SWOT analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Theories.
• Look at yourself but also where your competition lies.
• Challenge a business or join it!
• USP - Unique Selling Point. Stand Out from the Crowd.
• Who is the target market? What do I offer differently to the world?
• Define your target market. Narrow down what you offer. Networking offline as well as online.
• Join the Dots - targets the creative industry specifically. They put projects up online to reach the correct market.
• The internet is a gift. Maintain contact and be constantly talking to people.
• People are looking for very individual, innovative and exciting portfolios.
• Networking online is good. Networking offline, in person, is extremely powerful.
• Get over the fear of e-mailing! (side-note: this is something I need to take heed of...)
• Agents want to see you in the industry for a few years before committing money to you.
• MailChimp can be used to develop online networks and communities. Blogging as an email form. (My own personal note - I worked in a charity office, Henshaws Society for Blind People, that used MailChimp, so have some experience of using it and it being used as a communication tool to a large number of people).
• If you can get referrals and recommendations from clients and collaborators that is an extremely powerful tool.

LAUIL502: Contact List and Rationale

Contact List

AGENCIES

1) Handsome Frank

https://www.handsomefrank.com

• Handsome Frank represents a wide range of artists and some of my favourite illustrators including Helen Musselwhite, Paul Thurlby, Lesley Barnes and Anna Kovesces. It would be extremely beneficial for me to reach out and make contact early on in my professional practice to find out how to be represented by an agent, whether every illustrator needs an agent, how they select an illustrator to work with, what they look for in a portfolio, how they can help benefit an illustrator, and so on. 

2) Dutch Uncle
https://www.dutchuncle.co.uk
• Dutch Uncle is agency with a diverse range of illustrators and animators representing some of my favourites including Pin Zhu, Aesthetic Apparatus and Shout. It would be advantageous to network early on in my practice to find out how to be represented by an agent, how they select their illustrators, what they look for in a portfolio, how they can help an illustrator in the practice, etc.

3) nbillustration
https://www.nbillustration.co.uk
• nbilliustration represents very well known illustrators including Mark Conlan, Gemma Correll and ZapArt. It would be useful to network with such a strong agency to find out how to be represented by an agent, how they select their illustrators, what they look for in a portfolio, how they can help benefit an illustrator, etc.

ILLUSTRATORS

4) Sam Dunn
http://sam-dunn.com
• I know Sam Dunn through instagram, where we both follow each other and have a connection already through our favourite band and me frequently engaging with her work, for almost 2 years through the work she has created for the bands Ghost and HIM. She works mostly with the lino process and digital to achieve her thick black decorative lines and two tone colour palettes though carries this aesthetic over through other processes and productions using markers. She has designed and sold various shirts, hoodies, prints and CD cover designs through the Global Merch Group as well as independently and it would be fascinating to find out more about being contracted by well known metal bands and what it's like to work for them alongside balancing freelance work.

5) Louise Lockhart
https://louiselockhart.co.uk
• Louise visited LAU as a visiting practitioner back in 2017 at the beginning of my degree and I've been fascinated with her practice and way of making pictures since. It has even informed my way of working, mixing collage and cut shapes, balancing vintage and contemporary aesthetics for an evocative tone of voice. I would like to find out what she has been up to since in the past few years, how her practice has evolved, how she finds job opportunities, how she manages her time being a parent and an illustrator (as I struggle with time management) and have her as one of my strengthened contacts as an emerging practitioner.

6) Helen Dardik
https://www.helendardik.com
• I have admired Helen Dardik's work for quite some time for her use of bright and loud colours, curved and loose shapes imbuing a sense of nostalgia and fun. I would love to network with her, creating a contact with a hero, to talk about her practice, her way of working and creating images, how she approaches composition and character design, how she approaches job opportunities, whether she is represented by an agent or works freelance, how she manages her time between being a parent and an illustrator, and so on.

7) Luke Preece
https://www.lukepreece.com
• Luke has produced work for Metallica's Hardwired Tour shirts, Ghost, Ozzy Osbourne and Slipknot posters through "Metal Hammer" magazine and artwork for Gears 5 and District 9. He is very digital based using two or three tone palettes and intricate cross hatching on a tablet with a very stylised, horror aesthetic. I've followed Luke on instagram for almost a year commenting on a number of his posts, so it wouldn't be too difficult to touch base and arrange something via email. This will allow me to strengthen a contact, find out more about his practice that spans multiple forms (illustrating vinyl soundtracks, film posters, games artwork and products such as beverage cans), find out how he has built up such a strong list of clients and how he maintains a strong work ethic despite being a parent.

PUBLISHERS

8) Penguin Publishing
https://www.penguin.co.uk
• Penguin are the pinnacle of a classic publishing house and it would be a fantastic opportunity to network with them, find out more about the company, their opportunities for illustrators and, especially, graduating illustrators, what they look for in a portfolio, advice for a graduate, and so on.

9) Walker Books
http://www.walker.co.uk
• Walker Books have a very strong portfolio of picture books including The Gruffalo, Where's Wally?, the Maisy series, Guess How Much I love You, I Want My Hat Back, and Owl Babies. I did some personal research into the publisher at the time and chose them to have my "gentleman's agreement" with in December 2017 for a picture book of mine about Pearly Kings and Queens from a Level 4 module in my first year of university. Unfortunately life events got in the way - my dad left home at the beginning of 2018, my mum had a severe stroke and lost her mobility, her independence, her confidence and some of her speech which marked the start of my bad mental health and both of my retinas detached shortly after, ending 2018 as a terrible year. I didn't get in touch with Walker while any of this was going in my life, though they were aware of what happened to my mum, all very difficult situations that still impact me very negatively today as I don't have a strong support system anymore and still struggle with my mental health and PTSD. I wouldn't even know where to start but this study task can get me back on the right path with opening up contact with them again, interviewing them and hopefully getting my foot back in the door - reassuring myself that not all hope is lost with this opportunity - something that has been at the back of my mind for some time. Real life happens, sometimes extremely serious and heartbreaking situations. and hopefully they will understand. It is still very much my dream to publish my book with them. Opening up communication with them for this study task can allow me to find out how they select a client to work with, what the process of creating a children's picture book is,

10) NoBrow Press
https://nobrow.net
• Nobrow Press are an independent publisher of two friends and ex-St. Martin's alumni. They have published the works of Lisk Feng, Adam Allsuch Boardman, Luke Pearson, Matthew the Horse, David Doran, Keith Negley selling picture books, stationary, sketchbooks, cushions, tote bags, wrap and figurines. They seem like a fantastic team producing some really beautiful products and it would be an ideal contact to make at this stage early on in my career. I would love to find out more about their history, what's it's been like to work as an independent publisher slowly expanding their business over the past 12 years, what they look for in a portfolio, what excites them in illustration, etc.

Going beyond the study task and thinking of other local potential contacts to consider: Temple Coffee and Donuts (who use illustrated artworks on their products sold in store through Red Temple Player), Colours May Vary, Nation of Shopkeepers, Buttercrumble (creative communications studio in Leeds helping with graphic design and illustration), Bundobust, The Great Yorkshire Shop, The Little Leeds Beer House, The Lamb and Flag - Leeds Brewery, Blackbird Vintage, The Key Club.

Contextual Research - Henri Rousseau

Rousseau by Taschen

• For LAUIL504 and going back to the research session, instead of just composing research through the internet - I want to start using the facilities of the library more and using the breadth and expanse of our art books.
• Roussaeu was seen as an "amusing innocent" in the French art scene, "disregarding all the refinement of French painting and all the achievements of optical illusion." He paid no attention to the history of art nor showed an interest in experimentation, focusing only on the canvas itself.
• His peers were Van Gogh. Matisse, Gauguin, Signac for 25 years and he was seen as the odd one out. His art was seen as a joke and hung in bizarre places.
• Only when he died was his work appreciated and he was seen as a "gentle Douanier" and an eccentric.
• Drew chalk and pencil drawings in his spare "leisure" time along France observing wine, grain milk, salt, and spirits eig transported into the city gates. Simple, visible reality.
• 26 versions of his famous jungle theme were painted from 1904 - 1910. each progressing n composition and imagination.
fifty shades of green, many forms of eucalyptus, banana, sugar cane, fern, palm, cactus.
Characteristic collage style
• Multiplicity of viewpoints
• painted form photographs and traditional models
• His purpose was to show things as they were commonly perceived. informative, self taught artist.
• He hadn't picked up a paint brush until he was in his forties and hd a er naive way of painting  - a very simple and unassuming tone of voice

• hidden animals, many layers of plants to portray nature's bounty, a sun, bit of sky, mostly foliage to show how luscious the jungle is. • Oils on canvas showing texture, earthy tones but bright colours of a loud sun, flashes of animals attacking each other, splashes of fruit and flowers.

Book 2: Henri Rousseau - Jungles in Paris

LAUIL502: Notes From Session 2

• Shorter contracts, single jobs. Working with companies for a short time. 

• We are the third largest economy in the world. 

• Who knows if it will stay like this due to Brexit.

• We are a socialist economy, international profile, voted away by the public. We have voted into an independent economy.

• We dominated and influenced the world at one point. 

• England has coloured the way the world works and we still have a footing in the way countries work. 

• Currently, London is one of the largest financial centres of the world. Seems fairly stable at this point in time and is equivalent to that of New York, Hong Kong, etc.
• We no longer need to live in London to be successful as illustrators. The North, especially the "Pennine corridor" of Manchester and Leeds (perfect for me as I live in both!) are now incredibly attractive as media has moved here and it is much cheaper to live.

• We became one of the financiers of the world through Industrial Revolution.

• We have a global financial reach. We may not make things anymore but we finance them. We help others make things.

• Software and games are huge industries. Us, as illustrators, sit within that. Print, animation, advertisement. Creativity is bankable. 

• Are we producing goods or a service? Primarily it is a service.

• Primary Sector: First Sector. Harvesting. taking from the earth. Hunting, gathering, fishing, mining. 

• Secondary Sector: Second Sector. Extracting, manufacturing from raw materials, construction.

• Tertiary Sector: Third Sector. Service industry. Stuff you're making, transportation, media, tourism, banking, service. Not a tangible object. Our sector.

• Fourth Sector. Economy of intellectual activity. Working with government culture. Sharing with other people and monetising from that. 

• Begin to understand which sector you sit within, who you want to work with, who you need to be in contact with and examine it.

• Any economy can be divided into sectors.

• Target your business, sell your work to them, shape your practice because you've done the research.

• IP - Intellectual property.

• Copyright, licence, protecting, charging for your work, getting paid.

• Intangible stuff: the idea.

• Your intellectual value.

• Illustration exists within a big list of practices. We sit between design and fine art.

• We are creatives. We have creative value. We are working for a reason.

• Always keep your receipts; food, stationary, technology and stick it in a box that can be used against your tax.

• Join the Association of Illustrators (AOI) before you leave). Join the day before you graduate to maximise the usage and you will benefit from student discount for a year!

LAUIL502: Careers Fair Important Dates

Visit to Careers Guidance

I visited the Careers Guidance team to have a chat and find out what is available, hot on the heels of Employability Fortnight. I was told ahead of time that Skin for Skunk Anansie will be visiting in early March as well as Imogen Heap with be visiting 28th April through Creative Networks! I used to listen to both so this is quite an incredible opportunity to be able to listen to both talk about their experiences in the music industry. 

IMPORTANT DATES

• Startup Wednesdays 5th February 1pm - 3.15pm until Easter

• 5th February 2020: 1pm -  Costing and Pricing Work

• 19th February 2020: 1pm - Customer and Competitor Research

• 26th February 2020: 1pm - Marketing; How to devise a marketing strategy

• 4th March 2020: 1pm - Costing and Pricing Work

• 11th March 2020: 1pm - How to Market and Sell

• 18th March 2020: 1pm - Marketing; How to devise a marketing strategy

• 25th March 2010: 1pm - Freelancing First Agencies and Organisations

• 25th March 2020: Networking, How to Freelance

• 28th April 2020: Imogen Heap Creative Networks

LAUIL502: Study Task 1 - Employability Weeks Review

During Employability Fortnight at Leeds Arts University, I found the presentation, networking and CV workshops all to be the most beneficial to my bespoke toolkit as an emerging practitioner and professional in the creative industries.

In the first week, the presentation skills workshop taught me a variety of new and exciting skills that I would never have considered before, or even noticed before when listening to others, to make a speech more immediate, impactful, powerful to the audience. While I already have no fear of public speaking and genuinely enjoy connecting with people on a larger scale, "hidden" knacks like involving audience members, using universal language to provide a sense of camaraderie and level footing, bookending to tie things together all had me smiling with anticipation of what I can potentially do with future presentations to make them memorable!

These skills were then transferrable to the networking workshop in week 2, allowing me to get to know a variety of level 5 students across the university on different courses in my cluster - which I thought was a much better way of doing things than last year where we stayed within our own course feeling isolated. I used eye contact, universal language, facts and jokes to get to know people better. The huge speed networking session at the end allowed me to make connections through social media, reaching a slightly bigger audience with my illustrations, and giving me a platform to talk about my practice and personal life experiences as a severely sight impaired illustrator. I even got to now some people better on my own course!

Finally, CVs are essential for anyone choosing to work and admittedly mine was incredibly outdated with everything thrown at it to somehow make it look good. I now know to tailor my CV and make it bespoke to who or what I am applying for, selling myself in the best way possible, with a cover letter. Having the opportunity to have my CV looked at, for free, with feedback was truly invaluable too.

Employability Fortnight was truly instrumental to bettering myself and my mental health at the start of this academic year, giving me a whole set of new skills and a sense of accomplishment. 

LAUIL502: Notes From Session 1

• Passion and purpose. Individual. Your future.

• What is a job? Do you want to get up every morning at 6.3, have a bath, work for someone else while they get the benefits? Or do you want to work for yourself, set your own prices? 

• Be individual, be unique!

• The grades will come, forget the degree. Just do the work.

• Module information: deadline week commencing 20th April 

- Presentation

- PDF format of Presentation

- Blog with Study Tasks

• 21st April onwards are the presentations

• Module aims: business toolkit, CVs, set briefs.

• Workload is light, point is important.

•Presentation is 15 minutes. People have done performance, rhyming couplets, fun things.

• We will be looking at marketing and marketing tools, competitors to analyse own business

• Audience

• Networking skills and communication

• Understanding career opportunities and how you approach them

• Colours May Vary will be visiting to discuss managing the business. We will exhibit work (can be zine, can be print, can be existing work, can be new), produce SWOT analysis. 

• Everything will be contained in one day; morning session at 9:30 and then the session afterwards to do the task. 

LAUIL502: Studio Brief 1 - Class Notes for CMV Visit

 9th March Visiting CMV in two groups 

Scope it out as a customer. Important for SWOT tools

Jon - PP3. Making connections. Make use of Jon's time

Down to you to take ownership of your own future; both portfolio and contacts 

Who you are, who you want to be, who is important right now and who will turn your business right on

Who would be important to you right now. Which online services. Which publications 

Why are you doing it? 

Just because you're a caterpillar doesn't mean you're a butterfly. You can be anything. You don't have to be an illustrator, you can be an agent, curator, educator.

Contact report - who are you going to be talking to and why? 

First port of call is usually email

How do I stand out from the herd? Ways and means, sending a stamp addressed envelope with a portrait on to grab attention 

Hand delivering milk

60-70 percent of emails are spam now. Why would mine be looked at?

Looking to make those connections. Not a class exercise, all about you. This is where it starts. 

A form being handed out to start making commitments. 

Think about the work you like, the audience. Can you bring something there? Can you liven it up?