My continuing creative journey Part 2

Following on from the previous post - my creative journey continued and I then found myself teaching on BTEC Level 3,  FdA & BA Animation courses and thought I should top up my HND to a degree in order to update my skills and I was expected to be at a higher level than I was teaching, so I enquired at Hertfordshire University and they persuaded me to jump straight to an MA because of already having a teaching qualification - this was very scary and I had to do this part time as I was teaching full time.... which was tough going, but I achieved an MA in 2D Digital Animation, helped by an amazing tutor (Alan Peacock) and also Ivan Phillips at Herts. What really surprised me was that I found a real love for the research and essay writing during my time studying for my MA. I stumbled across some really inspiring stuff and thoroughly enjoyed reading papers and books on the subject of animation and digital media. I adore reading anything by Lev Manovich, he is so inspirational.

Back sheet of my final project for my MA

A few years later, I find myself totally overloaded by my job and craving for some creativity for ME! I feel starved at times. The good thing about studying for the MA was that it kept my creative glow burning. I have been doing some sketching during the summer break, but my mind is partly distracted by the fact that I should now be planning for the new academic year.

My eye was caught while out shopping last week when I saw some wonderful prints by Kelly Rae Roberts. I recognised the style because I had purchased her book last year, when I was trying to do an e course with Traci Bautista while working and really fell in love with the mixed media art style. (A link to Kelly Rae's book is below). I have previously attended scrapbooking workshops and created some visual journals and this was really captivating me, but I still have not been able to sit myself down and create something. I went straight home from seeing the wonderful prints in the shop, and looked up Kelly Rae to find her blog and loved her story. I could relate to the beginning of her new journey, before she went part time from her job and began creating art. I purchased part one of her e book series and I really do have a dream, but I cannot verbalise it yet until I have it sorted in my head.....

My creative journey part 1

My creative journey has meandered into varying paths along the way and I started out loving art, always drawing when I was young. My art teacher wanted me to be an art teacher.... I would have loved that, but Mum said NO. At the time there were a lot of teacher strikes and she did not think that it was a worthwhile job. Although my Mum has now found her own creative path in sewing and creating beautiful cushions, bunting, handmade bags etc., she did not understand my creativity when I was younger. I wanted to do an Arts degree, but the answer again was no, simply because she never saw any credibility in extra education and did not see any future in anything creative. I did find a job doing 'window dressing' which apparently is now called 'visual merchandising', which was quite creative, but then was persuaded to work in an admin role (where Mum worked), when I wanted to get a mortgage - becuase this was the more stable environment. I lasted 4 years working my way up within an office environment to be an administrative assistant and met some great people, but it wasn't really for me.

When my son was young, I took the opportunity to go back to College and did a Foundation course and I loved it! When he was not at School, I was able to take him along with me, which was great. I did ceramics, photography, graphic design, life drawing, still life - a whole range of creative topics and I enjoyed everyone of them - it was a perfect course and it made me feel so vibrant and happy and was one of the best things I ever did. From there I did an A Level art course, but could not finish it due to complications at home. I went through a tough break up, which was pretty tumultuous, but through thick and thin, I was determined to stay on the creative path (it really was my saviour). I then took a graphics course and I loved typography and motion graphics and fell in love with a programme called Director, where I could create art with  motion. I then found another course doing Multimedia and I found myself helping a lot of the students with the software and when I completed the course I was asked by the tutor if I would come in and help out with classes. I then went part time and then gradually full time - it worked out very well with my sons education as I was there for him by working part time and by the time he was older, I started working full time. The mystery to me is how I went from art to digital - when I started the graphics course I did not know my way around a computer and here I was teaching web design, motion graphics and animation! I had evolved into a digital creative.

Creating outstanding layout effects in InDesign CC and Photoshop CC

Tim Reckart's Head over Heels

Tim Reckart's Oscar nominated short is a National Film & Television School film, which he wrote and directed. It tells the story of how “a husband and wife have grown apart over the years. He lives on the floor, she lives on the ceiling, and their marriage hangs in the balance.”

Harnessing the power of social networking

Harnessing the power of social for your business by SocialGo:

Using Social to Grow and Engage your Customers from SocialGO

I have a SocialGo Animation Network for the students on the animation courses that I teach on:  animationetwork.socialgo.com I have found it straigthforward to set up and use. 

Animate Projects presents: 2012 (associated with Lupus Films and Channel 4)

I was sent a link to Animate Projects, from Twitter as a suggestion to follow them. I took a look at them and decided that this would be a pretty good idea. They incorporate an online exhibition space for animation within their website and you can explore the 'Animate Collection', which features artists' animation, interviews and writing. It is the only arts charity in the UK dedicated to championing experiments in animation.

'Animate has consistently facilitated cutting edge animation in the UK, making the UK an international focal point for animated filmmaking,' David Shrigley, artist.

One of the projects that Animate Projects are presenting on their site, are five new commissions in association with Lupus Films, for Channel 4’s Random Acts - the project title is 2012.

The five films were broadcast on Channel 4 and had their online premiere on randomacts.channel4.com in April 2012. The films will be viewable on animateprojects.org from May 2012. Below is an example of one of the films, titled: Ylem.

Ylem from Lupus Films on Vimeo.

Late night Club - Indie animators

I have just viewed this trailer (from the collective of Indie animators calling themselves the 'Late Night Club') on the 'It's Nice That' site. This is their mission statement from the Late Night Club site:

Late Night Work Club is a loose, rotating collective of indie animators.

That is, animators who do independent, non-commercial work. It’s an excuse to bring a whole bunch of us together and make something great, and also to promote the work of the artists involved. Some of the best, most personal, experimental and vital animation going right now is happening on the internet. It’s being made late at night when other people have gone to sleep and on weekends when everyone else is out. It’s being made by students, freelancers, full-timers and folks with unrelated day jobs. It means something to us. It’s our scene.

Here is a link to their website, it is well worth a look!: www.latenightworkclub.com/