A little bit of everything on my plate please!

I think I've now realised that my uni life goes round in one huge circle whenever I start a new project. It goes from "okay this sounds exciting", to "I can't do this, I'm not good enough", to "stop being such an idiot and get on with it". So now I've decide to ignore the middle part and just focus on the "getting on with it" part.
I handed in my creative design practices project before reading week, but I didn't enjoy it as much as some of the other projects. I liked the researching and the trend boards but I don't really enjoy having restriction on what I can design. I know this is a realistic project and I'll have to design for the high street and places I don't really want to design for, but I'd just prefer to do what I want! Ha-that’s never going to happen! It taught me a lot though about how things are put together and just how much goes into thinking about designing for a certain shop and market. And that’s what uni is all about-learning, so it’s good to know that all that money is paying off!
During this reading week I would love to say I'd been getting up after lunch, going to bed in the early hours, and spending all my money on going out-but I'd be telling a lie. I've been spending this reading week doing my jewellery elective and I can tell you now on Monday morning I wish I'd never agree to do it! I spent the whole day regretting picking what I re-named "metal work" but by the end of the week I started to actually quite like it. I think it’s just because I'm impatience and all that sawing, sanding and burning stuff started to feel like a work out for a gym membership I'd never agreed to! By the end it felt really good to have made a piece of jewellery that I'd personally wear! I walked into the elective thinking I would be able to create a piece that I'd buy in a shop, in the space of a week-bloody stupid of me! But I was happy with the result and that’s all that matters I suppose....oh and that I now have arms like the Hulk!!!
As for the newest project - fashion, art and culture - I'm really liking it but I need to do a lot more work, I'm not using Jewellery as an excuse for my lack of work....well actually I am. I would have done a lot more if I didn't have to go to uni-but c'est la vie! I've decided to do my piece on social differences and what happens before closed door. Many people feel that society has changed a lot since the early 1900's and yeah it has, technology has developed and so this has affected everything else, but one thing that hasn't changed is how the public are still so shocked my things that are happening around the world. If a designer, artist or photographer decided to do a piece on child abuse some people are so disgusted by it that they will completely ignore the work and dismiss the fact that the matter this designer is trying to get across DOES affect our society everyday, and just because you may not see it doesn't mean its not happening. Another idea I have is that even since the early 1900's woman have always has less power and never really been equal to men. Some may disagree but when you think about it, if a woman has to power dress to feel equal to the men she is working with then they still have control over her! Just like the corset controlled and binded woman of they freedom-you could say this is still happening today and we will ever be equal? I haven't quite decided which idea I'm going with yet but both I feel quite strongly about.
Well I think that is pretty much all that’s going on in my uni life at the moment apart from Crit and to be honest I don't want to go into that - I may be arrested for neglect!!
Oh and I'm trying to get some work experience in the industry over the summer period-how exciting!

Here are some of my research pages for my latest project and my final line up...its not quite finished yet tho-still needs some CAD magic!




I've already chosen and bought all the fabrics I need to finish the line-up, I just need to add the hair, and shoes to the models. Then bind it all together....

Practical

Here are some images of the work and experimentation I've been doing on the stand. For some of my design development ideas I've been thinking of using draw string and pleates and so wanted to put this into practice to see if it would work.

A turn around

So I've finally realised that things aren't as bad as I had though. I've managed to get my research sorted and start designing for this project...at last. I think I just always have odd little moments where I think I can't deal with it, but I can!
I had a tutorial with Angie today and found it really useful, it helped me to see that what I was doing for my design process wasn't designing but drawing, and now I realise what I need to do for it.
So i've began actually designing, this means thinking about fabrics, darts the general piecing together of a garment. I will add some of my designs later once I've scanned them in...but for now I'm going to carry on with the designs. I'm feeling a lot more postitive about this project than before but I still son't feel its my best, maybe this will change....

Stuck in a rut!

Today was....just a pure headache for me. I mean it literally was I've had a constant headache since being back at uni- its horrible! I don't really know why though.
Anyway, so tried to get on with research sheets but it all started looking very Graphics like...which would be fine...if I did Graphics! So when I got back home I tried to change the layout and get in the "zone" but no luck, I dunno whats wrong woth me! I have now decided maybe its because I'm lacking enough research for me to work with, so thats the next thing I need to do...gather gather gather research. Its even more annoying because my flat mates seem to have done so much already and I'm just stuck in a RUT!
Between the headaches, stress and lack of work I've also being viewing houses - more nightmares..it takes so much time and we have viewings for the rest of the week! I'm excited but I just wanna get it sorted now and I need time to work on my uni stuff, but all this house hunting is taking over my life!!
I think I need to write another list...maybe that will help.Argh and we only have a week to get all this work I cant even start done - brilliant!
Just take deep breathes,stay calm and try not to cry....its only my future career we're talking about!!!
It will be fine I just need to start concentrating - really hard.

Back to work again

Well I’m back at uni after finishing and handing in my River Island project. Over the Christmas period I managed to motivate myself enough to get on with my trend boards which I am quite pleased with, and generally just relieved I’ve got them done…Photoshop isn’t really my favourite thing! I have also made a start on my shop report – after re-doing them for the second time (Photoshop had crashed on me making me lose all my work)!

And today, my first early start for a month, I found myself snapping away at windows trying to capture their view. This is all in aid of my most recent project researching into “Container Culture. I look at the view being contained in the window. All this research has to be complete in a week…yes a week! I better getting working really.
Oh and I’m job hunting again as my contract with New Look came to an end…so I’m going to apply to the higher end of the market…wish me luck!

Pure Brilliance

I got my grade back, it only went up by 1% but it’s better than nothing and I’m still really pleased with it! I also handed in my other project today, so that’s a big weight off my shoulders. Two projects already completed…its nuts!
So now I can concentrate on my trend boards/shop report over Christmas, oh and not forgetting the graduate fashion week project!
I went on a bit of a mission around Leeds city centre in search of any brochures or leaflets high end shops had to help me with my project, and I have to say I was surprised at how nice and helpful the shop assistants were! The guy in Flannels even told us to have a “good look around” and then came chasing after us as we were leaving to give us another booklet and gave us a lovely, “Good Luck” as we departed the store. I think I fell in love with him at that moment! So all in all I managed to get information on Vivienne Westwood, Harvey Nichols, Nicole Farhi and of course Flannels. I’ve really started to notice the difference between high end stores compared to normal high street stores, the lay out, the lighting, the staff etc. It’s all so different.
Oh and I’ve made a start on my accessory for River Island, I’ve decided to create a neck piece out of marbles and my scarves…its still a working progress but its coming along nicely.
Although it was our last official day today I’m going to pop into college on Monday so I can get some more information on my trends before I go back home.
I do love it when things run smoothly…and I woke up this morning feeling like it was going to be a terrible day-stressed, rushed and just generally annoyed, but after my successful mission I feel quite the opposite!*sighs*