Hardcore, but almost over!

This first week back has been so hardcore and it’s only Wednesday! Yesterday was our first proper day back (as Monday was hand-in for Fashion, art and culture), and we were all set a task to complete by 3pm. I found it difficult to get started at first but after a while I was alright, I feel I work better under pressure. Some of my research pages for “metamorphosis” are quite poor so I’ve decided just to push the good ideas! But I’m finding this project quite difficult, I’ve done more research on the concepts I’m interesting in, so hopefully this will help me out. I like that we are being pushed to the limits, I feel its more realistic for the fashion industry, and it makes everyone work a lot harder and quicker!

This is some of the work I've been doing for the latest project

Tomorrow we will be meeting our 3rd years!! We will be acting as there assistant helping them with their final collection-I’m quite excited about it all!
I can’t believe how quickly the year has gone! All that’s left id metamorphosis and PPD and then we’re done!

Catch up!

Yes, yes I know I've been neglected the old blog a little....well lets get on it then!
I researched the role of a fashion PR all quite interesting really, it’s a busy job then what job isn't?! The roles of this job include getting samples and outfits ready for studio shoots, magazines, clients etc. Also arranging meetings and may include dealing with the press it’s basically the organization behind a company-well that’s what I like to think anyway! Very office based. Working along side senior Pr, Directors of the company, visual merchandisers, fashion photographers and press. Everyone relies on you to get jobs done promptly...the pressures on! The pay starts at about £14 k, and the hours are normal office hours but obviously you will have to do the occasionally extra like any other job. I’m quite interested in going into PR work-well at the moment anyway that would change, after all I’m only a 1st year! I’ve still had no luck with the work experience and few have been interested and offered interviews but then never got back to me-oh well their lose I’m sure. That hasn’t stopped me though I’m still emailing companies but I’ve changed my covering letter and altered my CV a little incase that’s what is causing the lack of interest. I doubt that’s it though-I’ve contacted about 25 companies; someone is bound to take me up on my offer of FREE LABOUR!! We are experiencing a recession after all!

I decided to use this image (above) for my final, I saw it as the strongest out of my favourites.
One company that did take me up on a day of free labour was Arrogant Cat, I worked a trial day of 9-5:30pm for nothing and didn’t end up getting the job! I’m quite disgusted actually, not only that I didn’t get it but that they didn’t have the courtesy of contacting me to let me know! Unbelievable eh?!
Since then, I have nearly finished my fashion, art and culture and I have to say I’ve really enjoyed it, it’s a shame all the ones I love are only 10 credits!!! I’m just finishing my evaluation and struggling a little with it- but I’ll get there eventually! The photo shoot for my final image went well I changed it a little to my original idea but it worked all the same.

We’ve been given a new project called “metamorphosis”, well we were given it before Easter and have to have 15 sheets for Tuesday….yeah about that-so many distractions at home…but I am on it and I’m sure I’ll be ready for Tuesday! One hopes so anyway. Better get on with it!

PPD1

So we've recently started PPD lessons and in the last session we had to research jobs within the fashion industry. I found it all quite useful as I realise that I had misunderstood some of the roles within the industry and so this session put me straight.
If you were to become a Fashion Photographer your job role would be photographing for magazines, advertisements, catwalk shows etc. The money isn't great and varies depending on who you are working for, how professional you are and whether you are self-employed, which many fashion photographers are. You can't just become an amazing fashion photographer over night either, you have to work as a photographers assistant before becoming an actually photography and then you're only a low end photographer. You have to be really good at what you do to become a professional photographer and if you do it right, it can pay well. Working hours are long and most likely going to take up you're weekends and evenings on the plus side you may be able to travel depending on the type of job you're on but this is strictly a "worked based holiday" no time for sight-seeing. You would be working with a number of people-models, stylists, designers, photo touch up department, photo assistants etc.
I really enjoy photography and I took it at A-level but I wouldn't like to take up a career in it. It seems like too much hard work to me and I doubt I would enjoy it all that much.
I'm still researching jobs in the industry and am quite interested in PR work at the moment. Once I've finished my research I'll up date you on my findings!

With £5.05 in my purse I can take on the world!

The Arrogant Cat interview seemed to go really well, it was so relaxed and we had loads in common-oddly! Anyway, I got asked to do a trial day which I did yesterday 9:30-5:30! I managed to survive-just, but I’m feeling quite doubtful about it because there have been trial days for the past 5 days! I did my trial with 2 others, who were looking for full-time work-thankfully, but they both had so much experience and had both worked for Harvey Nics! I feel like if I don’t get the part-time position I’m looking for it will be because of my lack of luxury work experience. I should know by tomorrow though. There’s nothing I can do now-what’s meant to be will be I suppose. I just really want it because there’s scope for me to transfer to their London store and work in the marketing department-once I’ve finished my degree of course-which would be really good for me….we shall see eh?!
As for getting the grades back-well I was surprised as I got 65% a lot better than I thought I would do….thank god because I was considering ending it all if I carried on getting 57%.
I’ve carried on researching for crit and have a tutorial tomorrow which I think will help me to make a start on my essay.
Fashion, Art and Culture is going well I’ve started to play about on the stand a bit which has got me thinking a little more about my final garment.

I want the garment to show restriction and look uncomfortable, so for the moment I've just looked at pinning it and manipulating the shape.

Overall everything is going well-apart from having £5.05 in my purse life is fine and dandy!

Non-Stop

Okay so I handed my Jewellery Elective stuff in last Thursday-bit of a relief it’s all over to be honest. I did enjoy it though, but I doubt I’ll do it again. That’s another project done, I feel like they’re over so quickly and I don’t really know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing!
Anyway, the results for CDP are out tomorrow. I’m quite nervous about it all, I know I can’t change it now though. My marks seem to be decreasing with each project and it’s a bit of a worry! Oh well-fingers crossed eh?!
Tomorrow is going to be a busy one for me; I have a tutorial in the morning, then an interview and then uni! Yes, you heard right an interview. All my moaning and job applying appears to have paid off finally. I’m really excited because the interview’s for Arrogant Cat and I love their stuff and would really love to work there! I hope I get it-I need the money.
I’ve actually started to research for my crit essay! Bit of a shock. I feel like I’ve left it a bit late but as long as I read and research a bit everyday I’m sure it will be fine-it always is….in the end.
Fashion, Art and Culture is going alright-I’ve been a little bit slack with it lately, but now I’ve got an idea for my final outcome I can get on with it properly. I’ve bought a second hand suit which I’m going to play about with as part of my power dressing idea. Oh and we’ve got an extension for this project but really I want to get it finished before Easter and then I can concentrate on the new project we received today-this fashion malarkey is non-stop!
As for this new project-it’s the interdisciplinary module. It sounds really creative and free which is more my sort of thing. We have to research and explore “metamorphosis” but we can do this using any art form, the research doesn’t have to be strictly fashion based. So ideally I would like to just have this to concentrate on over the summer but we’ll see if I can actually organize my life enough to make it happen.
As for the work experience, it was all going well I got an email from a company called “surgery”, and they wanted me to come to an interview. Brilliant! Not quite because I haven’t heard from her since. A bit of a pain really, it sounded really interesting it was PR work but I thought it would be an excellent experience. I think I’m going to contact her in a few weeks if she hasn’t got back to me.
I think that’s all that’s happening in Dawn Shindler’s life at present…..over and out!

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....