Evaluation

I have learnt a lot about my own practice in this project that I think has helped me to develop my work: I've tried experimenting in different ways with plenty of new techniques to push my motif making and design style to the next level. Working on such a long project has been a struggle at times as it is very easy to become uninspired when looking at the same imagery all the time, but looking back on all the work I have done it feels amazing to see that my project has come so far and I have managed to include so many things. At times managing time has been quite fluid as we had so many months, but I think I have learnt that it is good to have a structure in place even if that is tweaked and changed throughout the project. The learning agreement has been useful for this as I have been able to adapt it to add in extra collections, and slightly change the theme which has given my work the chance to grow organically. In the beginning I was planning to focus on 'heritage', a loosely picked term, but this project has evolved into looking at all aspects of collecting and in turn become a fully fledged concept. 

One aspect that I think I have really achieved on is my networking and attempts to develop my work outside of uni. I have found doing the monthly projects on Patternmash a great way to break up the project, and has led me to discover that I could work well under the pressure of a job with quick turnaround, such as freelance. Repeatedly working as something has done me well as it was thanks to doing the projects every month that got me spotted for the sites Designer Spotlight, a really positive addition to my CV. I have also reaped the benefits of just pushing through with my work, as I didn't enjoy doing the vegetable prints for the Lacuna Press competition, and yet through persevering I won.

I am really pleased with the state of my three collections, as I worked really hard on the concept which is not something I have ever developed quite as much as this. I like how the three look at different aspects and yet link together: 'Curious Antiquities' covers old antique and unusual objects, 'The Mapie's Hoard' looks at people who obsessively collect one type of thing, and 'Flotsam of Life' reflects on the sort of collections of detritus that gather on their own. I am looking forward to pushing each of these collections further in Unit X and developing new designs to go with the final ones I have already created. I plan to really push the lookbook idea as I think the practice imagery was really successful, and I also want to develop a brand that has a life expectancy outside of uni.