As I have mentioned throughout my blog posts, my strengths lye in the making process of my practice. The Blue Sky Thinking college involves constantly thinking, something that I usually do through materials/ sewing, not literally.... Well obviously I think, but the art of serendipity and experimentation is a huge role in our Textiles practice.
I have been having a difficult time engaging with unit x, I don't know whether it is because I have chosen, not the 'wrong' college, but instead a college that is not suited to my style of working. I knew that this unit was going to be a challenge, that was made clear when discussing changing over groups, I guess I hadn't anticipated HOW difficult.. Working in larger groups has also proved to be a challenge; getting your voice heard and ideas across in a large group with large personalities can literally turn into 'who can shout the loudest', therefore instead of being my usual, upbeat confident self, I seem to have lost my voice.
Not 'making' has also been a big problem up until now. Using all of my energy to meet up at least once daily with the group has left me feeling deflated most evenings, meaning instead of getting on with my usual making, I have just wanted to turn off all technology and relax. Being away from the studio, and instead in Federation House, means being away from the embroidery rooms, so finding time to get materials and sit and sew in between meetings has felt challenging to fit in.
Anyway, I managed to get myself all worked up and felt completely lost with both Unit X, and my practice in general. I know there's no point in getting upset, because that's when I hit this whirlwind of negative thoughts, which isn't going o help anything. Voicing my concerns instead of keeping them bottled inside proved the best thing to do. I was very touched by everybody's' concerns for myself, and managed to get in contact with the tutors and set up a meeting.
Speaking to Mark and Kate really gave me the boost that I needed to get myself back on track. Speaking to Mark further about his and Fiona's trip to Milan Design Festival, it was refreshing to hear that for the time the design festival seemed to focus more on textiles based practice than it has in previous years. We spoke about bringing my embroidery practice into the design process, keeping to the concepts that had been discussed as a group. Why I hadn't done this from the start? I don't know. I had all of the research, just not the confidence to do so. I need to remember to do what I love, not what is seen as right to everybody else.
Later in the week I was able to catch up with Fiona. Being my personal tutor for the past year, I felt much more settled when talking about my practice and how I'd be able to incorporate my skills into the project. We have always said that my work is most suited as fabric prints for fashion, therefore it is a possibility to use my photographs as a base fabric, and work into them. Also looking at materials and colours is something that we have spoken about greatly over the past year, so doing something with these could be interesting.
Although still feeling unsure about the project, I feel much calmer work-wise and feel as though I have had the confidence boost that I needed to get on with some physical work .