Week 4 – Taking a Step Back to Reflect –
It’s already week 4 and I can’t believe how quickly the time is passing. Currently I am on half term October break from the college where I work. I feel that this is an opportune time to sit back and reflect on everything that has happened so far.
As usual we had a lively zoom meeting led by Jonathan Kearney and we were also joined by Paul his boss. Paul talked about ‘Shared Campus’ which seems to be an interesting concept and one that I’m looking forward to learning more about.
When thinking generally about my work, I often feel as if I’ve not achieved very much. This has been a common thread of mine throughout my career as both an artist and teacher. So staying true to myself this was naturally my view of my work over the last few weeks
However, one thing thing that I’ve often failed to do is reflect. This has often been due to the pressures of work and the rigours of life generally getting in the way. Having a structured approach has always been a barrier to this as well. Luckily during our meeting Jonathan suggested 4 simple questions to reflect upon during our zoom session. I spent some time giving each one some thought.
I can honestly say that this has been very revealing and gave me a much needed lift. After working methodically through the four questions below, I came to realise that actually I hadn’t just achieved nothing. I’d actually come quite a long way in the last few weeks.
Below are the questions we were given and my honest answers to them.
- What have you done so far?
- What have you discovered so far?
- What will you change because of what you have discovered?
- What will you do next?
My answers are as follows:
1. Since beginning the course I have done the following:
- Set up my reflective blog
- Started to post regularly
- worked with 2 long software tutorials
- Explored my work in relation to Ai and documented it
- Kept my Instagram up to date
- Created some live view wallpapers for iPhone
- Uploaded content to my YouTube channel
- Discovered an amazing new artist!
- Joined the MA WhatsApp group
- Watched 2 videos on Action research
- Ordered a CHLADNI kit and sand pendulum, ahead of doing some sound and motion experiments
2. Since beginning the course I have discovered the following:
- I’m better at WordPress than I thought
- I like creating digitally, but I miss my camera
- I’ve found a great new artist who has changed my thinking
- Ai probably won’t take over the art world
3. Because of what I have discovered I will change the following:
- Return to my camera as a primary means of creating
- Step up my software tutorials
- Look deeper into the relationship of art, vibration and sound
- Quickly get my camera serviced as it’s pretty poorly at the moment
- Book out some studio space at work so I can begin shooting
- Continue blogging
4. I plan to do the following next:
- Continue my blog
- Document my new found artist
- Ensure my blog is adequately backed up
- Film an unboxing of my CHLADNI kit
- Film an unboxing of my sand pendulum
- Document my idea links (masses of these)
- Start the mind mapping process and film it’s development
- Start formulating my ideas
- Begin more formal research
- Start experimenting and shooting with my CHLADNI kit and my sand pendulum once the unboxing videos are completed
- Go to London to look at some galleries
- catch up on the Monday and Tuesday lectures
- This week, try to grab some downtime ahead of returning to college
