Interim Crit

These slides show some of the work I displayed at the interim crit along with my sketchbook work which was presented in physical form. I was nervously about this crit as I didn't feel too confident about the amount of work I had produced outside of my sketchbook so far. Due to my umming and aaah'ing about the direction of my project it has been difficult for me to know exactly what to make which has meant I've been stuck in my sketchbook for a while. This also made me a bit worried as to whether or not people would be able to understand exactly what my project is about. 

Overall the crit was really useful, I got some good feedback which has given me the confidence booster I need and I feel more confident about the direction of my work. It's always useful to look through everybody else's work as well as you realise that everyone works at their own pace which can be very reassuring. 

• The suggestion to find something such as a live brief, or even make up my own brief, is a great idea. I've come to realise that my work is best when I have something actual to respond to. Having a constraint to work within challenges my process and helps me to come up with my best ideas. I will definitely be taking this advice on board. 
• To simply play more in my making, especially considering it's still (kind of) early days. I did well with this in the beginnings of my sketchbook but got disillusioned when the contextual side of my brief started to feel quite daunting. Now that I have a more specific area of investigation I will aim to allow myself time to play and experiment with imagery which can later on be contextualised. 
• In response to my question about how to depict the cosmic disco scene, the overwhelming consensus seems to be that I focus on a smaller detail such as an artist, a club or a song and then use that to develop my ideas further. This will prevent me from losing my train of thought and if I decide I want to broaden my focus at a later stage then so be it.
• In terms of the outcomes I could create for the exhibition, posters and a publication where two that I had already hoped to create and have been working towards. Someone also mentioned the idea of possibly creating some gig merch or similar style outcomes. I think that this would work really nicely, potentially screen printing on to clothing would look cool. Another suggestion was promotion flyers, creating these would allow me to challenge my graphic design skills. Only problem is lack of information; apart from the interview with Danielle Baldelli I have found there doesn't seem to be much else online and I have not been able to get in contact with anyone to find out any details on events or experiences. 
• When asking about my use of abstraction and shape play in this project one of the responses was to ensure that I apply these components alongside text. This then allows me to include playful, subjective imagery that doesn't explicitly communicate the narrative and then through text I can draw all of the information together. 

Now time to get the ball properly rolling! I feel motivated and rearing to go again now. My aim for the next week is to get into the print room, just start making stuff and playing around. I need to stop listening to that little voice in my ear telling me that my ideas don't relate to my project! Go, go goooo...