Project Impact

I thought it would be a good idea to reflect on this module and how it has influenced my practice and also how it has affected my view of illustration as a whole. 

I spent the first half this module totally confused about what I was going to make at the end of it. I understood the theories I was looking at and how this related to illustration but I just couldn't put pen to paper. I needed to research more and more before I reached a point where I knew what I was doing with my practical work. This rut helped me realise the value of research. I was so frustrated with myself that I couldn't just start making work but I knew it would be meaningless until I had reached a point where I fully understood what I was doing. I am keen to have a few research driven projects as part of the extended practice module because it keeps me on my toes and makes me think about my work in a different way. I feel that it improves the value of my work and I feel so much more comfortable presenting it as mine when I know I have the knowledge to back up all the decisions I have made. I can see how the research process has really driven my work for the whole of this module. 

The topic of social responsibility has made me think a lot about my future practice. I always thought to myself that whatever work I do professionally I want it to be for the right reasons, I want it to be authentic and true to my own morals. Whereas now, the idea of a moral practice is a bit of an alien concept in my mind. This project has made me realise that there isn't this fantasy job where everything you produce makes the world a little bit better and everyone is always happy and nobody is ever trodden down. It's just not true, it's just the way the world works. I don't mean for this to sound harsh but it has made me open my eyes to the industry I am entering and made me screw on a professionally focussed head. Yes, positive things can be done with creativity but at the end of the day I will need to make a living and I will have to do things I maybe don't want to do. I just hope I can also do things I am really passionate about as well. I will also be careful to give consideration about who I want to work for and who I allow to use my work. There are some companies who, at this point in time, I tell myself I will never work with, but it would be interesting to see whether I stick by these morals in five years time. 

This project has opened my eyes to the deception of advertising and I now find myself being more aware of the techniques used to target me everyday. Obviously I am still influenced by adverts, most likely more than I even realise but I feel hope that I am now slightly harder to entice than I was before.