What are you up to in your creative work at the moment?
At the moment, I am working on my A-levels, so I haven't been able to do as much work in the arts as I would have liked to. However, I am still attending a lot of exhibitions and galleries in my spare time, along with designing and sketching various collection designs. Hopefully I can create another collection very soon which I am incredibly excited for!
I have also been designing and collecting various samples in order to make a wedding dress as my next big project, which I will complete by summer 2020 as my goal.
What are the highlights of your arts career to date?
Aside from completing the Bronze, Silver and Gold Arts Awards, the highlights for me have been the fashion shows. I've taken part in three fashion shows, one of which I solely organised to show my collections, and the other two as a participant but also showing a collection of my work.
The fashion shows have definitely been one of my biggest milestones in terms of my experience in the arts, and have really increased my confidence and also many other skills. These include non-art related skills such as organisation and work ethic but also, importantly, skills relating directly to the arts, such as learning how to do fabric manipulation and screen printing.
Aside from the fashion shows which have really shaped me as a person through so many different factors, completing the Golds Arts Award has been a massive achievement in my eyes resulting in about two years of really hard work. It has been totally worth it and I would encourage everyone to do it, as the rewards of completing it are exceptional.
What do you hope to be doing in five years time?
In five years time, I see myself working on fashion but also pushing myself to try other art forms, including experimenting more on jewellery as I enjoyed this a lot during work experience. I'm not sure at the moment what I'd like to study at university, but I want to strive to study something art-related.
Which levels of Arts Award did you do, and how did you use it to develop your creativity or skills?
I completed the Bronze, Silver and Gold Arts Awards. These have definitely pushed me into the industry and also very importantly have given me an opportunity to find work experience in the field. I thoroughly enjoyed this work experience and it helped to push my boundaries in terms of creativity, my comfort zone and my work ethic.
Completing the awards has fed into many other aspects of my life. The work ethic which I obtained through this award has definitely been a valuable skill to gain. My work experience, as mentioned at the start, was an amazing experience at a jewellers studio, which again is a different art form which I hadn't previously practised. Normally I focus mainly on textiles and fashion-based work, but it definitely opened my eyes to the vast possibilities in the art world and the multi-disciplinary aspect.
What advice would you give to young people doing Arts Award who want to follow in your footsteps?
I would definitely advise young people to complete as many Arts Awards as possible and strive to finish Gold Arts Award as it is a big step up from Bronze and Silver, but it has a wealth of rewards at the end of it. Through doing the awards you are able to learn many great skills and gain a lot of experience, are able to improve your own creativity and artistic expression.
I have worked with so many people from different backgrounds which developed many skills which are transferable in different situations. You also gain UCAS points, which will be a head start to all those planning on applying to university. Aside from all these benefits, by completing the Gold Arts Award, you are able to also gain a valuable qualification in the arts and a portfolio!
If you have completed an Arts Award and would like to be profiled too, join our Arts Award Alumni and let us know about your experience.
0 Comments