An Awkward Limbo

Q. What do you feel you have learned since leaving Art School?

“It sounds corny but, the learning didn't stop. I moved countries and started studying art because I felt something was missing in my practice and myself. Art school gave me briefs and directions to explore but since leaving an environment that I had this rapid fire development with others in, I realised it didn't stop - it slowed down. That's scary not seeing the same rate in progress as I used to. feeling thrown into the open with all these half touched interests and skills was intimidating as well but I've learned to just keep going and create that beneficial environment within myself.”

Q. What do you think your art school could have done better to prepare you for leaving?

“A close friend said something to me that gave me a huge wakeup call - ‘You have to make your own opportunities.’ I think when at art school, they discussed the benefits of having a general online presence and a professional looking website etc. but I think what this pandemic has shown is just how incredible a resource online platforms are not just to showcase your work but to get yourself interacting with like-minded people and doing things such as starting your own collective or magazine, curating your own online exhibition, or starting your own talk series etc. I think people will always want to get involved with these and its great for personal and professional networking. Of course, everyone works differently, and it might not be everyone’s cup of tea to be on the organising end but even then you can then get involved in other ways as well! I think it’s a great little mantra to get you motivated.”

Q. How do you feel your practice has changed in the past year?

“It is going very well this year. I learnt more things about art during COVID-19 than ever before.”

Q. How do you feel the university has performed in respect to delivering a positive learning experience?

“I would say quite well given the dramatic situation we are in. Also considering how bad the UK government is handling the emergency.”

Q. How do you feel the university has performed in respect to delivering a positive learning experience?

“My tutors have been great for guiding me in the right direction with my work and given me so much support this whole year. They’ve done the best they can for each student in my class while coping with a shitty situation and I can’t thank them enough. The uni as a whole has been less helpful. There was a pretty bad lack of clear communication from the uni that left a lot of students feeling ignored. I’m lucky enough that I’m still allowed on campus for studio and workshop access. I know I would be struggling to get any work done from home so I’m thankful I can come into uni at all. But I know a lot of other people can’t say the same and online teaching just doesn’t work for art students. That should be obvious. I think students were talked down to and told that online learning would still give them the necessary tools and skills needed to graduate but that’s really not true. It was pretty disappointing to see art students needs being disregarded and I’m left pretty worried about where I’ll go with my degree once I graduate.”

Q. What do you feel you have learned since leaving art school?

“I've learned that art can be fun again! I spent a lot of art school scraping passing grades, so I ended up doing what I though others wanted to see instead of what I wanted to make. Without grades looming over me, and without access to the university's facilities I had to go back to using more basic techniques and I've been able to do what I really love again!’

Q. How do you feel the university has performed in respect to delivering a positive learning experience?

“I feel the textiles department have been great. I think we all feel so grateful to even be in the studio when my flatmates and other people aren’t as fortunate. It’s nice to see people and be in that creative space with people again, and it’s been good to know that the facilities are still available for us. But there is still that main feeling of guilt that we’re allowed back when other students aren’t.”

Q. What do you think your art school could have done better to prepare you for leaving?

“Leaving art school last year, I knew I had a plan of going onto study my MSc in Art Psychotherapy, which I am very fortunate to be doing so I knew what my next steps were going to be. It’s a difficult question to answer- as soon as we graduated I thought I wasn’t prepared at all but it really is about making your own opportunities, making connections and keeping at your practice which I think we were told anyway, it’s not until you leave that you realise that this is the case!”

Q. What do you think your art school could have done better to prepare you for leaving?

“I think the art school prepared us for graduating under normal circumstances but didn’t really have a good backup plan to make up for what we lost due to the restrictions in place at the time. Leaving without the exposure or with the chance to make connections with artists in the industry left me feeling a bit cut off from where I wanted to be.”