Reflective Presentation Script

Slide 1: 

I started off this course just knowing that I liked making pictures and generally making things. I didn’t really know what I was trying to say and my work didn’t really have a direction. To be honest I think I was a bit too shy for my work or myself to say anything much. I think you can really see this in my early work, it was all really timid and not cohesive at all. At this point I had a few different aesthetic styles and materials I liked to work with and I just was trying to mush them together. I was also very concerned with what everyone else was doing, and insecure that I wasn’t as good as I wanted to be. I had a tendency to make things which I didn’t really like but which I thought looked like what was ‘trendy’ or ‘popular’ in the moment

Slide 2:

Towards the end of first year I’d found my voice a little bit more and was reading a lot of feminist texts such as GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS BY EMER O’TOOLE and BAD FEMINIST BY ROXANNE GAY. Over the summer I really enjoyed just using my sketchbook as a place to talk about these things I was experiencing or enjoying at the time. I think this is where I found that I could combine my own thoughts and my illustrations. I began being more candid about my experiences with feminism and mental health and felt a lot better by making things I actually believed in and liked the ethos behind

Slide 3:

Also during this summer I made these pieces for Girl Gang based on the theme of ‘Reclaiming Pink’. This would turn into my first collaboration with Girl Gang and one of my first experiences with exhibiting my work. The reclaiming pink event was so successful and uplifting and I ended up selling lots of prints there. This in turn gave me the confidence to put myself out there a bit more and I adopted the attitude of applying and submitting my work to EVERYTHING, even if I didn’t  think it was amazing. It taught me to loosen up a bit and not be so hard on the things I was making which is something thats really been a problem for me in the past. I think its made me a lot less of a perfectionist 

Slide 4:

This is around the time that I laughed my Etsy shop, which gave me a great opportunity to get my work out in the open and get feedback on products. It also helped to generate a buzz around my work which in turn helped my raise my following on social media. I began holding giveaways and promoting myself more often on Instagram which is now something I feel I’m actually good at. Having an Etsy shop also pushed me to KEEP MAKING THINGS as I knew now there was a market for the things I was making and I didn’t want the people that followed me on Etsy to get bored at the fact that there was only like 2 things in my Etsy shop. This is one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learnt whilst on this course and something I always try to go back to when I’m stuck, even when I’m feeling rubbish about everything I’m making, its so important for me to keep my momentum up

(insert pic of MAKE THINGS rainbow?)

Slide 5: 

After this through Girl gang I also started participating in markets and art fairs. Seeing people get excited and want to take home a piece of my work boosted my confidence massively. I had to get used to talking about what I was making and why, as well as engaging with the public. Through other subsequent markets I’ve seen that I get a real buzz off networking and social events. I really thrive on being able to talk about and share my work as I think my works quite experiential and opinion led. This often attracts people that share these opinions too and has led to some amazing chats with some really cool people

Slide 6:

During the Hookworms poster brief I made one of my first digital pieces. Although I really didn’t love the outcome, it was my first time using this method, as well as working on a poster format, both of which I really enjoyed. Girl gang saw this piece of work and asked if I’d make a poster for one of their events, which I did. Following of from this a few local feminist punk bands have commissioned me to make similar things. This taught me first hand that by making work that you enjoy making and can talk passionately about people will be attracted by this and commission you to make similar things for them.

Slide 7: 

Also during my COP project and self driven 2nd year project about true crime, I realised how integral working with text is to my practise. I know I cant always get the things across that I’d like in work using just images. I’ve always loved poetry and creative writing, so it seemed like a really natural pairing for me. Over the summer before second year I worked on combining my images and text and had a lot of fun doing it. This is where I developed the honest, approachable style that runs through a lot of my work, as I used my sketchbook as kind of a visual diary

Slide 8:

This realisation led me on to the idea for my Introverts Colouring Book. The first illustration from this that I made was a digram called “the anatomy of an introvert”. It started as a passion project in the summer of second year, but I carried it on it to third year after I began to see a massive response to it on Instagram. This is one of my favourite projects to date as it’s such a personal topic to me, and it’s a product I think I would have bought if I hadn’t made it. It also made me realise interactivity is something very important to me and my work. I like to engage with my audience and the colouring book has proved a very effective way of doing this

Slide 9:

Also during second year i got a lot busier with commissions. I found that due to the network I’d been building by participating in events in Leeds, London and Brighton, my reputation was beginning to build. I was really happy to see that the people who were commissioning me where wanting me to make similar things  to what they’d seen on my social media, and lots of them were projects which were female led or had a feminist leaning. It felt really nice to start to be recognised for making the kinds of work I enjoy making, and that I feel passionately about. Obviously, the money was nice too

Slide 10:

So many of the high points during the last 3 years have to do with Girl Gang. I know I’ve mentioned them so many times in this presentation but they really have helped make me the creative I am now, the work they do is amazing and I found so much more confidence in myself and my work after I found their community. As well as this it’s given me a massive insight into the sort of products and images politically minded young people are interested in buying. Girl gang pretty much encapsulates my target audience which is women, girls and non-binary people aged 18-30 and through interacting with this market in person at events and on social media, I feel I’ve gotten to know my audience a lot better. It’s been amazing to watch girl gang grow into such a successful organisation and to have grown with them too. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt during this degree is how important it is to find your people, get involved in a community that you identify with and to support each other.

Slide 11: 

In terms of plans after uni, I’m really enjoying working on my mental health comics right now and I’m finding making them very therapeutic to make. I’d like to turn these into a graphic novel at some point when I’ve made enough of them. This is the main self driven project I’d like to carry on with as well as exhibiting it at the end of year show. I’d also like to use my work to talk to children about mental health in a softer, more approachable way. I had a chat with Chloe from Plum Pudding at Hanbury and she made me realise that my work is also applicable to children’s publishing which I’d not thought of before. I plan to create a few page spreads for a children’s book based around the discussion of mental health, as well as illustrating some pages from existing books. I’ll be putting these in my portfolio as well as approaching publishers and agents with them. 

Slide 12:

I also plan to work on my self driven practise from home in Leeds, whilst having a job to supplement my start up and overhead costs. I’m definitely going to be carrying on with putting out new products on my Etsy and selling my work at markets and events. I think these real life events will become even more important after university in order to stay in the loop and be in contact with the local creative community. I’ll also obviously be carrying on with commissions and entering my work into any competitions and exhibitions I see along the way. After graduation I’ll also be applying to the Princes Trusts Enterprise scheme to help me with information, guidance and financial help in starting up my illustration practice as a small business. I will be looking to enrol onto this as soon as we’ve graduated, and plan to put money into expanding my range of products, as well as investing in an iPad so I can make my digital work look more polished and work on the go. 

Slide 13: 

I’m finishing this course, pretty knackered, but excited about what the future holds. Along the way I’ve met lots of amazing people, made lots of things I’m really happy with, and learnt a lot more about myself as a person. I know I’ve not finished learning, I’m pretty sure  my practise will change a lot in the years following graduation. But I definitely have the tools to go out into the real creative world and try and chase the kinds of commissions and projects that I really want to be doing, and feel confident while doing it.

Portfolio

Hanbury Reflections IMPORTANT

• I think my work doesn't suit a lot of the contexts of the people who spoke at Hanbury, a lot of it isn't very contemporary or concept driven as the artists represented by CIA and other larger creative companies
• This worried me at first but after hearing Chloe from Plum Pudding talk it made me realise that there are other places that have room for more representational work like mine
• After the seminar I managed to speak to Chloe more, one on one and we spoke a bit about the different markets its possible to go into working in children's illustration
• She suggested that my work would be suited to early readers- children aged around 5-8, especially in regards to the image on my business card 
• She suggested looking into the Adventures Of Pug series by Laura James which all have a full colour illustrated cover and internal illustrations in black and white, maybe I could think about making some covers too?
• She also recommended putting some younger children's characters into my folio to appeal it more towards children's illustration and show my range a bit more
• We also spoke about how publishers at London Book Fair had been expressing interest in books aimed at children that dealt with the topic of mental health in a soft way which is interesting as mental health is something I often tall about in my work
• All in all my chat with Chloe has really enthused me, I came away excited to draw some children's characters as character design is something I've been wanted to do more of for a while but I didn't really feel I knew why I would be doing it or what market for
• It was also really interesting to hear that almost all the speakers said they valued originality highly and if your work looked even slightly like something else they won't look at it again- this reminded me to ONLY make things led by me, and not look too much at the work of others around me
• All the speakers also noted how important it was to be easy to work with, in terms of being consistent, considerate, taking direction well and communicating effectively. Although I feel I do most of these things pretty well, I think I need to work on my communication in terms of being clear and precise and also the times at which I respond to things as often I'll answer my emails late at night which doesn't look very professional!

Going forward:

• I will add some children's book character designs to my folio
• Some of these I will focus around discussing mental health in a soft and approachable way, maybe making some roughs for book page layouts
• I will keep in contact with Chloe and get back to her in a few months to show her what I've been working on and hopefully ask for feedback
• I will also look into Oxford university Press and Magination Press who were both looking for books and concepts focusing on mental health issues in very gentle ways
• I'll look into contacting these two publishers and maybe sending them some of my work?
• I'll endeavour to make things and sketch for myself more regularly, as this seems to be important in keeping your work driven by yourself and your own tastes rather than mirroring those of people around you
• Finally I will compile a list of creatives that I feel will be useful to my practice, whether its agents, other makers, publishers etc, so that after university I have a list of people who I can be emailing both to ask for feedback and hopefully consider working with

Hanbury Notes

Publishing:

• children's books need 2-3 spreads to be pitched
• important to have back and forth with people pitching your work
• some publishers seek out illustrators for certain projects
• if you have a projects, just send it and see what happens
• the more places you put your work, the higher the chances of it being seen
• are you capable of going out? doing talks? presenting your work and yourself? if not, publishing might be hard for you
• different stuff will catch the eye and appeal to publishers
• competitions are a good way to get work out there and be seen by the right people
• think about who you want to work with and who would be right to work with
• then target them with emails
• tailor emails specifically to who you're talking to 
• put your contact details at the end of each email
• the graphic novel market is smaller 
• lots of space and money in children's publishing
• Cicada only do kids books at the moment
• concertina books are really difficult to sell and aren't commissioned often
• think about how and where it'll be displayed in a book shop
• think comics with no spine- saddle stitch- are hard to sell 
• picture books typically have 32-40 pages
• stick with what you know and keep it simple!
• for sending your work-
• make packaging memorable
• follow it up with an email
• only really practical to send PDF's as work will often be sent around offices
• physical things get piled up and forgotten about
• be ready to hear criticism
• publishing a book is a collaborative process- people WILL ask you to change things
• don't be too precious about it
• but do find a publisher you work well with and won't push you into making changes you aren't comfortable with
• two things publishers think of before they commission a second book: ARE THEY GOOD TO WORK WITH? AND DO THEY TAKE DIRECTION?
• theres a lot of other jobs that illustration qualifies you for that aren't illustration
• just be good to work with, reliable, good at communication
• follow people on social media and go to events- keeping in the loop will give you opportunities
• you don't have to be a writer, you can just illustrate

Anthropologie:

• If you're interested in visual merchandising:
• record your work- images
• good if your style is adaptable 
• be multidisciplinary
• you can and will need to learn on the job
• VM is very experiential
• think about interactivity- this will help customers and audiences engage in what your doing, sharing on social media etc
• live drawings and murals can be a part of this
• can be developed at store level, get into shop work then show an interest in VM

Its Nice That & Big Active:

• no CV, work should speak for itself 
• as an artist, find people in the industry and work on building a relationship
• you need to know about your market
• think about ways of applying your work that transcend prints and stills based illustration
• Instagram- keep it updated and current with explanations and context of what you're working on
• if it looks like ANYTHING they've seen before, they are very unlikely to care
• getting attention means being proactive
• photograph your work well or scan it in to look professional
• reach out to people and SUPPLY them with your work
• find your market rather than changing yourself to fit into a specific place
• ask for feedback where you can
• find out what roles exists within the creative industries and then target your job search and send some emails
• personal work is so important- this will get you commissioned to make more of what you love
• don't try and second guess the market, develop your voice over time
• stay true to what you like to make after university
• your personality as a social media presence is important too, not just your work

Ogilvys & Dusk:

• getting an agent is not essential but it helps as it boots your audience
• freelancing allows for specific artists for specific jobs
• illustrators are often found through instagram
• doing different things will help as your work needs to speak for itself
• take techniques you see other people use/ skills you've learnt and make something NEW with them
• clients love trends but these are passing and will be outdated within years/months

CIA, B&A & Plum Pudding:

• B&A are keen on finding creatives early in their careers
• look at who the agency represent- they won't want to sign people that are too similar
• signing is rare- 1 a month (ish)
• recommendations are important
• look at London Book Fair- good for getting your work seen/commissioned
• having a unique voice and ideas is key
• instagram is great for displaying immediate things like sketches- its a bit like a scrapbook
• brains will transcend trends
• craft and homespun looking is current 
• Plum Pudding- can represent people for kids illustration and have separate agencies for non kids work
• communication skills are important
• need to be professional but personable
• it will help to show your work to others and get feedback
• you can just bring something small like a character or idea to an agency
• editorial is good to get your voice out there, quick turnaround
• book covers, good experience
• think about times your sending your emails- have office hours
• look for work experience, it could get you a job
• working at an agency is creatively rewarding- drop a letter or CV to the agencies you like
• If you can talk about art well you can do it

My Creative CV Important

• I wanted to basically do an updated version of the creative CV I made last year for PP, as the principles of what I do are still the same, but I also wanted to showcase some new skills I've learnt and other accomplishments
• I made my CV a mixture of type and character design as thats the kind of work I primarily do now
• I also wanted to show off a range of ways that I like to present type, such as the bold header, banners, bubbles etc as it shows what I'm capable of doing
• I also wanted to include a self portrait as I've said before I think its important to my practise that people recognise me alongside my work instead of just my work, as my work draws a lot from my personal experiences
• I also used the kinds of colours that I regularly use in my work so that its immediately recognisable as my work
• Making this CV has made me reflect on all the other things I've taken part in or done in the last year since I wrote my last CV. Its been a nice reminder to be a bit nicer to myself as I have worked hard and taken part in a lot of things I'm proud of
• I've also gained a much better sense of who I am as a maker, writing a bio was much easier this time as I know what kind of work I make now and where I fit into the creative industry 

Creative Presence IMPORTANT

Website:

• My name is displayed clearly at the top along with a short bio so people immediately know whose website they've clicked onto
• the colour scheme is purple and fits alongside the work I've been making recently
• the grid style of photo gallery looks similar to an Instagram layout and is immediately eye-catching
• theres a mix of commission and personal work to show the range of my practice
• the website features a few photos of me at events etc so that viewers can put a face to a name- it's important to me that people see me, the person behind my "brand"as this will make them more likely to connect with me and therefore my work

Instagram:

• My grid shows a mixture of full bleed illustrations, photos of my work (usually anything more 3D such as wall hangings, collages, zines), and 'behind the scenes' style images of me
• this shows off all elements of my brand, the work I make, who makes it and the process behind it
• my posts are quite informal and chatty, I want my forward facing profile to have an accessible feel
• I post a lot about causes that I believe in or am involved in, and my work often has a very honest, personal feel. I think that has really helped me in finding my audience online as it seems to attract likeminded people

Etsy:

• My Etsy banner and icon match work that has been posted on my Instagram before and fits with the purple colour scheme from my website
• It also includes hand drawn font which is a common theme on my Etsy and Instagram
• my bio is the same as my website bio to give a sense of consistency throughout my social media platforms
• It also features links to all my other social media platforms

Etsy mail out :

• This flyer is printed in simple colours so it's cost effective to mail out for free with Etsy orders
• it has a friendly, personal sounding message which is written in my own handwriting 
• it also includes my instagram handle at the bottom to encourage people to interact with me on there and see more of my work
• it also encourages people to leave reviews on my Etsy which will help my overall Etsy ratings as well as make my shop look more established
• the image is a simple self portrait of me with elements of pale pink which matches the theme of my recent work

Business cards:

• both the back and the front have the same blue, black and white colour scheme
• the image was taken from one of my recent self portraits which was posted on my website and Instagram
• it includes my email, website and instagram 
• the information used is very limited so that people will focus on the social media links and branding
• the image used is very indicative of other work that I've been making recently, is a mix of portraiture, with the feminist message on the t-shirt- which is also a reference to a T-shirt for sale on my Etsy

Introduction zine:

• The zine is very low-fi as its the first one I've ever made, but is designed to look quite simple and 'hand-drawn'
• the front and back images are similar to the one on my etsy mail out, linking my visual identity
• the colour scheme is purple and pink which reflects a lot of the colours used in my recent work 
• the contents of the zine is quite chatty and informal and includes a mix of imagery (which shows the kinds of things I like to draw) and text to describe information about me
• one page talks about the kinds of projects and things I liked being part of, which will hopefully attract potential commissioners to me
• it also includes my contact and social media information 

Overall:

I am pleased with some of the promotional materials I have made this year, I think my branding is definitely stronger than it was last year. Having a consistent name across my website, Etsy, Instagram and email has really helped make 'Liv does drawings' sound more like a reputable brand. I think it's clear that honesty, feminism and positivity are integral to my practice through the informal and chatty bio's and text seen throughout my branding. It's really important to me that my work is down to earth and accessible to an audience of young women aged 17-25, and I think informal language plays a huge part in this. The soft colours used throughout also help give a hint as to what viewers can expect from my work. 

However I would now say that my business card design doesn't really fit in with the work I've ended up making. I made the business card design really early on in the module and used a colour scheme I don't often use so it has quickly ended up looking outdated and isn't that much of an accurate representation of what I make anymore. The business card aspect of this task is definitely something I've found the most challenging as it feels like a lot of pressure to pick one image that sums up your practice well, as well as being an image that fits well onto a tiny card.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths:

• I am good at making contacts and already have a good network in the art community in Leeds
• I am taking steps to widen my community by doing events further afield (London, Brighton)
• I have a strong visual identity and sense of what images I like to make
• I put a lot of myself and my opinions into my work- which means it all tends to have a strong and clear message 
• I am very self motivated and have a lot of ideas for projects
• I have a strong sense of what commissions I'd like to be doing and the kinds of clients I'd like to be attracting
• My work is relatively low-fi and uncomplicated meaning it is accessible to a large audience of people
• I have a good understanding of who my audience is and what their needs are (young women aged 18-30 who are socially conscious, feminist leaning and looking to feel empowered)
• I am organised and determined to go into freelance illustration after university
• I am taking steps to prepare myself for freelance life- going to start up Wednesday classes, talking to people who have previously applied for funding (Princes Trust), talking to people who run small businesses

Weaknesses:

• I struggle to organise my time and schedule myself properly sometimes which means sometimes I rush work when a deadline is looming
• I prefer to work on my own than in large groups which I'm aware I won't always be able to do
• I am stubborn and often will carry out an idea, even if I'm the only who who will like or be interested in the finished product
• I have too many ideas which I get excited about. I need to learn to focus my ideas down and simplify 
• I will put off doing work, mainly commissions, if I don't like or feel confident about the idea
• I am not strong or confident enough when with clients
• I need to get better at my working method with clients- when to give them a contract, how to price my work, when to send the invoice, how many amendments to make

Opportunities:

• The local creative community in Leeds- both for support and commissioning work
• Girl Gang Leeds, really fits my target audience and talks about subjects that I want to discuss in my work- good for networking and potentially get into the organising side later on after uni
• Gig poster work seems to have worked well for me before and pays well, look to do more off this
• My growing instagram following- means I'm able to engage with my target audience using polls etc to find out what kind of products they'd be interested in buying
• Feminism and women's empowerment is "fashionable" right now- this is something I talk about in my work anyway so maybe focus on pushing this side of my practise more

Threats:

• Other creatives making socially conscious work
• The cost of starting a small business and being freelance (living costs etc)
• Being taken advantage of as a young creative starting out in the industry- being under-payed, late payment, misuse of my work etc (maybe look at AOI membership to help protect myself)
• More experienced illustrators with wider networks/contacts