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Monday 12th December

Only four days before we break for Christmas and still lots to do... college work a priority so I can at least have a bit of holiday time. It will be a mad rush like last year to do all the present shopping and making the house look nice. I feel as if I am on automatic pilot most of the time these days, I have to prepare my book for printing which will act as my multiple; a promotional tool to use to launch myself in the outside world. On Friday Simon, my neighbour in the studio asked how many followers I had on my blog... 'followers' I said ( trying to sound clever ) 'err, no idea'. He took my iPad and went back to his space. Friday had been a tiring day and I had been sat thinking of the work I still had to do when suddenly he said 'mmm, you have lots of followers in America and Russia and really busy in Austrailia'. To say I was amazed is an understatement...it is quite strange, no, very strange at my age to be able to look at a map of the world and see where my followers are. I feel positively energised and shall start blogging regularly, this one is going on and on but I am allowed to blow my own trumpet a little.

Friday 9th December 2011

Relaxing after an exhausting spell of normality; vacuuming and dusting... shock and dismay I know but needs must, we have guests to stay and it is Christmas soon after all. This week was so tiring and feeling unwell too so it was hard to keep going. If anyone ever says that an art degree is a proverbial walk in the park then they had better watch out...I have never worked so hard in my life and thats the truth.

Friday

A slight feeling of relief after yesterday's formative assessment. I had the company of two other students... I always feel apprehensive before starting my presentation but once I got started I actually enjoy discussing my work and my thoughts behind it. Our work is so different which makes it all the more enjoyable to just spend a few hours chatting about the module and our plans for our summative assessment in January.

The problem is, it is soon going to be Christmas and the fact that I haven't bought even one present yet can add to the stress and having to juggle everything at once. I want to do well at college so much and really feel that I now know what my working practice is and its possibilities for the future. It sounds so dramatic to talk of stress which ultimately is down to me and my lack of good time planning...not always but time just seems to fly by these days.

Time passing.

Photographs of summer project work.

Unbelievable, I am in my last year of my degree course...a new space in the studio to work in with the new first years and second years jostling for their space. It is a large studio with some students sharing spaces but the elite few or the antisocial variety have a bit more privacy. I had privacy last year...except for my counselling sessions at lunch time (joke) but I am now sharing. I will not name my space mate but I just hope she can put up with me. I am generally in the workshops most of the time anyway... it takes a few days to get used to just being back into a routine of college.

Enrolled.

Well, I enrolled today as a 3rd year student...it is hard to believe that 2 years can go by so fast. It was great to see everyone again and discuss the summer and just the realisation that we will be 3rd years when we go back. I am excited about it but at the same time I don't want it to pass too fast...then it will be down to me to make sure the last few years have been the best thing I have ever done. I have been so fortunate in being a mature student at such a great college, amongst such lovely students and staff who have allowed me to feel part of 'it'; it being a creative environment that makes me happy to get up at 6 in the morning 5 days a week.

I think sometimes people have the wrong idea about art students, having worked in the real world I am in the best position to have an opinion and I have never worked harder in my life...