Reflecting on last semester's work & feedback, Christmas break, and moving back to Dundee.
Last semester reflections
I feel like semester 1 was some sort of weird fever dream, I never felt fully comfortable. I felt very uncomfortable being in the studios due to the paranoia over the pandemic therefore I worked mostly from my flat. However by doing this I missed out on working in the media labs to edit, had I been working in there, the work I was making could've been finished to a high standard and save my laptop from burning out. I also just lacked confidence in the work I had produced in general. Everything just seemed a bit off, I never felt fully connected to it. Looking back, I realise that looking into 'human experience' in a broad sense was almost a way for me to hide my own 'human experiences.' It was if I was too afraid to make art about something that is personal to me, quite literally sharing my own human experiences, how my mind works, how I live my day-to-day life. I am often considered a quiet person, often mistaken as a shy person, but that is mainly because I enjoy listening to people and just being present amongst a group of people. I don't ever feel the pressure to speak or be heard, I can be content in my own thoughts. Throughout my practice last year I was recording candid conversations with my friends where we spoke about things such as life, death and the universe, and although I found these conversations fascinating, I feel like I was subconsciously trying to connect our minds to sort of take the attention away from my own personal thoughts, emotions and experiences. Although I can be content in my own thoughts, sometimes I do feel trapped inside my own head. I find myself in an endless cycle of when I do want to speak aloud, I immediately lose my train of thought when deep down I have an abundance of intricate and deep thoughts that I cannot seem to vocalise.
This semester I really want to focus on myself and my own human experiences. I want to own my thoughts and share them though my art. Maybe I might get to know myself a bit better
My feedback and grades for semester 1 was a lot better than I thought I would've got so I am very grateful. I think the lecturers seen potential in my work and the feedback I got was very constructive. Some interesting points I had received was that my assessors really liked my use of juxtaposition of sound and image, as well as my writing pieces. They also saw potential in the films I was making, it was just a shame I couldn't fully complete them. Some constructive criticism I received was to definitely improve my audio and film quality as last semester I only used whatever equipment I had at the time such as my iPhone, my Cannon 600D, and some cheap (hit or miss with quality) field microphones. They also suggested for me to find a strong focus - whether that is to select mediums explored last semester to continue developing, or to find a way to bring the different elements together into a cohesive body of work.
Christmas break
Over the Christmas break I allowed myself to take time to relax and focus on myself, as well as enjoying the quality time spent with my family. I never thought about my practice much over this period of time, I mainly spent time playing Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley and the Sims 4, all open canvas games to keep me feeling creative. I managed to get my hands on a bunch of new tech equipment over the break. For Christmas I was gifted a Blue Yeti multi-directional microphone and Sony bass-boosted headphones, these will definitely transform my sound editing for future works as these items are very popularly used within streamers, youtubers, and podcasts and are great quality. With my Christmas money I treated myself to an external hard drive, external keyboard and mouse, and a cooling stand for my laptop, which will hopefully make editing on my laptop a lot more smoother and problem free (fingers crossed).
Moving back to Dundee
It was kinda depressing to hear that the studios weren't going to be open for us returning. After the shite I put myself through last semester by not coming in and using the media labs, I had my heart set on using them very often. It is quite depressing that there is a high chance that I will spend more of my art school experience under restrictions, or at home, rather than utilising my time in the studios, going to exhibitions, connecting with my classmates and using the workshops and facilities. I guess I'll just need to make the most of what I've got at the moment.
This first week I've just been unpacking and settling back into my flat. Very chill vibes, just been organising my schedules and creating a workspace for myself in my bedroom.