So I've got to give a 15 minute Powerpoint presentation talk thing as part of the Fine Art course I'm doing, and it has to be on my studio inspiration and career goals. The thing is, when they say career goals, they mean you should wax lyrical about how you want to be an artist cos the pay is s fantastic and the integrity is so important that no-one ever sells out to be commercial and everyone is so rich nowadays that they can afford studio space at the drop of a hat and throw pots to their heart's content. A.k.a. IT'S ALL A LOAD OF BOLLOCKS.
So, what's a girl to do? Lie, of course. I am going to discuss how I can't wait to exhibit further (or not), possibly design a line of greetings cards to sell locally (they like community stuff), and I am hoping to fund an MA in something arty (when I'd rather eat my own arm than go through the rigmarole of a practical course again). In reality, I'm trying to break into fashion journalism, slowly but surely, and in an ideal world then I'd be able to discuss this in my presentation as fashion and art are inextricably linked. However, at my university, there seems to have been a fashion black hole in the Art Department. The colour palette for this season in the studio seems to be black for printmaking (no shit, Sherlock) and beige for painting. That is literally it. Not a nice nude beige with embellishment, just a beige shirt and beige slacks and crummy shoes. I literally thought I was being tutored by a Digestive biscuit.
I am going to try and squeeze in as much sartorial enthusiasm as possible, but preaching to the Old Guard means that fashion is an alien concept which they treat with deep suspicion. So out come the lies in order to get the grade (fingers crossed). I guess I'm selling myself out as much as the artists, then.
Not feeling great today, so my wardrobe choice was pretty much monochrome and definitely on the defensive side. The skirt is from Matalan and is obviously not leather but somehow manages not to smell of plastic, the t-shirt is New Look which I bought oversized and sometimes wear as a very indecent dress, and the furry thing is from H&M. Am just going to chuck a jacket over it - would use a stone-coloured trench a la Burberry but the one I've got is a work in progress and I'm going to add some black trims to the edges, maybe with some chains or something. Would wear a leather jacket but would feel a bit too co-ordinated, which is never a good look.
This was my attempt to display my new vintage scarf (amazing Secret Santa present) after one too many glasses of wine with friends. The scarf is from a shop in Sheffield, the top is Threadless (one of my absolute favourites as it combines anatomy and humour - what more could you want?!), the skirt is TK Maxx and the blue thing on my head is a brooch from H&M. My hair is still dark but the roots are majorly making an appearance, so something drastic will be done, featuring platinum blonde/white dye and some silvery highlights. I've been thinking about going back to blonde for a while, and now may be the time. Happy New Year!
Above is just a sample of my trip to Somerset House for the Showstudio exhibition. It was really interesting from a creative point of view and also was incredibly good value (£2 to get in! I treated my mum as well). They let you take photos without flash, which is pretty decent as so many galleries don't let you record anything and it's hard to recall all the bits you loved afterwards. Anyway, the board in the photo above is just a section of a larger piece about how a shoot is put together and how magazines work, etc. etc. I was in awe! It was great being able to see the ins and outs of the fashion industry and see what a photography studio looks like post-shoot.
This was how I approached packing for the Christmas holidays - basically I started trying on strange combinations from my wardrobe. I tend to do this during times of stress, particularly on the night before an important exam... no idea why, but it's somehow quite relaxing to think about something so utterly alien to what you are meant to be doing. Anyway, the silk tunic has never yet made it out of my wardrobe because it's not a fabric I tend to wear a lot of (I am far too messy!), but I love the ombre/tie-dye thing and the deep black-blue colour is really beautiful. The scarf is made out of a skirt from a charity shop which purported to be a size 12 but was lying, so it got chopped up because I fell in love with the print. Then I stuck a black slip underneath, because the problem with silk is that it's impossibly sheer and you have to have an impeccable body to even consider not lining it with anything. Merry Christmas!
