CLOSING STATEMENT

As my last year of university is ending, and the world is having some form of normality again, I question what life is in store for me and am I ready to face the creative industry? In all honesty, no, I don't think I am. I often question my capabilities as a creative practitioner. Whether I'm good enough, it's honestly quite nerve-wracking to not fall back on education anymore and begin my career in the industry on my own.

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Throughout the last term of studying, I will be creating my final exhibition piece, working on the final products for the Defrag exhibition whilst promoting myself, the exhibition, and the university itself through being a digital ambassador. I still have a lot left to do before I am finished with my education. Still, by all means, I will miss being a university student, especially with the pandemic taking up most of my experience, leaving me to work within the comfort of my own home. I also plan to finalise my work portfolio with the new editions of my exhibition pieces and apply for jobs within the creative industry, games design-related or not. To explore further options, I would like to research possible internships or other "side hustles" (fanzines, commission or other freelance work). When I leave education, I feel like I won't automatically get my dream job due to my lack of experience working; therefore, taking this approach would be something I will consider to reach my final goal.

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At the start of the third year, I thought of going further with my studies and a Master's in Game Art at a different university. I mainly wanted to do this because it would have allowed me to gain more artistic techniques (like 3D modelling) specialised in video games. But, because you can't get a maintenance loan when studying for a master's, I wouldn't be able to afford to live if another different city at the moment, especially without a job. Another reason I decided against studying further was that work experience is more important than ever, and that is something I lack. Many jobs require a certain amount of experience regardless of your educational history, so I thought it would be essential to gain more experience now rather than later. In later years, maybe even a year later, I may choose to revisit university and complete a Master's, but that holds no meaning.
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Out of all my three years of studying, each has its stresses, but I agree that the third year was the hardest because it was a harsh shift from barely being on campus to being in the studio. Not to mention my difficulties throughout this year and, of course, the workload. Throughout the years, this one was where I pushed myself the most and where I got more ambitious within my work to make the most of being on campus again and use the facilities that I wouldn't have used otherwise. Though I wished we had more face-to-face classes, it was beneficial that we didn't as well, as it caused me to grow more independently, manage my time effectively and go to campus outside class hours to get work done.

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The only thing that I wished I could have changed if I had more time would be focusing on my main goal. Despite planning to solely focus on 3D modelling within my exhibition piece, I wished I didn't put it on the back burner for most of the year because of more demanding projects and life. Though this being said, when I started experimenting with 3D modelling digitally, I spoke to the 3D Technicians (Chris and Drew). They said to learn the fundamentals of modelling traditionally first, causing my goal to be delayed as I had to learn an entire medium first to truly understand how to approach 3D work in both traditional means and digital. After experimenting with clay materials and learning how to use them traditionally, I have found a new love for making sculptures in this form. Therefore, I would like to pursue this medium further outside my studies (I did spend quite a fair bit of my loan investing in the materials as it does make sense to carry on practising).

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Not only that, I had the chance to focus on other aspirations that I could potentially work into whilst I learned more about game design and modelling, especially animation and media production. Animation was initially my main plan during my college days. I was even going to study it instead of Graphic Design; however, I felt like it wasn't for me and lost interest in pursuing this medium, causing me to pick Graphic Design instead. However, since the motion design module in my second year, I have been itching to create and challenge myself to create more animations. It is something I would like to consider after my studies and taking some time to build up an animation portfolio and learning programs such as Toonboom Harmony to showcase a broad ability of skills. As a backup plan in case, I no longer want to pursue game design or can't achieve my main goal.

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I also have my illustrations to fall back on and being a freelance artist whilst I find my ground when starting in the industry. Illustration is the most vital skill that I constantly used throughout my work, and I even had this saying throughout university "If I can draw it, I'll do it". Sometimes I feel like I relied on that too much throughout my time at university and played it safe because that was a skill that I was best at. Hence, throughout this year, I tried different media, from screen printing, laser cutting, and even branding an exhibition! I will most definitely carry on pursuing my illustration skills because I love creating art through this method, primarily digitally.

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Despite having a lot to learn through copyright and rendering my images to have more depth, I will continue being involved in art challenges and fanzines and hopefully get more commissions throughout the years to create artwork I am proud of. Speaking of this, I plan to focus on my online presence first after university whilst applying for work so I can document my work and direct potential clients. Not only that, I would like to start creating YouTube videos (possibly Tik Toks also) showcasing my art process to further promote my work more but to inspire other young artists also. This can also be a way to direct potential clients to my work.

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Although studying at university is ending, my creative journey has only begun. With my degree (fingers crossed, a 1st Class Degree) and various skills behind me, I hope to continue pursuing my ambition throughout the years to come and create work that I truly enjoy creating. I've realised I haven't been as optimistic about my time at university or the future, primarily upon reading this statement. It could be because it hasn't gone to plan with the pandemic, and or maybe my expectations were too high. There are some things that I am confident in that I will continue to do after finishing my degree.

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Despite everything that has been thrown at me throughout not just this year but the past two years also, I never gave up. I went head-first into the projects I was passionate about and exceeded expectations to get the mark I wanted. I have been able to teach myself new skills throughout the pandemic as I didn't want that to be a barrier within my work. Whilst also marketing myself online through taking on extra work such as commissions and being a part of fanzines to get to where I am today.

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Though it has been a struggle and with an extension here and there, I was able to produce work that I am proud of that showcases my best skills, whether that be animation, illustration, or other graphic design skills. Finally, I think my best skill is being versatile and that I am capable of adapting my skills to fit the project successfully, which I will be able to use to my advantage when applying for jobs. Whether through freelancing or working at a company - games design or not. I still have a lot to learn, but I don't intend on giving up even if there is another pandemic (touch wood).

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