ARTIST/DESIGNER STATEMENT
For me, the message I wished to get across in my statement was that I plan to find a way to bridge the gap between trends and longevity. This is something that I feel needs to be addressed in the design world; why, with all the modern technological advancements in the world today, are modern furnishings not being built to last?
“As a furniture designer, the goal of my work is to draw upon traditional design elements such as line and form to produce something unique and desirable. The largest spurs behind my work are aesthetics and sustainability. Modern technology combined with traditional craftmanship is where I aspire to take my work, this is inspired by the inconsistencies of trending designs that often are not made to last or be adaptable. I am going to work towards creating pieces that combine the two for a future that is going to last.”
Hotchkiss, S., 2018. How to write an artist statement. [online] Thecreativeindependent.com. Available at: <https://thecreativeindependent.com/guides/how-to-write-an-artist-statement/> [Accessed 28 April 2021].
CURRICULUM VITAE
I have already got an up-to-date CV, however, I have never heard of a creative CV. For a creative CV, the guidelines given were:
Version 1
There were a few pointers from my first CV. I thought that as it was a creative CV my part time work shouldn't be included, however they were fine to be there, so I added those details in and reordered the content in a way that seemed more readable, as well as editing the content slightly so that it seemed more relevant and professional.
Version 2
BRANDING
My own branding was something that I had developed at the beginning of the year as part of my dissertation. I have already been using it for my social media and any suitable documents. I wanted to keep it simple and professional, and so I used the initials of my site and Instagram page ‘ka_kear designs’ then used some wood grain effect lines to then convey what I do as a designer (wood is the material that I work in the most).
POST GRAD
I know that I do not feel ready to enter industry. And so, I made the decision to do a Masters. A big problem with this is the money, and so I am staying at Cardiff Met for the alumni benefits. Luckily, there was a course that really caught my interest. I know that it would be my dream to work as an independent designer maker, and so an MA in Creative Enterprise and Innovation would allow me to develop a stronger understanding of what is needed in a modern emerging enterprise. The course has a basis of either ‘practice led research’ or ‘research led practice’ depending on how the individual student wants to use their time on the course. This seems like it will not only provide me with the opportunity to explore how to grow my future career, but also to work on my portfolio and making skillset. This was particularly important to me as the last two years have limited the amount of time I have had in the workshops and the advanced workshop required to get a job in a workshop/making environment. I had a successful interview and received a conditional offer to start in September.
PORTFOLIO
As part of my application, I had to create a digital portfolio. To do this I used Adobe Portfolio, a site builder that comes as part of their packages which I have been using for a few years now to make my course blog. There are various templates, and the themes are fully customisable for any colour of font preferences. The builder always has a professional finish that is great for dispersion. Another aspect of this site builder is that it allows you to attach any social media or LinkedIn profiles allowing for those who may just stumble across the site to easily access further information or to contact me.
https://kakeardesign.myportfolio.com/
INTERNSHIP SEARCH
Covid-19 has meant that I have not had the opportunity to get the most out of any available workshop inductions and services. To make quality pieces I need to make sure that I know what tools to use as well as which processes are best for what. And so, I believe that doing a summer internship with a designer/maker would be a fantastic way for me to gain this experience. To find someone appropriate I went to the craft council maker directory to find any local designers that may be willing to provide me with an opportunity. Below are some of those designers that I contacted:
> Martin Harvey (https://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/directory/martin-harvey-furniture)
FURTHER TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
My other option, if I am unable to find an internship, would be to attend a dedicated furniture school. This would give me the chance to learn and develop my skillset as well as forging further connections. One specific school that caught my interest was the Waters and Acland furniture school in the lake District. This is a world-renowned school that strives to pass on their knowledge about fine furniture and design practice. This school seems the perfect answer to my skillset shortcomings as well as an amazing opportunity to learn from some incredibly talented people.
The one problem with this school is the tuition fees and location. The fees for a year's tuition on their designer maker course are £17,750 (there are various courses of various lengths and prices) and there is no government student funding available for this school. I also do not live in the lake district so would need to add accommodation costs on top of this. I may be able to find some training grants to cover these costs or save the money up over a couple of years. I am going to make it a target of mine to attend a school like this, if not this one, as this would be an amazing way to solidify my skillset and is a strong certification that would allow consumers to have faith in my products.
https://www.watersandacland.co.uk/
WEB PRESENCE
When it comes to social media, I am not the most apt at regular posting, however, over the last 6 months I have tried to increase my activity and have set up specific ka_kear design Facebook and Instagram pages. As I set them up as creator pages it allows me to access supporting articles created by Facebook to improve my posts and make them more targeted or dispersible. They also allow me to see who is interested in my work and how far the outreach is. I have always assumed that my clients or customers would be between the ages of 25-35 who are trying to set their home up, that wanted those handmade unique pieces, and most probably female. The screen shots below show that this is not necessarily the case, knowing this it will allow me to retarget my posting or to reimagine my client base and the style of work I produce.
WHERE WILL I SELL MY WORK?
Now that I know my audience though I have started to think about selling my designs. Eventually I would like to set up my own online shop that may eventually become a physical showroom or design house. For now, however, I will start selling my work on sites such as Esty as a way of starting to generate income to eventually pay for an independent site.
Etsy seems like a good place to start selling my work due to its reputation. People go to the site to find those unique, one of a kind, handmade items that are not available on the Highstreet. I want my pieces to be sold in a place where those buying appreciate the passion and time put into each item. This site is only going to be my steppingstone to generate income. I may also start to attend design and craft fairs once covid allows and I have a sizeable number of stock / diverse designs.
FIVE YEAR PLAN
Below is a proposed plan that I believe will help me to follow my career aspirations. I understand that life is subject to circumstance and change, however, this is how I want my career to start.
