David Firth.

     Stumbled across this little nugget of inspiration whilst indulging in cartoons on the internet. David Firth (for those who are unfamiliar) makes dark, unsettling and hilarious animations that are quite often based on the nonsensical subject matter and scattered chronology of dreams.

     I've always enjoyed his work but having seen this interview and sneaking a peek into his life and work process like some kind of curtain-twitcher, I've gained a much stronger appreciation of his work and stolen a bit of inspiration.

Go here to view the man's work in all it's splendour.

Self-directed Project Update.

     Having spoken to my tutors recently and discussing my work, it has transpired that in order to make some successful work I should concentrate on just producing things that I want to produce rather than overworking images for hours in order to fulfill the brief.
     This was music to my ears and resulted in me getting more done than I have in a long time and enjoying it.

Self-directed Project.

     The clue is in the name: this brief allows me to produce pretty much whatever I want over several weeks. Having being able to relate to the previous brief concerning outsiders, I've decided to stick with the theme but produce a broader spectrum of work pertaining to what society tells us is different from the norm and more specifically how those who are different should revel in it and just be themselves in spite of what the masses might think.
     This is something I've always believed in myself, so naturally I have alot to work with.

Hopes, Fears and Opportunities.

     During my first two years at uni I got a real mix of briefs that I either could not relate to at all, or eventually found myself being surprisingly interested in. So this year I'm planning to make sure I find an angle to approach each brief, in a way that will definitely interest me and fit with the way I work. In other words; pick briefs that are challenging in terms of the ideas and subject matter involved, rather than because I have to attempt to produce work in a way that is uncharacteristic of my personal work: I enjoy making work in the way I want to make work, and there's no sense in disregarding that.

     Taking this into account, my fears are fairly obvious: If the above issues were not addressed (and I became stuck in the monotony of trying to churn out work that I don't take pride in producing in order to jump through a divergent succession of hoops that are established by a client on a high horse) I feel it is unsettlingly likely that I will lose interest in what I've enjoyed my whole life, turn my back on the dream of making images for a living and become the real world equivalent of Seymour Skinner; moving back home with mother and living there until I'm in my late 40's.

     As luck would have it however, this year I have several opportunities to steer myself in the direction of the path I do wish to take: I have more than one self-directed brief I can take advantage of to make work I'm personally interested in, as well as a couple of portfolio visits on which I can meet and receive advice from enwisened and like-minded individuals.

"One day I'll be a beautiful butterfly!" - Heimlich, A Bug's Life.

Inside Outsiders.

     I was set a brief recently based on outsiders/ outcasts and Albert Camus' short novel "The Outsider". Here's what I've been up to...

     I wanted to base my work on the image-based code systems used by existing groups of outcasts such as gang/ cult insignia, hobo signs and, of course, the tattoos worn by sailors and criminals. The very thought that an image can be imbued with enough meaning and significance that it can be read like a language to those who are in-the-know appeals to me a great deal, and I've come to realise that it is this quality (along with overall aesthetics) with which I form an opinion on pieces of work.
     This being said, I decided I should create a visual language for a currently under-represented group that could be considered outsiders. Coupling this with the secondary realisation that throughout the course it has been briefs in which I could relate to and have subsequently immersed myself in that have been the most successful, I decided to begin producing imagery that pertained to myself as an outsider.
     Luckily, I suppose, right at the beginning of the new university year I was finally diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and depression which both come with the delightful stigma that is associated with mental health issues, so I had inadvertently been given something with which to work. Groovy.

     The above image is a screenprinted reproduction of a drawing I made. The wee demon chap, whose pose I hope looks somewhat noticeably like a human skull as I intended, represents the presence of OCD within the mind, and the trident he holds represents the intrusive divide between happiness and depression (the sun and moon) that it can cause.

     I also screenprinted the image onto cloth patches that could be sewn onto clothing and worn in the same way as military insignia or scout badges: the idea being that wearing it would signify to others that the wearer had had to experience something in order to "earn" it. Whether or not it was clear to others what said experience consisted of was arbitrary, and being the reserved introvert that I am I decided that when it came to displaying my work (pictured above) I would give no clue as to the meaning behind the images, other than the obvious notions of "being an outsider" that the title of the given brief indicated. Leaving the image open to interpretation by the viewer.

     This is another, less successful, patch I made using a laser printer on leather at Laserlea in Manchester. Having never used or researched laser printing before, I had no real idea of what the final outcome would look like, and I think it's obvious that my work needs some tweaking in order for it to suit the medium better.
     It's hard to make out in the picture, but the design is of a three-eyed human skull (the third eye representing the mind) underneath which is a broken arrow that is meant to signify (would you believe it?!) something that is broken; in this case, the mind.