Niall Williams-Gordon Fine Art

Level 5 Action plan.

after my work this year in particular my final project, i think next year id really like to do a lot more wood carving.

i found it really enjoyable to do and i think im quite good at it so it seems a logical tangent to set off on. i want to experiment with different woods and ways of sculpting from it.

i also think i really need to get my head down more, ive not worked half as much as i could of this year but i think that it was a lot to do with being in a new place and the excitement of it all. now this has warn off and ive settled a bit more in leeds i think focussing on my work will be a lot easier and being in a house next year with a bigger room means ive got a lot more space to work as well.

Hopefully having a job will mean i have a bit more disposable income to buy materials and travel to a lot more exhibitions so ill see a lot more art and be able to produce more varied work with the influx of a wider range of different sources from a lot more artists.

i also hope to be able to achieve a 1st im so determined to do it in second year because to be honest i really want to my best and finish the year without regrets and wishing id worked harder, in that sense i suppose if were to achieve a 2.1 or even 2.2, if i feel ive worked to the best of my ability then ill be happy regardless.

Lecture notes

Lecture 1 - Who are you?

• I wasnt really into this lecture, it felt like i was just being told things i already knew. it was all about finding who you are and defining yourself but i pretty much know that already, like how hard i work and things like that.

The part of the lecture on how others perceive you was quite useful though, it made me think of how i come across to other people and actually readapt how i interact with people sometimes as i realised i can come across quite difficult to understand sometimes because i mumble a lot and dont really explain myself very well a lot of the time

Lecture 2 - Connecting with others

• In all honesty i came into this lecture thinking id just be told a lot of stuff i already knew considering it was about networking and social media, i was really presently surprised however as i learnt how important social networking is in the present day. 

It showed me the importance of using social media sites like facebook and twitter to connect with others in my field and the art world in general rather than just for telling people what ive done with my day. I learnt how really strong cross atlantic relationships can be generated just by following someone on twitter and sparking up a conversation.

Lecture 3 - 5 steps to perfect presentations

• this lecture was incredibly helpful because to be brutally honest im awful at presentations, publicly speaking to people terrifies me but i learnt of methods to deal with it

breathing exercises and calming techniques that can really make a difference to you before tackle a presentation.

Lecture 4 - What is an evaluation?

• Im terrible at evaluating my work as i commonly tend to repeat myself or analyse it instead. this lecture made a massive difference as it gave me a step by step method of making my evaluations the best they can be, it showed me the difference between analysing and evaluation so i didnt carry on making the same mistakes.

Lecture 5 - Dont get ripped off!

• This was a really insightful lecture, it talked about copyright issues, how to protect your work and how not get in trouble with other artists and business by following the correct procedures for referencing and using their work.

Lecture 6 - Just say yes!

• This lecture was all about volunteering. it talked about all the different ways to volunteer and how beneficial it can be for creating contact, getting your name and just general feel good factor.

you can make a huge difference to someones life and even your own by volunteering and i didnt realise all the possibilities that can come from it.

I missed the last two lectures 1 through illness and the other because i had a job interview.

overall i found the lectures quite useful but they didnt really suit my learning method, i felt i was being spoken at a lot of the time and a lot of it went straight over my head but the bits i did manage to get were good and insightful.

Art journals.

Tate Etc

£5.95

Seasonal Art Journal

i quite liked this art journal, its really insightful and had a really wide variety of artists with a great insight on them too.

the articles where interesting and well presented throughout and the layout was excellent and easy to read.

there was a lot of information on up coming exhibitions and the work being presented in them which was really helpful.

however i didnt like the amount of adverts presented, i know theyre necessary but they were just to frequent for me.

Fine Wood Working

$7.99

Monthly

Really easy to read and had a lot of tips on wood working and techniques that you can use in the making process

I liked the fact it had information from current wood workers, people that actually work in the field at the minute.

again it was the excessive amount of adverts that put me off 

Art Monthly

£4.40

Monthly

It was very sculpture heavy which i wasnt pleased about, its not very varied and doesnt have a wide enough range of arts

it did however have a lovely diversity of information on upcoming exhibitions which was nice

but it was in black and white which was a shame.

Cabinet 

£7

Quarterly

Really text heavy which i didnt like

it wasnt just based on fine art which was a nice change, it had a lot of graphics typography and photography which was nice to see.

not too many adverts either which was a change from the rest id looked at.

Graduate Forum.

I found the graduate forum quite useful to my surprise. the young artist we had talking to us was really helpful and she had a lot of knowledge about coping with life during your 3 years and beyond that. 

she spoke to us about her time here, places we should speak to about exhibiting our work and coping with costs. Her knowledge of the leeds art scene was great and she reminded us that creating contacts while we are at university is majorly important, whether it be via exhibitions lectures or artist talks. she explained that its easier to make them whilst your here because of the information were given and the contacts are really beneficial when you leave as obviously your on your own so its a lot more about who you know rather than what you know.

she also spoke a lot about where students had moved onto when they finished like the princes drawing school and masters courses, a lot of which i hadnt heard of before.

all in all i really enjoyed the chance to talk to such a warm welcoming alumni, someone who had been through it already and would relish the chance to do it myself.

Sight Specific (thwaites mill)

We got set the assignment of producing a piece of work in response to the mill. the site was ace and the day we went down was lovely however it was mad far away so it took ages to walk and as the weather conditions got worse we had to get taxis to avoid being soaked through which when split cost a good 4 quid a day.

Final Piece and 100 words.

our final piece and 100 words were video based and after being sat here waiting for both to upload to youtube so i could put them on here  my internet broke so alas im afraid no video.

strengths and weaknesses;

strengths gained;

• learnt to work better in a team
• learnt to compromise
• listen and respond to others ideas
• broadened my work horizons by trying abstract work for a change

Weaknesses;

• need to be more aware of time
• try harder