Goals for my Future

I feel I have benefited from creating goals for my final year of my foundation degree, and therefore feel it is important to continue this for the future. Setting targets for myself allows me to focus on areas I feel need improvement and measure my progress. I have felt more motivated during this year due to this, and with my final year right around the corner it's crucial to be in the right mind frame.

1) Following this year I will be continuing my studies at Sunderland University. I would like to continue to keep a diary to plan my modules and be more organised as I feel this has helped me to manage my time more efficiently.

2) I recently got a new job. Although it is still a 20 hour position, it is more flexible and allows me to change my hours if necessary. I would like to continue in my position at work, and possibly advance to a higher level.

3) I would also like to experience placements in the industry. I aim to do this within the summer months. This will require more focus on my portfolio creation and creating a CV that is suitable for these positions.

4) I feel I have expanded my skills in illustrator over the year, using the program within a few of my modules. I do understand there is still a lot of room for improvement and I aim to continue to develop my skills over summer and my final year of my degree. I hope by this time next year I will feel more confident and competent with the program.

5) Within this year I have created many editorial pieces. Following on to next year, I would like to choose briefs that are more open and challenging, such as creating branding identities. I also feel it important to create work outside of university to balance my portfolio and demonstrate my skills away from my course requirements. I believe that by tackling YCN briefs and entering more competition briefs I will be able to show that I am comfortable with working alone and at home.

6) Another goal I have is to continue to reach out to industry figures. I reached out to a few within this year, such as Breanna Rose and Corina Nika, and found their support and advice helpful and uplifting. Hearing other success stories is inspiring, and I have created two great contacts out of doing so. I would like to now reach out to others in the industry but also working in Newcastle Upon Tyne, and ask for advice on my own portfolio.

7) That leads me to my last goal: sharing. I want to continue to share my work through twitter and instagram. I also want to expand the platforms with which I do share my work, and branch out to places such as Cargo Collective and Behance, allowing me to create an online portfolio. I think this will aid my confidence and the criticism I may receive will be taken on board and help me within the future.

goals for 14/15

It’s important that I set myself goals of what I want to achieve through this up coming year, so that I know which areas I would like to improve and pinpoint what I feel were my weaknesses last year, whilst working to grow them into strengths.

My main goal for this year is to grow my confidence using the program Illustrator, as I feel last year I avoided using the program and believe my work would benefit tremendously with more use. I also feel it is an important skill to have when working in the industry.

I aim to plan each module proficiently and organise myself well, focusing on my time management. I have bought a diary and aim to use this to keep myself on track, and have also bought a desk so I can have an area where I can focus on my work.

Another goal of mine, which ties in with the previous, is to not leave my modules until the last minute. As I work 20 hours a week it is difficult to find a balance between university and my job, but my university projects need to come first. This may mean dropping my hours or looking for another job which is more flexible: that requires updating my CV, which will be good practice for my creative CV.

A goal I feel necessary to my progress on this course is to speak to industry professionals, and listen to their advice on how to reach the next step in my career. I feel it’s important to attend all industry talks and to also reach out to professionals beyond my course through interviews and emails.

Something I would like to work on is my sketchbook work: I would like to grow my idea generation as I feel I am currently limiting myself by not spending enough time working on my ideas and expanding them. My focus has been, up until now, on my final outcome. I believe by spending more time with my sketchbook my final outcome will benefit. 

I aim to create a UCAS application and continue my degree for the final year, graduating with a BA Hons in Graphic Design. This will take preparation and research, and require meeting deadlines therefore it is important to begin looking into this early. I will need to write my personal statement and also attend interviews, which means my portfolio will need to be created.