Having spent 5 years in Fine Art education, proceeding from an Undergraduate studies directly to a Masters Degree, I’ve been taught very little but I have learnt so much.
Storytelling is the backbone of my practice as a Visual Artist. Having grown up with hearing difficulties and a speech impediment I took to writing stories for comfort. I grew up inventing eccentric but believable characters and fantastical settings worthy of the term Utopias (some of them at least). Through my Fine Art studies (3 years undergraduate at Leeds Met and 2 year MFA at Newcastle) I developed upon these childhood stories to create a world where I could hide. Yet whilst I lost myself in fantasy the truth in reality is that I was suffering from severe anxiety disorders and depression. It was through writing stories that I found my voice. Many years after leaving speech therapy I finally found my true ability to communicate. This developed further when, as a student Artist I chose to create visual representations of the narratives I’d spent years developing.
Through my fictions I am able to be honest about my feelings and humanise the mental illnesses I find myself suffering from. This blog seeks to act as a record to the development of this vast project in documenting the various stories and subsequent artworks which are my attempt to depict the narratives in question.
I also seek to use this blog as a resource for other young artists or anyone struggling with academic studies. I hope that my experiences can offer some sense of comfort for anyone struggling before a group crit are faced with the prospect of writing their Fine Art Dissertation. Whilst I value the experiences I’ve had as Fine Art graduate I do feel that I was taught very little in Art School. I learnt more from my surroundings in a new and unknown city and fellow peers than from the teaching staff and faculty facilities. So let me take you on a journey into my fictional world through the artworks documented here. I hope you enjoy.
