Myself as a Practitioner

I want to make this fairly clear and concise, so i will answer the questions which were put forward to us during our week 4 class. Then at the end, give a brief summation about my design philosophy. 

WHAT DO YOU CARE ABOUT? 

What are the things that you care most about?  Why do you care about them?

- I care about my family, good friends, health, religion, being creative and being stimulated, wealth and the well being of myself and others. Mostly because these all contribute to the everyday life of me, and i either need them, want them or aspire to have them. 

What interests you most in/about the world?  Why?

- I am interested about the world full stop. How could you not be. It’s a fascinating thing/place to be interested in. It holds so many wonders, troubles and unknowns. 

What values will you never compromise on?

Honesty, trust and love. 

What do you like about fashion?  What don’t you like about fashion?

Fashion although i find it sometimes excessive is yet another avenue that you can consume yourself in. Whether it is the history, the people, the fabric, the models, the clothes themselves, the prints, the ads the design… I love it all… I find the industry very very competitive, it is a global market with an incredible amount of opportunity. We are now heading in another direction of making things that are sustainable… Who would of thought that we would be designing or making clothes not through lack of materials, but for want of reducing waste… Who could have said there would be those trying to consume less and slow the process down… Probably not many. What’s great is, even though we are constantly reinventing the wheel, there are still so many areas which are yet to be developed, new technologies yet to be invented. I love the fact that fashion is ongoing… everlasting and ever needed. 

 

ATTITUDES AND APPROACHES TO TASKS/DESIGN PROJECTS

What motivates you to work?  What do you work towards?  Why are you at uni?

- I am motivated to work when i have a goal insight. Without that final tick in the box, the place that i want to get to or can see, i can’t work productively. I am also motivated when there are great outcomes or incentives… Whether it be as little as someone congratulating you, or asking how you made something… Small amounts of gratification make it worthwhile. 

- I am at uni because i believe that in order to get to the places i want to see and work in, i need to study… You can’t get anything for free, and i want to extend my education… Broaden my horizons, learn from people who have industry knowledge, who can help me see my full potential… etc. 

When a task is set for you, how do you approach it?  Is this different to when you set a task for yourself?

- When something is set for me, i often become very lost and feel somewhat bombarded with the idea/task at hand. It often takes me a little while to settle with it, group and gather what i believe i need to do in order to finish it and then approach it as best as i can, to the best of my knowledge. Obviously depending on the depth of the task, the degree to which i involve myself often changes too. 

- Tasks I set for myself however, often have strict deadlines… I will often make lists in advance so that i can start cognitively thinking about what i have to do. It isn’t until the deadline approaches that i go back to the list to hurriedly get everything done. I never like to hang things in late though. Everything will always be finished when it’s due. Even if it is within seconds. 

What do you enjoy most – beginnings, middles or endings?  What do you like least? 

I like the process… They are all very different. The beginning can be so much fun, a whirlwind of surprises… It’s when you conceive something… that’s can be pretty cool. The middles, is probably what i hate the most. There is just always so much going on, something that takes more time than what you account for… Then you always come across problems that need to be quickly problem solved… The middles is all about time management and being set in your ways. It’s a good stage to be at, but i am always pushed for time.

THE ENDS can either be the greatest or the worst. Once completing something, you can be completely happy, or completely angry with the work you have done. I’m a bit of a fence sitter on that one. 

Do you like entertaining many options at once?  Do you like multi-tasking? 

- I’m a massive multi tasker and am always thinking of what else i can be doing at the same time. How i can reduce the work load into something, in order to get more out of the other. 

How open are you to change once a process has begun? 

Depending on what i am working on, will determine whether or not i’m open to change in a process… Generally i like to have the basics resovled, so that if change is necessary it can be done calculatedly. It can be changed without it changing the original option too much. Moderation i guess. 

How do you know when you are finished with making a thing? 

- I don’t think something is every completely finished, but as a practitioner you have to learn to say enough is enough. 

Is it important for you to follow through with all of your ideas? 

- Not necessarily, some ideas need to be explored in order to make them come to fruition, or to just get over it. 

How do you feel about your work once it is done? 

Again, depending on what i am working on, i can either get a sense of great satisfaction or disappointment. Sometimes my skills let my work down and therefor i can be unimpressed with what i have achieved. Rarely am i satisfied with what i have done. 

Do you like to be neat, streamlined and decisive, or do you like making things up as you go along?  How careful are you before you begin a thing?  Do you tend to plan/research before you work, or do you dive right in? 

-I guess i am a bit of a fence sitter. Everything in moderation… I need to wander to both sides of the brain to really find out what will work. However, i do tend to research/ask around and get a good idea of things before i start heading in one direction. I like to know allot about the subject or have a fair idea of things before i put my heart and soul into things. 

How do you feel about control/how do you feel about improvisation?

Both are great. You need both. 

How do you feel about decision-making? What helps you make decisions? 

I think some people are born decision makers. I don’t like to waft around too much, so i’m down with decisions. In terms of what helps me, it would be research, being certain about yourself and what you believe in, and how you think it can work.

What are your strengths and weaknesses in terms of design process?   

- Strengths: being creative or having a sense of creativity. being open to knew things and processes, techniques, influences etc. 

- Weaknesses: lack of skills so far in my course… I don’t have enough things refined yet to work everything to my ability. 

Do you like talking through ideas with others? 

- Putting things out in the air is an easy way to develop an idea… it can help you be more creative, think differently, etc.

Do you enjoy looking at other practitioners’ work

 I LOVE LOOKING AT OTHER PRACTITIONERS WORK… HOW COOL CAN THAT BE. WHO DOESN’T?????

What is your favourite part of fashion design process?

The ideation stage… Creating everything in minds eye… 

 Do you like open-ended briefs, or do you prefer set rules? 

Again, i will have to fence sit. I don’t believe things should be too open ended as sometimes your interpretation can be completely off course. I love for there to be requirements in some areas, as long as there is enough to get some direction.

 

MATERIALS/TOOLS

What materials do you enjoy working with most?  Why do you like working with these? 

I actually like structured materials. Prior to working with fabric, i did allot of installation work, with electrical products, woods, found objects, digital/print photography, video and the likes. I like large scale operations, with BIG things!!!! I love lighting, and i love what you can do with it. In terms of fabrics, i haven’t quite found out what i like working with the most. It’s very hard to know, when for a large part of my life, i haven’t consumed myself in fashion… I think if i understood fabric more i would have allot more fun working with it. 

What materials do you avoid?  Why? 

- i haven’t actually avoided much to be honest. It’s great learning how to sew with different fabrics. It’s a challenge and sometimes head doing, but it’s something you deal with, when you get to it. I don’t by all means think you should limit the design of something due to a fabric. And now having learnt how to deal with stretch… i’m pretty sure everything is pretty ok. 

Are there certain techniques that you find yourself returning to? 

- i don’t think i know enough to keep returning to them.. I do however seem to use allot of the bodice pattern. I don’t know why, but because i’ve nailed it, i think i like to use it. 

Are there certain tools/machines that you like to use? Why?

 Straight sewere = my friend… But they are all pretty cool once you know what they all do, and what can be done with them. 

PLACES/SPACES

Where do you like to work?  What are your ideal working conditions? 

I can pretty much work wherever there is space. I love the studios for it’s atmosphere but will try not to be there any longer than what i budget for. It is easy to get distracted, so the less time in there the better. I love floors… i mostly work from the floor… with lots of space and everything in my reach. nothing can fall off… it’s prime. 

Where do you find ideas? 

Not sure… I think they just come to me. Whether or not my subconscious has seen something that it really likes and then it goes about bringing it up in my design… i’m not sure. But there is so much out there to be inspired by… 

Are there different places for different stages of your design process?  Why is this so?

 - Depending on what equipment is needed… This would be the only time i use different places for my design process.

TIME

What time of day do you work best?

-  Again, bit of both. When the pressure is on… that is when i work best. 

How long do you like to spend on your work? 

- AS long as it takes… within the time frame given of course. 

What part of the process do you spend most time on? 

- every part is just as important… it’s divided…

Do you find yourself patient/impatient at certain points?

- Both… obviously there will always be those moments.  

How do you feel about deadlines?

It means it has to be finished. Whether you are working towards that finishing point, right up until it’s due… Once the deadline is up, it stop work time for me.

 

COLLABORATION

Do you like working around others?

- I don’t have any trouble with it… I just can’t stand when i don’t have my own space… 

Do you like working with others? 

- Of course… people are very important… interaction is amazing…

How do you feel about delegating tasks? 

Completely comfortable… if something is delegated fairly… i don’t see there being a problem

How do you feel about following other’s instructions? 

- As long as i can understand what i am being asked to do, then it isn’t a problem. I will however be somewhat annoyed if the instructions are vague, not necessary or within reason. 

What is more important to you – pleasing others or pleasing yourself with your work? 

- I have to please myself to a certain degree, but i rely on the opinion or reaction of others in order to appreciate my own work… However i have never felt so less amazing that i do in class… It’s hard to please yourself in the studio atmosphere. 

Are you self-motivated?

Very much so… i push and push and push myself… I want to achieve… so therefore i think i am self motivated. 

Overview…

Just to add, when it comes to my making process i have to see the concept in minds eye… I then re-work and resolve it until i think i can get the final visual. Once i do that, i go straight to paper to work everything out conceptually. After that, i work all the finer details out, source equipment/farbrics/products which will work with my concept and then go for gold…

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