PP -- Website is live

My very simple website is now live at www.tallgarden.co.uk

It is essentially just a link hub for my other social media; vimeo, instagram, and twitter - with a very short description about me on the homepage.

The design is very simple and clean, which I think it should be for somebody whose work comes in a variety of styles and mediums - and the same 'branding' can be easily applied to business cards, letterheads or other other promotional material.

I hate writing about myself and my work so I have kept the bio quite brief. I think my showreel can probably explain what I am about a bit easier than i can do in words, so that is on the front page to accompany the text.

PP -- Positioning myself

I really can't see myself finding fulfilling work at a commercial animation studio and so am sort of writing that kind of work off and don't think I will be applying for many jobs like that. Instead I want to continue making animations and films aimed at festival submission. I'm more than happy to produce work alongside a day job.

PP - "Careers" and Job satisfaction

I have decided I want to stay in Leeds after graduation. What this means RE: "Career" is unclear at the moment. I am happy to bide my time doing bartending or similar work to get by, but I am not particularly enthused about applying for work at animation studios, unless something particularly exciting or interesting comes up.

The most fulfilling and enjoyable work I have ever done were the handful of video classes I taught during my apprenticeship, the majority of which were with teenagers with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Teaching those kids how to express a story through film or animation, and guiding them through the production was far more enjoyable, and the results far more satisfying than any of the personal projects or degree work I have undertaken since.

PP - RI dream job

This week I applied for the junior animator role advertised by the Royal Institution in London. The job entails working with their digital media team to produce short form animations on a range of scientific topics. I've always loved science documentaries, and if I had been a more natural mathematician I would have loved to study physics. I have actually always been a big fan of their videos, and its a bit of a dream to be involved in making educational content like this.

It's the first job opening I have seen since starting my degree that has really interested me, but I don't think it is necessarily a graduate job, and I don't think I have enough experience of doing factual work to be in with a chance. Fingers crossed...

UPDATE: Didn't even get an interview!

PP - MAP Charity

I have been looking around Leeds for places I would like to work and the main organisation of interest is MAP charity, based in Mabgate.

MAP teaches an Arts & Media BTEC program for school leavers, alongside English and Maths GCSEs. It's a very similar set up to WAC Arts, the college I went to when I dropped out of school, and where I later studied for my apprenticeship.

Many of the people I studied alongside at WAC were totally failed by the mainstream education, but were given a positive arts education to focus on, which helped many of them achieve qualifications they could never have got at their original secondary schools, and I would like to be a part of a similar program in either a teaching or a support role.

PP Research -- Pigeon-holes

The "Research" study task has asked us to identify practitioners, studios or technologies related to our area of specialist interest. I find myself continuing to cast my net wider and not specialising in anything. This is only partly a deliberate choice, but mostly because I find the idea of developing "a style" or one single technique or medium to stick with for the rest of my life a pretty boring prospect, and part of what has always drawn me to moving image is the surfeit of different ways to communicate your message - and to commit to one area of expertise seems wasteful when I enjoy working in lots of different mediums.

PP -- Study Task 1

I have found it tricky to think of animation studios for the PP presentation. I am still in occassional contact with a couple of the independent animators I spoke to for PPP2, and almost all of them are able to fund their work through partnerships with various organisations like museums and galleries, and their local versions of the Arts Council.

I think an angle I am interested in investigating more is how to apply for funding for my own projects, through Channel 4, Arts Council or other similar organisations who fund independent art.

The next step is to think about distribution, probably trying to get my work onto the festival circuit is the main aim. So I am continuing to research the sorts ofestivals which show the sorts of work I want to make.