Evaluation

After researching, brainstorming and experimenting I began to look into influences for trends, and after a while I found that I kept going back to looking at magazine covers. This soon became the direction in which my work was heading and a magazine cover became my outcome. My thoughts have definitely changed since writing my project proposal. At the very beginning I thought mainly of my outcome being purely photographic, whereas in reality it has become much more of a fashion promotion and styling project with the final outcome being photographic. 

At the very beginning of this project I wrote a very rough weekly plan for my Final Major Project and this helped me a lot to stay on track with my work load. However as the weeks progressed I found myself steering away from the initial plan, as at the beginning I wasn’t entirely sure where this project was going to take me. Therefore I began to make another weekly plan which scheduled all of my work and made me more confident that I would complete all my work. At the beginning of each day throughout the project I made a more detailed list of the tasks that I needed to complete in order to produce a well thought-out outcome. I am a person who likes organisation and so these methods that I took regarding planning throughout my final major project were vital and deffinitely made the development through the project a lot smoother. In my blog I have recorded all of my thoughts throughout the project and it has been a place in which I evaluate my work. It has really helped to physically write out my thoughts throughout the project and has lead to a lot more development within my work. Without the blog I don’t think I would have thought this far into my theme, and if I had I think I would be completely lost in my thoughts without being able explain what I am trying to present in my work. My sketchbook has been a very useful place that I can record all of my work in a more visual way. My sketchbook is an organised place in which I can put down all my researching and experimentations. I have made it visually stimulating so it can help me in my development in my project. If my sketchbook wasn’t organised I feel as though my thoughts wouldn’t be organised and therefore my project would have been incredibly difficult to complete. 

One of my targets that were to be met was to research in many different ways and to take different routes to ensure that I have come up with the most interesting idea that I could have, because if I'm not interested in it, how do I expect others to be. I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t just using websites for my research. Although I did use a lot of websites, I also used a lot of books, blogs and the general public. I used my Pinterest account a lot throughout the project and I would say that it was probably one of my most used form of research. I found it to be really quick to target the area in which I wished to research and it generated blogs, books and other websites to look at for research purposes. It was a big target of mine to complete a lot of experimentation throughout my final major project to ensure that the thought that have come about from development have been tested so I know what I like, what I don’t like and what actually worked.

Many things have happened that have influenced and caused development throughout the project. At the beginning of this project I began to become very unenthused with my project and the way in which it was heading. I knew that if I wasn’t enthusiastic about what I was doing then nobody else will be. I took myself away from my research and began being a bit more practical in the way that I was working. I started experimenting with carbon paper and a few random sketches. It wasn’t until I stamped my thumbprint on a page in my sketchbook that I started thinking about identity and what it means to have an identity, or in fact not to have one. This started to interest me, and I went down a phycology route within my research, this got me a lot more excited for my project, and I was finally starting to find a base for my project, and soon enough the ideas started rolling in. I found this a very clear point in my project that caused a lot of development, and because of it, my project went down an entirely different path to the way in which it was heading. I have always been interested in professional photoshoots and styling and I wanted to find a way to contribute this into my final outcome. When I started developments for the idea of fashion trends and fashion forecasting, I began to think about fashion magazines. After being told to ‘never judge a book by it’s cover’ as a child, and throughout my adolescence, I have found it very interesting, that no matter how many times we are told, it is incredibly hard to get out of the habit, and its for that reasoning that books and magazines try so hard to make sure that their covers are going to draw attention and get noticed. I wanted my own work to draw attention and get noticed, and it was because of this that I wanted to create a cover of sorts. 

Throughout the project I was involved in group reviews that were incredibly helpful within the development of my project. At each review, which happened at minimum of once a week, a tutor and a few other course members attended. It was really helpful to listen to and take on board advise from my peers and from a professional. I always made sure that I was open to criticism and if anything I craved for it more that I did praise, as it would make sure that I was doing all that I could to produce a successful project. It was in these group reviews that I was advised to be more practical when I was unenthusiastic about my project, this was very helpful to hear. I also asked for many one-to-one tutorials throughout the project as they were very informative and encouraging for me. At each tutorial advise was given and it was incredibly helpful to hear what it was that I could do to ensure my project was the best that I could produce.The fact that I had three tutors to have these tutorials with opposed to only having one was something that I was deffinitely grateful for as it meant that I was given advise from three different points of view, and it was very interesting to see what they liked compared to each other and what they each suggested I should do in order to take my project further. I was grateful that I could ask peers what they thought of my work. I made sure to hang up my work above my workstation for all to see as they would come over and give suggestions without me even asking, which I loved. 

I have taken a lot of things away from this project. One of these things is that I have liked making mistakes in this project. At first I started making mistakes and not really getting anywhere with my project, but it was from these mistakes that I was been able to create a base for my project and from that produced what I think are some really interesting ideas and outcomes. Some things that I would change about my approach to my project would be my time management, because although I have made schedules throughout the project, I would make sure they are realistic plans. I have developed key networking skills throughout this project and have become more confident to go out and speak to people throughout this project. After completing my week long work experience with French Connection I became a lot more confident and proactive in the way that I do things and I have even found some exciting summer internship work at a photography studio. Next year I will be completing my Foundation year at Ravensbourne in Fashion and Textiles which will lead to fashion promotion gateway. I am excited to be focusing on this specialism as I have always been heavily interested in this subject area and I used this past year to experience other specialisms and confirm my wanting to progress with fashion.