BIGXTOM

Monday 16 May 2011

HALFTONE TIME

As part of my FMP I'm making a book based on the installation piece I created. The book is made of two signatures and is halftone printed with CMYK. 16 different screens!

All well worth it though...

As part of my professional development unit for my degree I arranged a short block of work experience at a screen printing studio in London. The studio is a shared space with artist Rob Ryan and churns out a great deal of important artwork in many different forms. I was interested in the business side run by a great guy called Stu. I had met Stu on a few occasions and knew he was the kind of guy I wanted to work with.

Over the week with Stu I got a really good look at his processes, how he works as a professional in an industry which he is extremely passionate about, and most of all, how he runs the studio.

As a keen screen printer myself I have a good concept of printmaking, however Stu still found ways to school me!

I felt that the experience with Stu was extremely useful and gave me a good look at what it would take to operate this kinda of business and survive. I would also like to return in future for a longer period to gain more knowledge of this field.

These picture show a bit of what I got up to...

WEBSITE

I have finally got myself a real website.

It's running through a group called Cargo Collective. They offer template sites that can be customised by the user to create stylish sites aimed at the creative industries. My address will eventually be bxtsrh.com but is currently running on cargocollective.com/bxtsrh while a domain transfer takes place.

On the site you can find updates on current Uni work and many of the other creative outlets I partake in. This blog is also linked to the site to keep things updated.

Have a look and get in touch if you like what you see...

CHANGING TIMES

I haven't posted on here in over a year, there are a number of reasons for this.

A lot has happened in my life over the past year, some good some bad. I have experienced some very low points but have always come back up to some very special moments. I have learnt from each and every experience and intend to remember all of these things while building the foundations for the rest of my life.

Going to prison has had a very big impact on my life, I see a lot of things differently and I often feel a different person because of this. I try not to let it hold me back from aspects of my life but it does seem there are those out there who still don't understand the system or the people in it.

Another strange effect it had on me is one of time. I feel like a time traveler who is stuck in a time he doesn't belong. A year has passed since I was convicted but I'm only just starting to feel like I belong in the current time. Getting closer and closer to graduating from Uni is slowly bringing me back to where I was a year ago. This feeling of being stuck has been probably the worst aspect of the experience. It has stopped me from being able to connect with things that I used to find second nature. Applying myself to things I used to be passionate about seems harder and harder and organising myself is a constant struggle.

But the closer I get to my last days at Uni, the more real I start to feel. I'm starting to regain the motivation I used to have, the drive and passion that I worked with before. I'm also starting to think about my future and have begun putting things in place for what is to come.

I'm excited by these changing times, a new start is on the horizon and it's just what I've been waiting for.