Reflection

In reflection of the year and our curriculum I have designed 7 characters each representing a module. The characters are designed based on the modules as I perceived them as well as my personal life at the time.

Animation Skills:

 

This was the first module of the year and I was super excited about beginning the course. I liked the module because of its short and practical tasks, I liked jumping straight into the practice of animation and I was proud of the work I was producing. During this time I was organized and managed my time perfectly. My personal life wasn’t it’s best but there was no chaos. I worked outside of Uni on average about once a month and for the rest of the time I threw myself into my Uni work. I would stay at Uni from 9am to 9pm every day (It also helped that I didn’t really want to go home.) The character I designed for Module OUAN403 is an organized little girl who is quite on top of things and quite pleased with herself.

 Process and Production:

 

I definitely enjoyed this module as we had a lot more time to focus on one project. Pre production is probably my favorite part of the design process and I spent a lot of time in the pre production of this project. I loved doing it! December I received some unsettling news that rocked my personal life. As a result, I spent most of December flip flopping between doing work and wallowing in self pity. After New years, I snapped into shape and plunged back into my work, working up to 14 hours everyday. I wasn’t completely proud of my work as I had to rush it towards the end but I was proud of myself for pulling through. During the last two weeks of the project I felt quite focused but definitely melancholy.

Visual Language:

 

This was definitely one of my favorite modules as character design has always been my favorite part of the animation process. I also feel like I’m in heaven when I draw and this module was all about drawing and drawing and drawing! For the first half of the module I felt quite relaxed, organized and confident. The second half I felt the opposite: Nervous, disorganized and rushed. The reasons for this were that I had just found out that my tuition could no longer be paid. As an international student, I am not eligible for loans and my father was helping me with my tuition. At the beginning of this year, the currency in my fathers and my country substantially depreciated. I spend the following few weeks desperately searching for scholarships, putting aside my studies. Unfortunately, I came up with nothing that could pay me through the next year of College. The character above is the same but represents two very separate parts of Visual Language. On the left, I am organized and on top of my work my personal life only mildly unnerving. On the right, everything seems to have fallen apart and I am completely the opposite.

Context of Practice:

 

I definitely liked this module for a few reasons. The first, Richard is freaking hilarious. And I absolutely love his lectures. After each lecture, I not only felt I fully understood what was taught but that I could go out and explain it to someone else. I really respect Richard as a teacher. The essay work was challenging especially the research however I felt the benefits as I was becoming a lot more rounded in terms of artistic education. Towards the end of the module, it began to feel a bit daunting. Since it was a year long module, OUAN401 quietly hid behind the other modules until it stomped out into the light and I realized how much work I had left to do. 

Applied Animation:

 

I really like this project as well! I felt as if I was in the industry and working for a specific clients with specific constraints really pulled in my focus. I finally felt professional and organized again and I worked quite quickly. However, the last few modules including this one I did fall behind on with all the time I had lost looking for scholarships, working to save money, and since it was spring, battling severe allergies that took me out of Uni a couple of days a week.

Personal, Professional Practice

Throughout the year, OUAN402 has been a sense of comfort. Everytime I stepped away from all of the stress factors in my life to blog about something I really enjoyed watching or reading about I felt like I was getting lost in the research. This module was comforting and fun and despite my life being chaotic so far for 2016, PPP has felt like a fuzzy hug.