Gardens of the Earth

As my final, final post on this blog; I have been asked to take three photographs of my final piece, in three different locations. Now, these locations can be complimentary to the point or contradicting it. 
Therefore, I decided to use gardens that are located around my area - by this I mean parks, actual gardens, lakes etc... 

Just to recap, here is my final piece:

So let's get a lookin' at what I've got.

• My first photograph was taken in my back yard, hanging on the branch of the plant and just in-front of my pond. 

• My second photograph was taken in the local cemetery in my area. Sitting on the right hand side of this statue.

• My third photograph, was taken in one of the many local parks, my piece sits on a wooden pergola in the midst of gooseberries and vines.

The reason I chose these specific places is because, the point for my final piece reads - 'Listen to the spirits if the wind; Their wisdom and experience holds no bounds.'

Choosing the location of my back garden is to highlight the a peaceful wisdom that every garden holds. The cemetery was to emphasise the work of the spirits around/ within us and all what they have been through. The local park was to imply a sense of growth with the gooseberries around the piece, and the influence that the small/ simple things have on our minds. I chose to take these photographs outside, because of the gentle breeze of the wind; the soothing atmosphere of nature; that wisdom and experience that really do hold no bounds. 

Another thing that was asked of me by my tutors, was to recite the alphabet with photographs of everyday shapes/ objects. Then using the images, to create one word chosen from my final point. 

Here is my photographic alphabet...

And here is my re-created word...

I chose the word wisdom, because everybody focus' on experience. Yes experience is important, but we all seem to forget about the the lessons learnt from sed experiences. To restore and maintain a sense of balance within ourselves and our everyday lives we must always remember the wisdom of others, which is why I chose the word. 

My Evaluation

Last thing to do now is my evaluation,then this project will be over.

So let's start from the beginning...

At the start of these summer holidays I was asked to create my own manifesto that was either a 'personal mission statement' or 'an expression of my creative and personal goals'.

Original Brief:

My original plan was to do a personal mission statement, however as my time with this project progressed, my points started to cross over into an expression of my creative and personal goals as a designer. This was because, I made my points to the way I live my life and how I channel my creativity into a visual aid. 

Abiding by the brief, I was to create my own blog and use it how I would use a sketchbook; research a series of manifesto designs; compose ten points for my own; thumbnail/design an array of pieces from three chosen points; finally produce an A5 design for my favourite point out my chosen three. 

I have successfully fulfilled the brief, by doing each of these processes with much depth and consideration. 

So lets talk about my strengths, weaknesses and improvements...

I believe there is always an improvement to be made with my time handling skills. I definitely need to work on using a timetable or set plan when carrying out a brief/ project. Another would be to add a long piece of wood or something, to make the hanging of the structure more robust, and for it to fall will that little bit more of ease. Something else I could have done was to make the design double sided, just to look aesthetically pleasing all around. 

I think that my main weakness for this project was the the metal wiring for the structure of my final design - It really needed to be made of a stronger metal (maybe thicker too)  -  as the one I have used is too malleable. I reckon that one a larger scale that this would have turned out a lot stronger, structure wise - but I had to follow the brief like it was my personal bible.

Strengths for this project: I have done a variety of research on designers manifestos, a few in depth design movements, as well as manifestos I found by surfing the web. I also feel that using the amount of ephemera and photography I have collected over the years, has really strengthened my design and all the work leading up to it. I believe that incorporating all three of my chosen points has set my design in a different path to other ones. 

All in all though, I am quite happy with what I have produced. It is very homely and welcoming design, and it certainly emphasises my point to the fullest as it is all about connecting within yourself: To enjoy, listen and be considerate of yourself and those around you. The main point it to listen to your surroundings, to be humble, to live in the moment, to just be HAPPY. Happiness is so hard to find in the world of today, where everybody is so rushed or too tired for living life to the fullest that they can. 

I truly believe that for this brief, I have produced a strong, soft-spoken mobile that is beautiful, peaceful and quite simple. It's not in your face with design or colour and it doesn't over power a room. The mobile design sits comfortable on the wall, the ceiling, out in the garden or on the front door, anywhere....   

Here it is, one last time, completed:

That's it now, I am finished with this project

So I bid thee a farewell 

Bye!!! 

My Final, Final Design!

It's been a full day of designing  once again, and finally I have completed this project and my project outcome. 

So let's go through my creative day, shall we... 

Firstly I decided on the point I wanted to use, which was 'Listen to the spirits of the wind; Their wisdom and experience holds no bounds'. Then I chose my most favourite design from the three that I produced. which was this one - 

I chose to create this idea, as it was very different from all my previous ones. Also I really like the fact that I could incorporate one of each, of all my ideas into the one piece. 

So once my decision was made, I started on my preparations for the structure of the design.

What I did, was use the wire from a metal wired garden fence to create my structure of the design. Using a reel of tape and a coaster holder I moulded the metal wire into my acquired shapes. 

My second action was to create my colour scheme - which was a range of navy to baby blue, with elements of white, and some bursts of bright colours. After all the metal wire was decorated, I added my favourite trinkets, that I thought were very in keeping with my theme. I also created the dreamcatchers, with small multicoloured beads. 

Trinkets:

• Elephant - to symbolise travel and remembrance/memories.
• Flower - to symbolise delicacy and beauty.
• Clock - to symbolise time 

The next thing I worked on was the stitching for the main quote of my design; using a maroon/burgundy coloured stitch onto a piece of cross-stitch materiel. Once the wording was all stitched on, I used a blanket stitch to coat the metal wiring.

For this project, I used many of my personal ephemera (trinkets etc...), this is because I like to live my life in a level headed, spiritual way. Appreciating the littlest of things and enjoying the experience to the fullest! 

My final outcome:

I am quite happy with what I have produced, so let's have a look at my before and after.

Original Design - 

Design Produced - 

Here is what I have produced from my day; It is just a tiny bit bigger than an A5 paper. I really like this, because it is really welcoming and homely. I am very happy with my outcome today , however I do believe I could have used something stronger for a structure, because as you can see it is quite malleable. (I really like the small versions my other two designs from the other two points, they fit in very nicely and do no over power the main point in the middle.)

Refining Three Points - Part Three

Finally, I have completed my last point from my top three. Again, I have created three potentials, as my final final design. So here goes nothin'...

'Listen to the spirits of the wind; Their wisdom and experience holds no bounds' - What I mean by this point is to trust in fate and destiny just that little bit more. Nothing is ever set in stone on this world and it most likely wont be in the next. So listen to your gut, take the advice of your elders, learn from the young and always have fun. Let the gentle breeze of the earth guide you into your forever undefined kismet. 

So let's see if my designs live up to the meaning... 

No. 1

This piece derived all from the elephants. My original idea was to have a herd walking through the water with cloud of memories towards an unknown fate ; however this did not work in the way I hoped because it looked just awful. Therefore, I used a photograph I took of my sister, in the midst of Sardegna, Italy. I have not manipulated the image in any way, other than using a Native Alien font in white and adding my three little elephants.I really do like this piece, because the colours work so well. I kept my elephants because, whenever I think of them I see them walking in a herd / family. Always walking, stopping occasionally but looking something new and exciting. 

No. 2 

This piece, it's a completely different style to the other pieces I have done. I tried so hard to use something other than photography - for a sense of variation. This one is just simply, simple. With the outlines and silhouette of three windmill, instead of a spiritual / bohemian approach, I decided to go for something basic and easy to understand. I chose the windmills because obviously their whole purpose if to listen and abide by the winds command. For the background I have used a gradient effect to symbolise change - It may be gradual, but it's always persistant.

No. 3 

This is a template of a piece that I would hand make. The idea here is to have this modified but vintage dreamcatcher variation. So let me talk you through this idea properly. 

My inspiration was a tie hanger that I found from Ikea, but it was so big that I just could not possibly use it for my final, final outcome. So I decide that if I were to make it, I would cut up some metal wire, make my rings and wrap ribbons around the wire, to make it aesthetically pleasing to my audience and I. Whilst travelling around Cagliari, I found a cute local shop that sold trinkets, ranging from pea size small to extravagant OTT earrings. These trinkets would be sewn into the centre of its allocated circle, whilst in the others there would be materials that I have collected over the years. In the big section, I will sew in the point 'Listen to the spirits....' into a piece of cross-stitch paper. Then, finally the last two centre circles would contain a miniature version of my favourite design from my other two points. I have decided to do this because, together they are strong points that really compliment one another. The two that I decide on will not over power the main point which would be 'Listen to the spirits....' I feel there is a sense of balance using all three point together. 

Refining Three Points - Part Two

After another day of designing, I have completed a few designs for my second point from my original ten points. 

'Be humble, honest and true'. What I mean by this, is to be happy within yourself, living a free, enjoyable life. But also, acknowledging those around you. In the world of today, everybody is so, GO GO GO, we never seem to have the time to be truly happy and content with what we do. Keeping these three things in mind, we can all live in great harmony, listening, bonding, teaching, and learning new things. 

So let's see what we got... (Each piece I create is to an A5 page scale)

No.1

For this piece, I decided to use a poster that I found in the local market place, when travelling in Italy. I really like the poster and all it's colour, however to have the writing I wanted, I had to strip the poster from all of it's original colour. Therefore, I added a Photocopied effect when designing. The actual image is an advertisement for an Italian chocolate, which I really liked and very simple. Drinking tea and eating chocolate, it's such a British thing to do after a long day. Which I love even more. 

Even though I stripped the colour from the image, I made my writing into a compound shape and clipped the original, coloured image, so that the text was filled with the nostalgia colours of the poster. I really quite like this one! 

No. 2 

This piece is all about family, and the simple things that we encounter in our everyday lives. What I have done here is, set a bright orange background, placed a photograph of the sea on top, and decreased the opacity, to create a glow. Sandwiched between the sea and orange is a collage of different places I have visited with family and alone. Some of the pictures are from back in the 70's. This collage is to highlight the fact that family is there no matter what and will love you always, there is no way anything gets past them, and the scenery photo's are the simplicity of life. 

Enjoy the little things as well as appreciating the core moments. 

No.3

This is a drawing of a local park that I used to visit on a daily basis. With a few added effects to enhance the shading, a charcoal like drawing was created; With the addition of some drawn, stamps of bright flowers and the sun; The text in the left hand corner, in a PokerHunters font. This is a full on nature piece, implying that the simple things in life are everything, for without them, nothing would even come close to complicated. This local park isn't really much of anything, mainly full of grass and dogs, but with our imagination, fun is everywhere and anywhere.

My favourite remains the first piece though! 

Refining Three Points - Part One

After a whole day of designing, I have refined the first of my three chosen points. 

Just to back track a bit, the three points I decided to choose from my final ten were 

• Be humble, honest and true
• Live in the tales of the unknown mysteries 
• Listen to the spirits of the wind, their wisdom and experience has no bounds

The first point I started designing with was 'Live in the tales of the unknown mysteries', which was originally shown as 'The most enticing mysteries are the ones that can never be solved' in my final ten. 

What I am trying to imply with this point, is that we need to be impulsive. There's already so much we know, but there's a million more things that we have no clue about. Whether it's a building that has been abandoned for years, just a few minutes away, or it's something mind blowing, like the theory of life.  Living with knowledge is great, we know our common sense and the good from the bad. But trekking across lands that are desolate and unfamiliar, there is just something that triggers my gut to go forward and adventure!

So lets get a lookin'...

No. 1

As I have peaked an interest in photography, I started with a photograph that I took of a local park that I visit quite regularly (Witton Lakes Park). 

I started my process off by scanning and placing my photo into Adobe Illustrator. Then, I changed the look of the actual photograph by using a chalk and charcoal effect - this is to create a black and white version of the image. 

Rummaging around the house, I found a few different kinds of damaged papers from previous briefs and projects. Scanning one of the damaged papers, I changed the opacity to 55%, and placed the paper on top of my photograph. Bottom, middle is the point from my manifesto 'Live in the tales of the unknown mysteries' in an Edwardian Script ITC font, size 28pt. 

I really like this piece because it has so much character, and from a bright, vibrant photo, it has transformed into a piece of the past. 

However, looking at the image now, I do believe the size of the font could stand to be bigger, to be more noticeable. 

No.2

For this piece, I used a second photo from the same park as above. After scanning the photo into the computer, I copied and reflected the photo, and changed the opacity to 50% -  to create an image that looks as if the viewer/ audience is peering into the park itself. After that, I used a cosmic image as the background with greyish undertones to highlight the patterns of the background. For the type, I used the font Sitka, size 20pt. 

I quite like this piece as it allows the viewers to perceive the photo from a different perspective. I really like the cosmic patterns, because they are so intricately simple. I love simplicity. The park itself is like a maze, there are so many hidden spots that are undiscovered, that hold such beauty. Which is what this piece is indicating. 

No. 3 

Following with my theme of Witton Lakes Park, I changed my photograph with a Fresco effect. This was to keep the colour of photo, whilst having an enriched, wholesome feel. Using a couple of the damaged papers I found, I added a Conté Crayon effect, changed the opacity to to 39% and placed it on top of the photograph. With the second papers (with the writing), I added a Photocopy effect with an opacity change of 24%, and sandwiched the paper in between the photo and first paper. 

With this piece, I used some papers that had writing on it, complimented with a flock of birds. It's set like a page taken from an unknown diary. Nobody knows where it originates from, who's it is, where it has been. To imply a sense of esoterica.   

Officially Ten Points

After much deliberation on my original twenty, and a lot of in depth research; I have finally nailed down ten of my points that I adore and genuinely live by everyday.
The use of second person within my points, is not to force or indicate that one should live by these points (I assure you that I am not recruiting).  I have used second person because, it is simply the emphasis that it holds for my points and their symbolization. 

1. Believe in silly things 
2. Listen to the spirits of the wind, their wisdom and experience holds no bounds. 
3. Do the things you want, not everything needs logic. (Do it for the shits and giggles)
4. Hope to say, when all your days are done - "I had my fun". 
5. Dreams/Nightmares - who says when your actually awake? 
6. Do not be disheartened by the things you can not control. (Shit happens)
7. What I love most about rivers is, you can't step in the same river twice. The waters always changing, always flowing. 
8. Be humble, honest and true. 
9. Mistakes are our errors in life. Sometimes we get the message, sometimes we don't.
10. The most enticing mysteries are the ones that can never be solved. 

One of my favourites out of the ten, is number ten. I love mysteries, they bring all kinds of emotions out. Each mystery is the story of the unknown, and what's more exciting and intense than not knowing something. 

So I looked into some of the unsolved mysteries of Art History, I found a really good website. 

http://listverse.com/2015/03/28/10-unsolved-mysteries-that-confound-the-art-world/

Another point that I like, is number five. To me a dream/nightmare is the life of my subconscious, a life where I can do or see, and understand more than in my concious life.