Final Goodbyes

 

This is the last week of term – and for me – last week of real sessions at Harrogate College. I realised that there is no way I’m going to get this work in and I’m really stressed out and in complete panic mode. Although I have done a lot of work, nothings been definitively finished, so I’m going to have to spend the remainder of the week tying up the loose ends I’ve left untied. This is mainly my design boards, which I realise, will take some time, so I’m hoping to dedicate a day to all of my boards. This term has been very tough, however, I do feel that the briefs we have been set have been the most interesting so far and I have enjoyed them on the whole.

I’m feeling very unsure about handing everything in on time and as the semester comes to an end I’m feeling uncertain about the future. I think that this course has enabled me to pick up some new skills, although I’m not sure I would feel confident enough to utilise them in the workplace just yet.

I have enjoyed my final semester here and I have enjoyed these briefs much more than all of the previous we have been set. I’m not sure I’ll miss the place but I will definitely miss my classmates, as I feel I have made some very good friends during my time here.

This is the last week of term – and for me – last week of real sessions at Harrogate College. I realised that there is no way I’m going to get this work in and I’m really stressed out and in complete panic mode. Although I have done a lot of work, nothings been definitively finished, so I’m going to have to spend the remainder of the week tying up the loose ends I’ve left untied. This is mainly my design boards, which I realise, will take some time, so I’m hoping to dedicate a day to all of my boards. This term has been very tough, however, I do feel that the briefs we have been set have been the most interesting so far and I have enjoyed them on the whole.

I’m feeling very unsure about handing everything in on time and as the semester comes to an end I’m feeling uncertain about the future. I think that this course has enabled me to pick up some new skills, although I’m not sure I would feel confident enough to utilise them in the workplace just yet.

I have enjoyed my final semester here and I have enjoyed these briefs much more than all of the previous we have been set. I’m not sure I’ll miss the place but I will definitely miss my classmates, as I feel I have made some very good friends during my time here.

Time’s running out…

So it’s the second to last week before our work is due in, and although this week, I managed to finish my dress (bar the hem) I still have three garments to go, along with my boards and the final bits of my sketchbook and a lot of reflection to do. I have managed to come into college every day this week, including 4 hours on Saturday to get use of the Macs in the library.

Although I’m pleased with my progress I’m so disappointed that I’m not further ahead; I feel as though I’m working and working but not really getting anywhere fast. This is in turn decreasing my motivation. I feel like the only thing that’s keeping me going at the moment is my fear of failure; I don’t want to have wasted two years of my life doing something, to come out with nothing to show for it. I am aware that I haven’t put as much into this course as many of my classmates, however, I have had some difficult issues in the past two years including family and medical issues, which I feel have had an impact on my work performance and my morale.

I wish that I’d had some basic art skills before starting the course, as I really feel that this would have helped me to get to grips with the workload better, so if this situation were to arise again, I would definitely feel more prepared. 

So it’s the second to last week before our work is due in, and although this week, I managed to finish my dress (bar the hem) I still have three garments to go, along with my boards and the final bits of my sketchbook and a lot of reflection to do. I have managed to come into college every day this week, including 4 hours on Saturday to get use of the Macs in the library.

Although I’m pleased with my progress I’m so disappointed that I’m not further ahead; I feel as though I’m working and working but not really getting anywhere fast. This is in turn decreasing my motivation. I feel like the only thing that’s keeping me going at the moment is my fear of failure; I don’t want to have wasted two years of my life doing something, to come out with nothing to show for it. I am aware that I haven’t put as much into this course as many of my classmates, however, I have had some difficult issues in the past two years including family and medical issues, which I feel have had an impact on my work performance and my morale.

I wish that I’d had some basic art skills before starting the course, as I really feel that this would have helped me to get to grips with the workload better, so if this situation were to arise again, I would definitely feel more prepared.

The work really begins…

This week is the first week back at college after the Easter holidays, and there really is a lot to do. On Tuesday, I spoke to my tutor about my collection and deicded on my final garments. I had already made a pattern for my dress and created the toile that same day. Over the next few days I continued to create patterns for my other garments, which include a jumpsuit, a pair of shorts and an asymmetric top. I have spent almost every day in college this week, excluding the Friday as I’d had some very upsetting news. My sketchbook is really coming along, however I haven’t started my final designs as I’m not definitely sure which fabrics I’d like to use yet, but I’m planning on making those decisions this weekend.

I’m not panicking yet but I am starting to feel the pressure mounting and I’m worried about not being able to handle my work in on time. I have asked for an extension to cover myself, but have not heard anything as of yet. This does make me extremely anxious; so I’m just going to continue to work my hardest, to not only prove something to my tutor and my classmates, but also to myself. 

I have taken the next two weekends off work to utilise my time better. I decided to make myself a to do list, and then set myself a timescale showing when each task should be completed. Although I am nervous and pushed for time, I’m feeling positive about managing my workload. 

This week is the first week back at college after the Easter holidays, and there really is a lot to do. On Tuesday, I spoke to my tutor about my collection and deicded on my final garments. I had already made a pattern for my dress and created the toile that same day. Over the next few days I continued to create patterns for my other garments, which include a jumpsuit, a pair of shorts and an asymmetric top. I have spent almost every day in college this week, excluding the Friday as I’d had some very upsetting news. My sketchbook is really coming along, however I haven’t started my final designs as I’m not definitely sure which fabrics I’d like to use yet, but I’m planning on making those decisions this weekend.

I’m not panicking yet but I am starting to feel the pressure mounting and I’m worried about not being able to handle my work in on time. I have asked for an extension to cover myself, but have not heard anything as of yet. This does make me extremely anxious; so I’m just going to continue to work my hardest, to not only prove something to my tutor and my classmates, but also to myself. 

I have taken the next two weekends off work to utilise my time better. I decided to make myself a to do list, and then set myself a timescale showing when each task should be completed. Although I am nervous and pushed for time, I’m feeling positive about managing my workload.

Second Chance?

I see this second week of holidays as my second chance to really get my work done. I started my Equality and Diversity  Essay, which I didn’t think would take me too long, as I am generally quite competent when it comes to writing essays. However it was a lot more difficult than I imagined and although I didn’t manage to finish it completely , I did get a large chunk finished. I have decided to take some books out of the library so that I can use some quotes and give evidence to support my ideas.

I’m not as pleased with myself this week, as I planned to do a lot more work than I actually achieved. I really thought that I would be able to get my sketchbook completely finished. I’m disappointed in myself but I have high hopes for next week when we are back at college and have access to the studio and tutor’s around to help in case of any issues.

If this situation were to arise again then I would definitely try to arrange my workload and time properly so I could complete some parts of my projects; I feel this would make me a lot more confident.

Holiday time!

So this was the first week of our holidays and I decided that to go home for a while, to see family and friends and to try to get some of the written and design aspect of the work done. I was very hopeful for this week, as I felt that the time off and the time away from the distractions at University would allow me to really focus on my work.

I felt very positive and hopeful that I would achieve a lot at home. I thought that my family would push me to work at it and get things done. Unfortunately this was not the case; I barely did any work so I decided it would be best for me to come back and try to work here. This was much more successful and I made good progress with my WBL4  module, doing some designs and sketchbook work, ready to show the company we were working for.

I’m pleased that I went home as I think a break away from the stress of University and all the distractions that come with it was a good chance to clear my head and refresh myself ready to throw myself back into my work.

If this situation was to arise again, I don’t think I would change anything because I definitely needed the break, as it allowed me to come back to my work with a clear head.

Oh dear!

This was meant to be our last week at college, and because of good friday, we were only in on the Thursday. However, I wasnt feeling very well so I missed my session.

I was very worried about missing yet another session; I’ve missed so many I’m really worried I haven’t picked up the necessary skills to finish my collection professionally, so in order to make myself feel batter, I tried to do some written work and some pages in my sketchbook.  

Although missing a session was a huge negative, there was something good to come out of this session; I did get some work done. If this situation was to arise again, I would try to push myself more to going into sessions, even if I am feeling really poorly, to ensure that I don’t miss out on anything important.

Coming Along Nicely

This is the second to last week of term and I wanted to get as much help as possible to help me progress on to the next stage of my workload. This week my PPD tutor helped me to create a couple of flats for my collection; they are amazing and look professional, but I’m very worried that I won’t be able to create the same effect when it comes to making the rest myself. I have completely finished my dress pattern, I just have to make the toile, which shouldn’t be too difficult. I missed the majority of Friday’s session because I had a follow-up appointment concerning my operation.

I was worried about missing another session but it couldn’t be helped. However, I do feel as though I have achieved a lot more this week, particularly with my sketchbook – I am very pleased with how that’s progressing. I’ve also written my essay on eco fashion and have handed that in. I am very proud of my essay, because it took me a long time to write. I tried very hard with it and used a lot of references so I’m hoping for quite a good grade. 

For the next few sessions I would really like to concentrate on finishing my collection, as I feel when that’s out of the way I can begin to tie up all the loose ends of my workload.

Back to the daily grind!!

So I was back at college this week, and I’ve made some decisions on my collection. I picked Alice in Wonderland as my theme, linking it to Cool Britannia via a great British author. I feel that with the orignal book, all the film and film remakes and with the new release there is a lot of scope for imagination. I want my collection to look very fantastical and fairy tale esq, so I have looked at using floral fabrics, oversized ruffles and frills, lace and pastel girlie colours. I was thinking at looking at the new release film and perhaps giving my collection an edgier theme but I’m still unsure.

I am beginning to feel very positive about my work; although I’m still behind I now have an idea of where I’m going and have made a start on my patterns and designs. I am looking forward o the coming weeks, although I know they are bound to be very stressful.

The big positive for me this week was finally making decisions about how I want my collection to look and the fabrics I want to make it out of. The negative aspect is that it’s made me realise how much work I have to do in the next couple of months and the stress and panic is already set in.

I decided to make myself a list and a plan to try to organise my work; I really want to get my work in on time and I want it to be good quality.

If this situation was to arise again I would try to re organise myself so that I could feel a lot more confident about handing things in on time.

Operation

Due to a very important and crucial operation, I missed my college sessions this week. I couldn’t attend my sessions, as my operation was a couple of days before our scheduled sessions and I needed to take a few days to recover.

Although I was worried about getting even more behind with my work, it was one of the last things on my mind. I have been waiting for an operation like this to come along since I was very young and it was too good to pass up; the effects of the operation have improved the quality of my life ten fold and are much more important than a degree.

I very much hope that if needed I will be allowed some extra time to complete my work, due to valid medical reasons.

Scary Times

This week was a big week for change. I hadn’t attended any sessions in a while, but I had to go into  college on Monday as I had my interview to progress on to the BA top up course.

I was very nervous as I hadn’t attended a session in a couple of weeks and wasn’t sure that I was ready to face my tutor or the reality of my workload. So many thoughts were running through my mind.I had no idea what she was going to say or what was going to happen and I was really unsure about the outcome; I had very little hope for being accepted as I have struggled with the course workload for the past two years.

During the interview my tutor focused a lot on my poor attendance and my struggle with the workload and I got very emotional. This convinced her that I wasn’t ready for the course and I withdrew my application from UCAS to the other places I had applied to. This made me focus on my future; I had to make some really difficult choices. I decided that I was going to take a year out to focus on getting some experience in the fashion industry to decide the career path I eventually want to follow.

Although there was a lot of negatives during the interview I feel that a major positive of this situation; it allowed me to really focus on my future and make important decisions that will affect my future.

It was a very hard week for me, but I definitely feel it was worth it. If I were to find myself in this situation again I would definitely face it with more confidence and not let my emotions get the better of me.