Starting off, im writing this when i should be writing my essay .. i even have all my research open for the past like two weeks. Yet im procrastinating? It's not like the topic doesn't interest me, because it does. Basically to start off, im way behind on my university work .. like extremely behind, like so behind i might have to re-do second year.

which i guess isn't .. that bad, i would just have to commute from my parent's house, which is like a 10 minute train away. It's just, i want to be DONE with university. I only handed in like two out of like seven hand ins, and one of those i failed because, i dont really know why actually lol. The last project i did luckily hand in, because it was a group project and was rather easy .. but im hoping i still pass it.

Okay, let me give you a quick rundown on essentially all the projects i need to do lol, ps. im studying illustration.

term 1 (late sept -> december):

Okay, so term 1 had three hand ins - two of which were the same topic. I did technically hand in my very first project of second year, but i clearly knew i did NOT do enough to pass whatsoever. and honestly, i dont even remember what the project was about, nor can know now caues my teacher accidentally deleted the moodle course page for it, but essentially it was all about experimenting. I had decided to do a comic, or at least the startings of a comic since we were NOT expected to do a final piece .. i think anyways. Anyways, it was a comic involving my beloved OC's (which i might make a whole page about them in the future, so idk look out for that) but that's when i truly hit my first road block, burnt out. I tried to push through it as i usually do, and was still able to do something.

So, for THAT project? I have to do some artist research, as i lowkey forget to do that, and experiment MORE. I might try and see if my roommate will let me use her lino cutting tools, as i already own lino, so i can do some quick experimental ink prints to use with my digial drawings. Adding to that, i need also expand my character designs more, i think im just going to re-do it because i really don't like the old character designs i had.

Aside from that? Not really .. much else i need to do, i'm not sure why im really procrastinating drawing but it might be because, im just not very happy with my art lately. But i'll give it another go, as it's been a few months now.

Okay, on to the next project!! Which is not really about drawing, and was more about anti-consumerism. Which IS a topic i am extremely interested in, i did an entire essay during my first year, third term, about the commodification of motherhood and children, and criticising family vloggers. It's an interest i adore. But this was a group project, which i missed out due to my depression and burn out growing more heavy everyday, making me miss the first day of the second set of lectures, where we got assigned groups.

But i DID attend the first half of the lectures, all about anti-consumerism and consumerism as a whole, which was technically the same stuff i had learnt the year prior. I only need to hand in two things for this!!

The first thing is a 3,000 word essay critising consumerism, i believe it has to be something specific within consumerism and considering another interest of mine is child development, i might just do an essay on that? Not to sure. Now the group project, is a bit more fun, and from what my friend had told me .. it's not really that hard. I basically have to design a business plan? Like research, and design a product and ways to earn something that isn't just money. They're not expecting something fully fleshed out and done, especially not from one person, but even my friend said that they just want to see a plan.

Okay so that's all for term 1, onto the next term

Term 2 (january -> early April):

Okay, if i remember correctly, all i had for this term was one singular thing. And i had a lot of fun with the work i DID create, but do i remember what i'm meant to create? no, would it help to take a look now to remember? yes! will i do that? also no. But what i was planning was something based off those flower guides mixed with flower fairies, a small zine with native welsh flowers, or flowers i saw around wales, and designing fairies based off them. I never got more than just .. designing a few things, that's probably why i didn't pass this module :( But all i have to do? I have to do more indepth character designs, experimenting more with different flowers around wales, and actually CREATING the final piece, which this hand in did require.

that's essentially it for this term lol, i've added some of the work i did for the first project on the side!

Term 3 (late april -> mid may):

unlike other courses, we don't have exams .. that's why the artistic courses finish mid may, instead of mid june. I've already handed in the first project, which was an animation based collaboration with the graphic design department, photography department, animation department and illustration department! My group consisted of three illustrators, and two graphic designers and we were tasked to create a response to a piece of art our lecture's friend had made, and that was really fun!! It was abstract and i was able to play heavily around with photoshop and my own nature photography.

BUT the thing i DO have to do, is a 4,000 word essay? plan? It's a research proposal, essentially just an annoted bibliography and a detailed plan for our third year dissertation, the very thing i've been TRYING to start lately. Luckily, i already have the articles i want and it's just about slowly reading them and getting the quotes i want, then creating a plan. I plan to make my dissertation about the importance of art in early childhood.

Or a more detailed way of saying that: The importance of art for preeschoolers/nursery aged children, and how art can help not only build confidence but also help in the development of social, emotional and cognitive development!! I have a massive interest in child development, as i said before, especially because i really want to work with little ones either as a primary school teacher or a nursery practioner!! I study child development on the side, though i've taken a break to try and do my work (which has failed so far lol)

Not sure if you've been counting but thats .. 5 things!! My main focus so far, right now IS my 4k essay. My friends have told me that it is generally really easy to do, and they've been able to do it in a week or two, so after i go home to my parents house for the rest of june (on june 4th!!!) then i'll actually get my ass down and do this shit. I have until mid July T_T and i doubt i'll be able to finish anything, but honestly, once i have both essays done and the business plan? I'll be able to do the two drawing projects relatively quickly. So on June 4th? I'm going to try and get my 4k essay done by like june 15th? So over a week of pure locking in or at least to have BOTH essay done before June 25th.

Luckily, i'll have much less distractions at my parents house, which is funny considering my stepmum just had a baby barely 2 months ago but my little brother is extremely chill and a cutie patootie!!

I've yet to actually recieve my deadline date though .. so i should be getting that soon ish? Maybe, let's hope!! During first year, my summer hand in was July 28th so im hoping its around that week again, as results come out mid to late August. I was planning on venting on this blog post but even im too tired to do that, maybe for another day idk!!

signing off, drea ˚˖𓍢ִ໋❀