Digital Art has been a continued passion throughout my life. Experimenting with many software programmes, from “Windows Movie Maker’ and ‘Microsoft Paint’ to ‘After Effects’ and ‘Photoshop’, I have created a wide range of digital work starting from a very young age. One of my first creative outlets was creating music videos on ‘Windows Movie Maker’ using a games character. I would also create fake newspaper articles set within a game’s universe. Although these are early works they honed the skills I use today and required a lot of experimentation and dedication to produce them.
Throughout school I continued to persist in experimenting and creating pieces of digital art, using my spare time to create promotional artwork. I volunteered to create music videos for the school’s annual dance show each year and I also attended ‘Strood Youth Centre’ where my passion for art was allowed to blossom. I was given opportunities to experiment and learn about music production, as well as continuing to develop my graphic work. This helped me fully realise my interest in the link between music and art, such as music videos and promotional artwork. Through attending the University for Creative Arts on a Creative Media course I was exposed to a wide range of art and design styles within digital media. This enabled me to experiment and learn about film, photography, graphics, 3D design and animation. Although these elements interest me, this experience allowed me to further identify Graphic Design as the right path for me going forwards.
There are multiple forms of references that I take inspiration from, ranging from 60s ‘psychedelic’ movement artists, such as Alton Kelleyas, to surreal films such as ‘Daisies’ by Vera Chtilov. I was particularly interested in the way that Chtilov uses surreal techniques to incorporate many controversial themes into the film, showing the protagonists dancing on food, a reference to the food shortages that Czechoslovakia was going through at the time. She also presents ideas of feminism by having women sexualise men, flipping gender stereotypes and challenging the misogynistic culture. I also enjoy the way that Chtilov utilises a surreal structure, chaotically switching between scenes and frequently changing from colour to black and white. This film has been a recent inspiration for my work and creative thinking, encouraging me to incorporate storytelling into my work, specifically in the style of surrealism. I have been creating work through graphic design, photography and film, inspired by artist ‘René Magritte’ working with the theme altered states. I have also been working with thermal imagery edits, using the style to represent emotional states. I enjoy analysing artists and designers work, to determine how particular effects were created, I use a book to note down processes and techniques which I use as a manual when creating my own work. As I find and record new methods of editing, I am able to apply a wider range of effects to my work, increasing my versatility as an artist and intensifying my passion for creating work.
I am extremely motivated to study a course in graphic communication design, as this will allow me to further my explorations and interests in music and image. I am extremely excited by the possibilities of new technologies emerging such as interactive media, sound based imaging and promotional possibilities for the music industries through video and social media promotion. I am looking forward to learning new techniques in editing along with honing my creative skills. I am not afraid to express my artistic opinion and enjoy critiques and seminars. I am always sourcing new material to experiment with, whether it be film, photography or digital media and I always carry a film camera on me. I would really look forward to applying my enthusiasm and energy to the expectations of the course and hope to use the degree to refine my skills and knowledge within the industry.
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