Frame Wall.

I'm currently redesigning the wall above my bed. I've had six photo frames up there for the last few months but I've been collecting a variety of different frames and pictures etc to try and mix it up a little.

These photos (all found on we♥it, but some of them not recently so sorry for not knowing the original sources) give the kind of idea of what I want the wall to look like:

It's that random, mixed up, wonky, vintage kind of look.

So this is the wall space I have:

There's also this bit on the back wall with my shot glass collection that I'm thinking of having the frames run over onto.

(I'm meant to be getting a bigger bed, which is why the shelf isn't central to the bed but to the wall - it really annoys me!)

Ideas for the frame layout:

1. 

This one doesn't include all of the frames I have, and it's on a bit too much of a slope for my liking. (The sheets of paper are from when I couldn't be bothered to take the other frames off the wall, but I soon realised it wasn't giving me a good enough idea of what the wall would look like)

2.

I quite like this version, I think it uses all the frames. I don't like the one on the very top left though, I think it looks out of place.

 3.

It's going to be either this version or version 2, can't quite decide.

Now I just have to decide what to put in each frame! Most of the ones above aren't photos of people, more like arty things and drawings and pretty flowers and stuff, so I think I'm going to go down that route. A couple of the frames have embroidered text in them and the embroidery hoops are just fabric (see them in more detail in my previous post), and the largest portrait frame is going to be my degree certificate (I haven't gotten it framed yet so I'll need to wait and see how big that frame is, it's place is currently being held by another frame from my room) so I think it's best if they're not photos of people. I've got plenty of other frames round my room for that!

Just FYI, the majority of the ornate rectangular frames are from TK Maxx, the basic rectangular white ones are from Poundland, a few are from charity shops, the hoops from my local craft shop and the others from Perrywood Garden Centre. And I made the russian doll :)
You can buy the embroidered quotes from my Folksy shop, Wishcatcher Crafts (along with a load of other pretty, girly things) and I hope to soon bring out a range of products featuring the embroidery hoops, as I think they're lovely :) so watch this space!

Alix Swan.

I just want to talk about how much I absolutely love Alix Swan's work! Alix is a paper/textile artist who is very inspired by classic fairytales, using the story as the basis for her work.

You can read more about her in the Folksy newsletter, Frankly.

I love this little Thumbelina foldout story so much I bought it! From here :)

I really love the way she displays her work!

Check out Alix's Folksy store, and also her Facebook page.

Imagine That.

A few weeks ago I was featured on the Imagine That blog.

I also submitted a piece of writing for their magazine, about my source of inspiration.

The magazine came today, and I'm in it! Well my quote was, I wasn't in time to actually submit any work, but part of what I wrote is in there, along with my website, so that's always good exposure :) They did cut down what I wrote but that's probably a good thing.

You can buy the magazine here. There's some really lovely work it in.
I must remember to keep an eye on their blog for when they make the next magazine, actually send some work in this time and hopefully get something in print!

Dear Photograph.

"Take a picture from the past in the present"

I love this so much!

I literally have tears in my eyes reading through all the mini stories and looking at the accompanying photographs.

Our childhood photographs were all in Edinburgh where i grew up so sadly I can't make one of these myself :(

(There's a lot of pictures because I love so many of them!)

Dear Photograph on Tumblr

I've Just Realised.

I've never really had a look around on blogger to see what other people are talking about, so I'm doing that now.

Hi new people!

Some great blogs I've recently discovered:

-alexyoung-
Ewen: Misc
-DEADBOY-
-PURPLE - DEER-
Tommy Kane's Art Blog
!!!HATTIE DOODLES!!!
moonshine junkyard
Speak Now
flora-fricker
Drawings
Claire Benoit
Jack Hughes
Artsy Angel

I'll update this list when I discover more!

27 Kodak Moments

I'm now contributing to another blog, called 27 Kodak Moments. It's about experimenting with disposable cameras, which I love to do!

They're looking for more people to contribute, so if you have any interest in disposable photography, let them know!

Question.

Q. What is/has been your most interesting source of inspiration?

A. I'm inspired by touch. I love to be able to pick an object up and feel it. Something tangible, real. It's not all about making something nice to look at. It's that natural instinct in a child, to touch something even though they're usually not supposed to. Design doesn't have to be rigid, fitting into a grid set out in InDesign. The beauty and individuality of handmade design is amazing. It's unique. Personal.

Imagine That.

Also...

Another helpful post for designers.

"50 Things I wish I'd known in Art School" by Johanna Basford.

Number one is particularly important:

"Employers and clients don't care about grades or distinctions. They care about your portfolio, your attitude and your previous experience"

Something I'm finding very true because my First isn't helping me get any jobs! Although I've been told by several different design studios that I have a strong portfolio, so clearly it's the experience which is most fundamental, but sadly that's incredibly difficult to come by :(

Also, number two:

"Do as many internships as you possibly can"

Kind of links in to what I previously said, but it's a lot easier said than done to do internships, unless you have enough savings to fund working for free. My parents don't personally agree with internships, as they think it's slave labour (which I can see their reasoning for) but it's pretty much the only way to get yourself noticed and build the experience which is so necessary even for a junior design role.

So my personal plan for starting my career in design, or at least my plan B because plan A hasn't been working out so far, is to work for a year in a non design job, save some money so that next summer I can do some more internships and be able to afford it. Plus hopefully the job market will have picked up a bit by then and there'll be more jobs available for juniors.

I do however still have my mailer to send out so you never know, maybe something will come of that! Fingers crossed!

Five Tips for Design Students.

From Damian Cranney at creative-choices.

1. Integrity

"To paraphrase an oft-quoted designer called Adrian Shaughnessy, the first thing that students need to really be successful in the design industry was integrity.

"It is about believing in your work and being able to defend it, and being honest in your relationships."

2. Communication

The next one was about communication, which is absolutely imperative to be credible, to develop both your verbal and your visual communication skills, and ultimately, to be able to present."

3. Cultural awareness

The third one was cultural awareness. I think people are drawn to the creative industries if they have something in their brain that really sends them off in a different direction.

"Or maybe they're drawn to the visual arts or they're drawn to travel, music, literature, whatever, or a combination of those things. So maintaining and nurturing that cultural awareness and that kind of third eye is really important."

4. Professional skills

"That that's all great, but in the last five years growing the business, there's other things I would add. The first one is developing professional skills and being organised.

"The reason for that is there's quite a low barrier to entry. Ten years ago you needed to understand the printing process and understand much more the technical side of graphic design.

"Now anyone with a computer and a copy of Photoshop can have a go. So I think the way we add value, particularly in this economy, is by developing professional skills. That's about planning and being organised and really diligent."

5. Get back to basics

"The other thing is really about getting back to basics and honing your illustration skills and learning to think like an artist.

"Artists are trained to look for the negative space and see things differently. It's interesting that we're seeing more and more students coming out that are very technical, but find it very difficult to problem-solve and look for creative solutions to business problems."

Light Leaks.

Thanks to Colton Rabon and his brilliant Light Leak Kit (which you can download for free for use in Photoshop) I've been able to make these regular digital photographs look so much more interesting :)

(The double exposures are mine!)