SEMESTER TWO: WYTHNOS UN DEG WYTH A NAW - week eighteen & ninenteen

How has it been 7 weeks since I last wrote here? I honestly feel like its been 2 minutes and 2 years all at the same time

The second semester has started pretty good, I'm feeling quite excited again after a good time of relaxing and enjoying my Christmas and New Year! The first week back in class was last Monday with John, he hadn't been well over the holidays and he was having technical issues with the computer so it was quite a relaxed class. We did do a exercise to write down what our transdisciplinary practice could be and then to 'link up' with others if it felt like we could collaborate. I linked up with Kate and Clare (I think) so I should really connect with them and see how it could work. John also mentioned a Ty Pawb site visit which is great because I have the doctors that morning, meaning I wont miss class or my appointment haha.

On Tuesday we had our first class back with Kayla and we were going to meet a lady called Veronika. Sadly Kronk (my car) decided he wanted to have a tempter tantrum and brake down so I didn't make it to class. I was so gutted because I really wanted to be there and see everyone! But I messaged Veronika and we arranged to have a call to catch up. I was super stressed when I got the follow up email from Kayla in the afternoon because I seriously thought I had missed loads. I messaged the girls and they assured me it's all good and explained a bit more what happened. I think the first classes are always so important because they set the tone for the semester and as someone who is OCD and organised, I like to have all the info first hand. That being said it gave me a kick up the bum to get organised in myself and make some plans for this semester!

In Welsh this week, we were informed of the Eisteddfod which is being held in Wrexham this year. They have a creative section and I want to enter something, so I was having a look and I think I'm going to make a bigger version of my cyanotype weave, and then use that fabric to make a garment with in the third semester. The actual Eisteddfod isn't until August but it starts pretty much now so I could probably enter a few times with different things as they develop. But for now, focus on the cyanotype weave.

The rest of the first week I tried to make an action plan for whats to come, but it wasn't super successful I have to admit. I felt like I wasn't 100% sure where I was going at that point which I know is normal and it will just take some time to get back into the swing of things. I did apply for the Susan Cotton travel award and then Kayla sent us another bursary with The Textile Society which I also joined and wrote my application for. It takes a week or so for the joining to activate so I haven't applied yet, but I'll do that as soon as I can. This funding will help me to do more research deeper into Wales, visit the Hiut Denim Company and some more of the mills as well as St Fagans in Cardiff to see the tapestry I found made by the Wrexham Tailor. Speaking of, I have a friend who is studying Welsh as part of her teaching job and she needs to teach an art class in Welsh, it has to be based on something from Wrexham so I showed her the tapestry and now she is going to use it as part of her class. It is so nice how all of these things align one way or another and it makes me feel so much more connected to home.

I did a bit more research on The Wardrobe Talk which Veronika runs and I wrote some ideas of what I could discuss when I do my own in preparation for our call which we had on Thursday. It was really good to talk with her and to learn about what she does with the Wardrobe Talks and all about who she is as a person. She is super interested in Wool and knows the lady who does weaving down in FACT, she has said we can go there together and maybe learn some weaving or spinning from her, which would be awesome so I am going to follow up on that one. I found it very inspiring because I have been feeling a little bit stressed about what job I am going to do after this course finishes. It's almost like this MA is my safety blanket in ensuring I can stay in Wales and not have to work for a fashion company in a big city, which is lovely but it doesn't stop the overwhelming feeling of being a failure once I complete the MA because I have nothing lined up and no income. I actually searched for jobs in Ty Pawb (because I know I want to stay local and do something for my community) and I saw a position which was Creative Director from back in 2021, it was only maternity and part time but actually, it would have been such a cool job! I also saw an operations manager position which is out now but that is not really my strength. So if they somehow managed to get a full time Creative Director position, that would be perfect for me haha.

I've also been thinking about hiring a studio space for this semester and the last semester, because it isn't ideal being in my mums dining room. She's redecorating and I feel like I'm making such a mess there and it would be nice to have a space I can make a mess in and not have to worry. I know that Ty Pawb has a makers space so I am going to check in with them when I go there for the site visit to see if anyone is using it. I think that could be a great solution and also get my foot in the door a bit more with the hub itself.

The start of the second week back we had a session with a friend of John called Barto. It was a fun session to see how he has worked with local communities to build creative spaces for adults and children to use as they wish. It gave me some ideas and things to think about for what I could do with my own project. He talked about how art isn't in focus and the lack of funding and it reminded me of a TikTok I had seen about the lack of funding in Wales for each category, so I must dig it out and see if it is useful to include either in my project or dissertation, maybe both! He also spoke about how (to him) Education was a system and learning was a passion, it is very top down vs bottom up. I think this is very interesting and it raises the question about school systems limiting creativity which I think we all feel, but then I hear from my friend who is a primary school teacher about how she tries to add 'play' into all her classes, so as everything, maybe this is case by case. Another thing he mentioned was is the word Art limiting? Again, I think there is truth to this, a lot of people don't count themselves as creative so if you asked them to do something arty they would probably decline it. This is one of the reasons I want to build a creative hub for adults, so they can just play and be open without the restrictions you may have felt in school if you weren't 'good' at something.

On Tuesday we had our first session with Louise, who will be taking the dissertation module with us. She introduced herself and then got us to introduce ourselves and our ideas for dissertation to her. It was a good session and she gave some pointers on what to do for the next session in two weeks. I basically need to start reading up on my topic and getting some key texts and key experts in the field so I have a starting point for my dissertation. We have to hand in our first draft on the 25th February which feels far too close for my liking, it's only 4 weeks away and I don't have anything yet! So that really is on my to do list this weekend. I do have some texts from when I wrote my project proposal for John but I would like to dig further to find even more relevant ones so I have more resources to use.

This week we also got out grades back for semester 1 and I was shocked!! On Monday we got our Studio Practice grades and I got 76% in total, I really couldn't believe it because I felt like I still had so much to research and develop for this module so I was so glad that what I had produced was enough. I definitely need to keep working on the research and development this semester so I am prepared for Final Major Project and can just make make make! Then for my Project Proposal I got an 83% which to be honest, I thought was a mistake. I really don't see myself as academic in that kinda way and writing has never been my strong point, so I was so shocked when I got such an amazing grade! I felt really proud of myself and as I have said a lot during these journals, it really confirms to me that I made the right choice in studying and choosing this pathway for the next steps of my career. The imposter syndrome I've been having almost lifts when you get this feedback and reassurance that you are actually, quite good at this!

So there's the round-up of the first two weeks back of the second semester. I feel excited, motivated and to be honest, on top of the world right now! I can't wait for what this semester has to offer and I am looking forward to writing my dissertation and learning so much more about art & wellbeing, and I am really looking forward to collaborating and maybe even opening up ideas for what potential jobs I could do once I finish the course!

To Do:

• Catch up with Veronika regarding meeting Kathy

• Create larger cyanotype print to turn into weave for Eisteddfod

• Apply for The Textile Society Bursary

• Contact Ty Pawb regarding Makers Space

• Prepare for second class with Louise

• Make a plan for continuing Studio Practice