The Beginning

Now I have to start the long paperwork process also find an apartment in a very short time frame. I was given advice to look at Facebook groups and websites to find rooms to rent in Barcelona. However I was not finding anything I felt comfortable with, I want to live with students or people around my age. Literally I few days to go, I found an international student apartment only 30 mins away from my work place. Also the apartment is in the city, where shops and the metro are very close by. I made sure I had my travel insurance, filled out the necessary documents for Coventry University and my internship. I underestimated how long this process was, it took me until the day I left to finish all my paper work. With this I have been given an insight into the process of working abroad, I know the mandatory documents needed from me and the company. I have booked my flights and I'm ready to go.

I am happy to say that I have found an internship in Barcelona, Spain. It consists of Digital Marketing, even though it's not Graphic Design I believe that the experience would be valuable. This is due to the fact I think it's that useful to be able to know how to market my designs. It first I didn't want to go to Spain, my heart was set on Italy because it was a language I fell in love with, after learning it in secondary school. I wanted to be fluent and after researching the most effective way is to immerse yourself in the language by being in the country. However it was suggested I look else where because I was not getting any responses. I started looking at Spain because Spanish is very similar to Italian, also I wanted to go somewhere sunny. Seeing as I'm liking the idea of living in California, which has the biggest Latino population in the USA, I think it will be beneficial to learn Spanish; as well as it being the 2nd most spoken language in the world. This I...

I am now currently looking for a internship in Spain rather than a year long study abroad, because I want to see how design works in a business. Also I want to have that experience of putting more work into practice, beyond university assignments. This experience would be very useful after graduation because employers will be looking for graduates with experience; this is my way of being ahead of the game. It is also beneficial during my 3rd year, seeing sit will improve my work bring it up to industry standard. My second year in Coventry helped prepare myself for this, creative futures helped my construct my cover letter and CV. My tutors helped me with my portfolio, I was even given a website issue.com to present my portfolio online; making it look more professional. I have been searching for an internship since April 2016 in Italy, however looking at the economic climate I was told by Erasmus to start looking elsewhere. Even though I have been looking for a long time I am not go...

I was making my way back to England I began to reflect on my time in California and what this trip taught me. Nature, Food and Culture San Marcos is located in a desert, I was surrounded by mountains, hills, palm trees and flowers. Being from London I am not immersed in nature as much as I like, however in California I loved the scenery, the smell of fresh air as well as being able to workout outside in the sun. Embracing nature helps me relax and clear my mind, leading to the growth of creativity. The University is not just built on a hill however it is apart of the hill, engulfed with flowers and greenery. What I have taken from this is that, before I study or if I am have some sort of creative block I will go outside for clarity and creativity, rather than on my Mac. I remember my Graphic Design professor saying something along the lines of ' the core of design comes from nature '. This I believe is true when you look at the mechanism of a car or our primary colours they...

I received positive feedback for my Black Hair Project, one  one of my models said to me ” I am really happy you are doing this project, normally black women are not acknowledged or noticed. Your project is making me feel seen and empowered !". Also one of my models explained that the reason why her hair is short is due to her damaging her hair with  straighteners,  because she hated her curls, however now she embraces it. My main aim was to spread positivity and encourage women to embrace their natural selves.  Sadly I have finished my semester, I wish I could stay longer but I am grateful for the experience a new culture. This experience has given a different perspective on design, which will my make my work have a global appeal seeing as now I know what would appeal to the California market. In California, people prefer design with an individualistic concept while in the UK people value design with familiarity. With that being said I wou...

Black Hair Project I am very pleased with the outcome, especially it being my first photography based project, my professor gave an A. I learnt a lot about creating the right environment, editing style, the importance of lighting and detail. I wanted to have a voice over to make it more relatable as well as to feel the emotion within my voice, I wanted the audience whether they are black or not, to understand the struggle of having to conform to standards of European beauty of you are not European. I wanted black women to relate to my experiences and experiences of others that I mentioned for instance black hair styles such as dreadlocks are being banned in schools. However dreadlocks holds spiritual and cultural connection within African culture, yet they perceived to have a connection with gang culture. This mentality perpetuates the idea that black hairstyles are criminal hence black women trying to change their natural hair to look professional because our natural hair is n...

I had to create a vector self portrait for my Graphic Design class, which was challenging because I'm used to drawing silhouettes or objects with a solid colour or gradient. I had to use a combination of Photoshop and Illustrator, Photoshop to edit the picture so that I have more defiant colours. My professor stated that it's not supposed to be realistic however the edges should be smooth. I am happy I was given this assignment because now I have more options when creating work, I am not limited to pictures and silhouettes. It is also an venue that I see people get commission, so I can make money from it as well as get my work out there.