Art and Design Personal Statement Example 4

I am anxious to become a creator, to design and produce things that somehow improve people’s lives, inspire them to become creators themselves - I grew up in a household full of music and art, and developed a fascination with the creations I saw around me. Before I decided what I wanted to do I knew that I wanted to create and tell stories, and I realised that there were different aspects of Art and Design beyond fine art that I could completely submerge myself in and never get bored; illustration, graphics, film.

Looking at the work of visionary creators such as Wes Anderson and Saul Bass have helped in deepening my knowledge and opinions on design, particularly for illustration and film, and given me perspective on something which was previously a hobby. This has given me confidence to experiment and attempt to produce pieces that will create change, no matter how small scale this change may be - for example, in one person's life or even day. I have always loved how art can challenge me and how I think, and I have learned from it, realising that art doesn’t have to be traditionally ‘beautiful’; it can be whatever you want it to be. The aspects of design that fascinate me are those that surround us: Type, architecture, film. We live our lives in art, and I can’t wait to be a part of that.

Because of this I have tried to travel to as many exhibitions as possible, my favourite being the London Illustration Fair – the combination of so many different styles and approaches is fascinating to me and a source of huge inspiration in my own work.

Academically, I think that psychology and English have played very well off of art and helped me to understand the discipline holistically, as well as allowing me to continue with academic studies alongside art, something that’s important to me in both an educational and professional sense – when I’ve sold commissions or illustration pieces I’ve always tried to use aspects of literature and psychology to inform the mood and intention of the work, no matter how simple the design is.

Another example of the way other parts of my live have informed my art practice would be the three weeks I spent travelling in Europe in August 2015 - we visited ten countries, some with sublime scenery, others with bustling cities, and all with fascinatingly different ways of life, allowing me to draw on these experiences as inspiration for my illustrations. I love sketching quickly, getting the idea and shape of a subject rather than the finite detail, and being able to develop this. My experience travelling allowed me to have a plethora of fast-moving models right in front of me, giving me an invaluable store of references for my work, straight from life.

Externally to my studies at University, a thriving theatre department is something I’d love to take part in behind the scenes, working in the art department to really help a production come to life. As well as this, I was on the Student Union at my Sixth Form college, firstly as Equality and Diversity officer and then as a Student Governor, and I’m very interested in joining similar societies while at University. This position, along with my jobs and Silver D of E, encouraged me to develop my public speaking and debating skills, allowing me to voice my opinions more freely and enjoy working as a leader and part of a team – for example, I worked with my Equality and Diversity counterpart during Upper Sixth to help introduce gender-neutral bathrooms at our college, which I could not have been part of without the skills from Student Union.

After my Foundation and Bachelor’s degree, I want to study for a Masters in Production or Set Design or enter the world of production itself, to help me towards becoming a practising Production Designer or Art Director: careers which I believe would give me a life doing something I love and, most importantly, helping me to inspire others.