MEGA Crit

Today was the day of the MEGA Crit.

I was very anxious about this task and the horror of having to leave my work for other people to see.

The work I'd produced for the Summer brief was finished and ready to show, but I was wary about how it might be received and how it would appear next to all the fantastic work of my peers.

It wasn't useful for me to enter the task in such a negative mindset and now that I have experienced it, I know that it wasn't half as bad as I had anticipated. Crits are nothing to be afraid of. My peers - level 4, 5 and 6 - were all extremely constructive and encouraging of everyone's work.

Things I saw:

+ Some excellently crafted drawings. It is obvious that this is what they love

+ Lots of beautiful line work. Strong and confident.

 - Lots of fine liner drawings! Move away from your comfort zone.

+ Some brilliant examples of playful practice. Experimental and fun use of unusual media.

+ Most people had devoted a lot of time to the project and obviously committed themselves to the task.

+ Great conceptual awareness and development of ideas.

Responses to my work:

Visual Quality

I like the Polaroid style/quality.

So well crafted and photographed.

I like how you've presented your work as a book, feels like you're reading a story when looking at it.

Good presentation.

Love the photography.

Really charming work.

Cutest thing I have ever seen!

Love the craft and experimentation.

Your work is brill, keep at it.

The little models are adorable.

The craftmanship and thought into characters really creates the image.

Concepts/ideas/content

Creative approach - using craft and photography to illustrate.

Sketchbook well thought out.

Nice idea to create a 3D item and photograph.

KEEP MAKING - a willingness to be crafty and hands on will take you far.

General Comments or Advice

Consistent, simple, yet effective.

Absolutely love this idea. Great amount of work gone into it too. Well done. Particularly like the bride and groom pixie dolls.

So different! I love it!

Keep doing this, trying new things out.

Although I was worried about this task, I found it really useful.

I have seen so much talent and professionalism that has inspired me. 

I have offered advice and been given some great feedback in return.

I will refer back to this feedback to inform my future creative practice.

We all have something to offer.

It was brilliant to see how the second and third year students have progressed. 

This really has given me an idea of what I am striving to achieve in the next year.

I really struggled with the nature of this challenge, but I have really benefited from it. I will approach critiques with a positive attitude in the future, willing to improve and be changed by such experiences.