OUIL501 Self-evaluation
To begin on a positive note, I think in some aspects of CoP
I have made great improvements on last year, especially regarding my written
submission. The topic I chose to write about was so interesting to me that I
really, really enjoyed the research period and think I managed to take a very
thorough and balanced approach to this research, which I’m sure will put me in
good stead for CoP3 next year. I definitely learned a lot about research, and
feel I am becoming more confident in being able to draw connections between
different texts and schools of thought that may not be apparent at first. I’m
glad that I managed to find a topic to write about that was not directly
related to illustration, as I feel that this discipline can feel too inward
looking, but that was still related to me via the broader field of the visual
arts.
Although
I think I am starting to get my head
around how CoP works, in truth I still feel
a
strong disconnect between the written and practical sides of the module. I
really struggled to make
visual
documentation throughout the first half of the year. In fact, it was only
really when I had a
fully
formed essay that I felt able to start making practical work. I found it very
hard to balance the
acts
of writing and researching with drawing, the two parts are not working together
for me yet.
Perhaps
this is just an example of poor time management skills, and I realise I will
have to improve
upon
this next year. My main concern about
moving forward into CoP 3 is that I have not made
sufficient
progress in synthesising the two halves of the module. At least I know that
this is an issue I
have,
and so I will be prepared to ask for help and perhaps try and find new ways to
approach work
if
I suspect. Hopefully the more regular 1-1 tutor contact for CoP 3 will help
keep me on track.
Although
the consistency of my practical output during this module was poor, I am
actually very
pleased
with my final practical outcome. Once I hit upon the idea everything else – the
content, the
aesthetics
– fell into place very organically and (to me) justifiably. It is hard to
comment on how
different
my outcome would be had I been more diligent in sketchbooking etc, because I
think my
outcome
is effective. It may be simple, but it is considered, and fun, (I hope) an interesting
response
to
an interesting topic. Successes in previous modules certainly helped me with
the book format.
One thing that I have really struggled with in CoP this year is
consistency. The ‘long & thin’ structure of the module, with fewer classes
spread more thinly across the year has meant that all too often I’ve been
getting to stressed out and busy with other modules and that CoP has been
shelved, in favour of other things that have seemed more urgent at that moment
in time. I realise that this is completely the wrong way to approach CoP, and
means that I have lost out on the opportunity to build on the time management
skills that I will inevitably need next year.
Although it has been tough at times, I’m still proud of the work I have
done for CoP this year. There is still a lot I need to accomplish in terms of
really getting my head around how the module works as a whole, and I hope to be
able to move forward by getting really stuck into both research and visual
investigation over the summer; I am determined to have a good head start by the
time we come back in September. My main aim for CoP 3 is to start managing a
cohesive body of work, which fits together under an overarching question,
rather than two distinctive ‘written’ and ‘practical’ elements. Both parts of
my work need to be feeding off of each other, in a way that is almost cyclical.
The successes that I had in researching
my topic this year mean that I am actually looking forward to beginning
research for my dissertation, and the trouble I had with my practical work is
making me more determined to smooth this problem out next year, and move
forward successfully.
