Barreirinha Beach Funchal, from social landscape series Saudade

Cliff Andrade is a Communication Design graduate from Glasgow School of Art. Here he tells us what he’s been doing since graduating last summer.

I am an artist, the majority of whose personal practice is currently made up of long-form, research based photography projects. Professionally, I am pursuing a career in the lighting and shooting of moving image.

I have a vision of myself in the future. In this vision, I work as a (probably world famous) cinematographer, mainly on feature films. In between shoots, my long and tough weeks/months on set earn me the right and opportunity to engage in self-initiated long-form documentary photography projects. The solitude of the photographer forms a necessary and valuable counterbalance to the highly collaborative nature of the cinematographer, and each one reinforces the other. My photography projects are well-received by the ‘Photography World’, although whether this is due solely to my skill as a photographer or whether I am trading on my reputation as a cinematographer I’m not quite sure.

The Taking of Old Flo 

In reality I am, of course, a long long way from this – a recent photography graduate working hard to gain any and all experience he can to progress in approximately the correct direction. However, that I am able to put together a semi-coherent idea of what I would envisage myself doing in the future, however outlandish, is encouraging. This is the result of spending the months since graduating working in a variety of freelance jobs and gaining work experience: anything from running for TV shows and short films to assisting photographers on an ad hoc basis. Some paid and, unfortunately, many unpaid. Some which people have been kind enough to recommend me for and others sourced after endless hours on the internet and hundreds of ignored emails.

Vanessa, from social landscape series Saudade

I have also been lucky enough to have my own photography work selected for a few exhibitions, and was an award winner of the annual Jill Todd Photography Prize back in October. More than anything, these things give you self-belief in your work and the invaluable opportunity to meet and converse with others in the industry, be they experienced individuals or others in the same position as you. Off the back of this and the positive feedback I received, I continue to plan and develop my own personal photography projects and plan to carry these out alongside paid work. I think it’s important not to neglect your personal work for the pursuit of paid work. In fact, I think it’s essential for my sanity.

After leaving art school most of us knew we wanted to work ‘creatively’. I knew that for me this work would be centred around photography, either moving or still. The trick is finding out exactly what the world out there is like and where you and your skills are best suited (and how to get there). This is, unfortunately, something art school cannot teach you. The only real way to figure it out is to get out there and work away at finding this out for yourself. Some days most of us will go through feeling like this is beyond us. The important thing to remember is that to feel this way is absolutely normal, and that it will pass.

Jill Todd Photography Prize Exhibition

Monte Bom Sucesso, from social landscape series Saudade

To see more of Cliff’s work check out his showcased work here and our GSA Degree Show review from earlier this year.

Comment below or on Twitter using #LifeAfterArtSchool & mentioning @CenSta with your experience after art school.

Stay tuned for updates from art school graduates all this week. In the meantime see a what to expect from the upcoming Life After Art School features here.

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Ellis O’Connor is a visual artist specialising in printmaking, photography and drawing. She is currently based in Dundee completing her MFA at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design. Since graduating from her undergrad in 2014 at DJCAD she has exhibited extensively whilst travelling to make new work and has been selected for a number of artist in residency programmes.

Traces, A series of prints

Since graduating with a BA Hons Degree in Fine Art from Duncan of Jordanstone in June this year, I have been involved in many projects including two artist residencies. As my work is based on the idea of ‘place’ and our connection to remote landscapes, I am constantly travelling to capture new remote lands. Straight after graduating I travelled around the islands of Scotland for three weeks. This was a way of getting as much inspiration as possible and making new work on site. It also refreshed my mind as I was able to take some time away from the studio.

Close-up detail: Elements of the Shore

Ellis O’Connor – Edges

In July, I was chosen to be artist in residence on board an expedition around the Northern Isles of Scotland with the Clipperton Project. We travelled around the Isles of Shetland on a boat for four weeks and I collaborated with other artists whilst teaching artist workshops to communities on remote islands. I then travelled out to Florence for the months of August and September as I was selected amongst nine other Scotland based artists to receive the RSA John Kinross Scholarship. This was an incredible opportunity and really gave me the support to make new work whilst being inspired from a new setting.

Since the amazing residency and scholarship, I have returned to university to undertake my MA in Art and Humanities at Duncan of Jordanstone. I feel that it is completely different from being an undergrad, as it is more focused on your practice and working as an artist on your own. I wanted to undertake this course to develop more of the written part of my work and give me a chance to delve more into the ideas within my practice. Since returning to education, I have also just come back from Iceland where I was artist in residence at the Fljotstunga Eco farm in collaboration with Geo Park Iceland. I have taken part in two exhibitions: The Black Cube Collective’s Annual show in Edinburgh and ‘Waypoints’, an exhibition in collaboration with the Clipperton Project on the Isle of Eigg.

Series of Prints Framed

I am currently making new work based on my time spent around the remote islands of Scotland and working to large scale size for the RSA New Contemporaries 2015. I have also been selected to take part in artist residence programmes next year in The Bothy Project Sweeney’s Bothy Scotland, Cill Rialaig Ireland, and Norway’s Agder Art Centre. I intend to keep making work based on the atmosphere of remote places whilst documenting my travels out there to put across to the viewer. The only way I can keep making work is by travelling and so being selected for the opportunity to make work in organisations around the world is perfect for me!

Tidal Flow

My advice to graduates would be to apply for things and just go for it. There are funding and scholarships out there if you look for them. Central Station and Creative Scotland are particularly great. If you are truly confident in your practice and what your ideas and purpose of your work are as an artist, you will be fine. Don’t be scared of knock backs. The worst thing someone can tell you is no. You’re not going to lose out on anything by simply applying. I have purposely applied to awards and residencies that are going to better me as an artist and that I will gain something from, so just keep going and believe in your work!

Comment below or on Twitter using #LifeAfterArtSchool & mentioning @CenSta with your experience after art school.

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Degree Show

Dominic McIvor is a recent graduate from Edinburgh. He studied Painting at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen. Read what he’s been up to since graduating this summer.

I continue to make erasure based drawings that stem from my interest in endurance through ongoing manipulation of paper and labour intensive rule strategies. As well as continuing where I left off from my degree show, I am lucky enough to be working at Leith School of Art as a technician.

Studio

After graduating, I went traveling in Spain and Portugal. I felt the trip was beneficial as it allowed me to plan my next pieces, gave me a lot of inspiration and a good rest from the hard work of 4th year. It also gave me time to reflect on my degree show and highlighted the areas I wanted to explore more later on in the year.

Ziggurat

Diptych

The creative environment at Leith School of Art has influenced my work and is an ideal atmosphere for me to learn and share my ideas. It has given me great enthusiasm for my studio work, but also an appreciation of how art schools operate, a behind the scenes look. I was lucky enough to be awarded, from my degree show, a studio at Edinburgh Palette to make a body of work for RSA New Contemporaries. A difficulty for me at the moment is that I don’t have as much time in the studio as I did in art school and therefore have to use the time that I do have appropriately. I do this by creating small deadlines and following plans. It’s different to the way I worked at Gray’s School of Art. At the end of the studio award in the summer, I will be exhibiting at Edinburgh Palette. Ideally I would like to make two separate bodies of work for the two shows.

I am interested in endurance. I use numerical rules to compose repetitive erasure drawings. I have an oil pastel colour set pattern that dictates the drawing and use limited materials and tools to explore ways of reducing and manipulating paper. Therefore, I start with material and reduce it to a fragile state using fixed rules. Due to the scraping away of material, I reuse it to make shelves for models and frames that link with the labour intensive drawings.

Pyramid

Short and realistic goals have made me work well since leaving uni whilst holding down a job. I’m lucky enough to be working in an art school environment which has benefited me as I’m surrounded by inspiration and makes me excited about my own studio work. I am looking forward to RSA New Contemporaries, I’m so thankful for the huge opportunity and the exposure that it will create, I hope it goes well!

Read more about Dominic in this review from the Gray’s School of Art Degree Show.

Comment below or on Twitter using #LifeAfterArtSchool & mentioning @CenSta with your experience after art school.

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Richard Phillips-Kerr considers himself a digital native, rather than an immigrant. Driven by a passion for technology in his creative practice, this carries over to his professional life as co-chief of sales/marketing/social/merchants/growth/partnerships/ambassadors/support for Droplet, the mobile payment app. He graduated with a degree in sculpture from Edinburgh College of Art earlier this year.

I sit in a small, dark, cupboard-like room all day, every day. Once an hour, I turn on my laptop’s webcam and talk into it, narrating the end of The Sims Online. Next door, my pale webcam-face is projected live onto my even paler life cast. On day 6 of my degree show, while staring at people prodding my plaster cock through 3 CCTV monitors, a young man messages me. He used to DJ at club night I ran and asks if I know anyone in Edinburgh looking for a job.

Apollo, RIP The Sims Online

I wanted to work in video games. My creative practice served as a means for me to repackage and relive significant ‘virtual’ events. Events which take place in gaming worlds: the death of players, digital apocalypses, social unrest etc.. Pre-degree show I was rejected by 4 video game companies for progressively lower-skilled industry roles, so I said yes to the young man – I was looking for a job.

The Reincarnation of DJ Spike

Avatar. hardened, hollowed, dehydrated

The company I now work for is a tech startup that develops a mobile payment app allowing you to send money to anyone, instantly, securely and for free. In the end, it was all the time at art school I spent not ‘doing art’ that got me a job. Through running club nights and other nefarious extra-curricular activities I knew a lot of business owners in Edinburgh. I was recruited to get the app some traction with these business owners and their customers.

 Droplet (the app) is innovative and the team behind it brilliant. Ideologically, we’re made of the same stuff – support independents, mobilise grassroots movements and disrupt big banks’ financial control. When you become emotionally invested in an ambitious project, it is exciting, rewarding and totally exhausting. So far I have been hired, fired, rehired, relocated, promoted, fired, and finally rehired. I currently work for Droplet in Birmingham.

Since relocating from Edinburgh, I haven’t engaged with my creative practice in any real capacity. I think that’s OK for now. Whereas I was once thinking about how to convey the significance of The Sims Online’s extinction, I now think about how to make our underdog app outplay competitors like Paypal and Barclays. The most recent fired/rehired/promoted cycle has galvanised me to start thinking about art and video games again.

In January, I leave for Sri Lanka and India for 9 months. Whilst away, my degree show piece (Avatar. Hardened, hollowed, dehydrated) will be shown as part of the RSA New Contemporaries 2015.

For more from Richard, see his showcased work here.

Comment below or on Twitter using #LifeAfterArtSchool & mentioning @CenSta with your experience after art school.

Stay tuned for updates from art school graduates all this week. In the meantime see a preview of what to expect from the Life After Art School features here.

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Catherine Ross is a painting graduate of this year from Gray’s School of Art. Her work is made up of paintings and models which relate to her own experiences and ideas to do with ‘North’. She tells us what’s happened since her degree show.

Earlier this year I was shortlisted for the Woon Art Prize, which was exhibited at Gallery North, Northumbria University. I applied for this opportunity during my final year online. At the installation of the exhibition in Newcastle, I met the nine other students in the show who were from schools from all over the UK and I was awarded the Judges prize of £2500.

Bound

Following this, I can now understand the value of the online exposure which can be gained from events such as this. I now maintain my own websites. At the end of the summer, I was approached by Arusha Gallery in Edinburgh, who had read about my work online. They asked me to exhibit one of my final year models as part of their Autumn exhibition.

For the Washing or the Waves

Some friends and I also put on a small exhibition together following our degree shows. Since graduating, I have continued to sell existing work to those I met at my degree show as well as new acquaintances. This has included selling work to clients in both France and Italy.

It Snowed in my Garden

Found Land

At the degree show, I was given the opportunity, as an invited graduate to take part in The Royal Society of Painters in Watercolour Winter Exhibition and Graduate Competition, January 2015. I was also selected to make work for the Royal Scottish Academy’s New Contemporaries Exhibition. I have been concentrating my efforts on my studio practice and on making this new body of work, which will be shown at the RSA in March 2015.

Sketchbook

For more about Catherine’s work, see this review of the Gray’s School of Art Degree Show

Comment below or on Twitter using #LifeAfterArtSchool & mentioning @CenSta with your experience after art school.

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Self-portrait for Movember

Alexander Jackson is a UK based artist, illustrator and writer. He holds a degree in illustration from Edinburgh College of Art. His work has been featured in comics, children’s books, short stories, magazines, newspapers, as well as on forms of commercial art and murals. Here he discusses the realm of editorial illustration work.

Song and Dance Man

Since graduating with my illustration degree I’ve been involved in a number of projects. Most of these projects have taken place within the editorial realm. Shortly upon completing my course, I provided illustration work for The Skinny magazine. I was then approached by The List magazine to provide all of the illustrations for the cover feature of its supplementary guide to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, which took place last summer. The work featured on the front cover and throughout the guide. As well as this, I have worked on several publications for The Other Publishing Company, providing a number of illustrations for some of their short stories. These will be featured in the newly launched Cracked Eye magazine. Recently, I’ve been approached to provide illustrations for a manuscript for a children’s short story.

Log Lady

Saul and Jenny

As well as the previously mentioned commissioned work, I have been in the process of self-publishing a children’s book called Jenny’s Bath, which I have written and illustrated. It was recently acknowledged by 3×3. I have also been recruited by Phosphor Art agency.

I took part in Saltmarket Design’s Fringe exhibition at the St. Andrews Square RBS building in August. I’m currently planning on taking part in their collaborative show with Redcoat in December. At events such as this and along with my online shop, I’ve been able to make my work available to a larger audience, mostly though selling digital prints of my work. My work is very much inspired by pop culture, character and narrative so it seems to engage with a large mainstream audience. My images have been shared on Twitter by celebrities such as Jonathan Ross and Edgar Wright.

Bill Bailey

Despite originally having trained in traditional painting techniques, my work has a fairly graphical style. However, I have still managed to find private commission work for paintings, and I hope to introduce more painting into my illustration work.

Burns Night

My plans for the future include more editorial work. I find these projects can be somewhat simplistic but with a tight deadline which I seem to enjoy. However, I’m still working on broadening my clientele in order to diversify my portfolio, which should bring in some exciting new challenges and add some variety to my portfolio. I’ve also been working on a manuscript for a graphic novel, which I plan to illustrate.

My advice to anyone looking to get into this field would be to put together a good strong portfolio that is easily accessible. Your own website can be accessed by people very easily and has the potential to make you look very professional. People often ask me where they can see more of my work and having a portfolio website is a great place to direct people. Also a strong online presence whereby people can be kept up to date on new work and projects in progress (via social media, blogging etc) can be effective. It also shows viewers that to have a passion for what you do. Most of my work has come through my online presence and using various online platforms to promote my work.

Comment below or on Twitter using #LifeAfterArtSchool & mentioning @CenSta with your experience after art school.

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Photo: Deramores

Laura Muir is a designer, owner and freelancer at KNIT KNOT KNIT. Making the unwearable, wearable. Here she talks about life after the GSA…

When I was a student I couldn’t imagine life after art school. I became so used to being with my friends, the familiarity of the shared studio and my everyday routine. However, six months on and life after art school is extremely busy and fast paced. I find myself juggling many different things at once but this is incredibly fun. I am so happy to have full control over my own creative direction and produce products that are 100% KNIT KNOT KNIT. On 1 November I launched my KNIT KNOT KNIT website with three snoods available to buy. Since then I have been balancing knit orders, designing the website, creating press, organising stockists, freelance work and working a part-time job (to create cash flow – a must!).

Before launching my website I attended workshops with Business Gateway and Cultural Enterprise which has definitely made me more focused on my brand. It has given me an awareness for the different aspects needed to create a successful business.

Before graduating I always thought I would go straight into a company and start a career in design. However I have come to realise that this is often not the reality. I want to be in control of my own creative direction and create my own expectations and goals. Therefore creating my own brand is perfect. I love creating a world that a client can step into and be transported into the sculptural, chunky knit world of KNIT KNOT KNIT. Colour, texture and photography are definitely key elements that I focus on when designing. The end photograph/product gives me a buzz and makes the frantic days worth it.

Laura’s snood was featured on the Instagram and Twitter of personal style blog Thankfifi
Photo: Thankfifi

My aim for the next few months is to work on new cashmere orders and develop my website with a larger range of products. I also want to continue collaborating with bloggers, photographers and other creatives developing and creating exposure for KNIT KNOT KNIT.

I could not think of having a career that I didn’t enjoy. If you are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to have a career in something you enjoy you have to take it.

For more from Laura, see her My Process feature and learn more about her graduate collection.

Comment below or on Twitter using #LifeAfterArtSchool & mentioning @CenSta with your experience after art school.

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Ryan Esson is a filmmaker and recent Duncan of Jordanstone graduate with a degree in Time Based Art and Digital Film.

Having graduated art school less than 6 months ago, life as an art graduate has not been the most glamorous experience so far. A full year is spent working tirelessly on one project which the previous 3 years of your life have been leading up to. It all ends with a big exhibition and you’re given your final grade for your 4 years of work.

I feel that I needed to take a little bit of time away from studying and even art. So I have moved to Glasgow and taken the first job I could find to support myself. Glasgow is a very raw and creative city with many opportunities, so I feel that it could be the perfect environment for an art graduate.

My final year work “The Void” is still my main artistic focus as I am going to be showing it again at The Royal Art Gallery in Edinburgh on the 5 December, having won The Society of Scottish Artists award. This is a great opportunity and gives me an even larger audience to show my work to. I have also been working on some of the principles and ideas behind The Void and trying to look into them further and create a better experience than before. I have been trying to explore old ideas, but with a new outlook or spin. I have had some time to step back from it all and pick out the points I feel work well and I think that this has been helpful.

In my opinion, the hardest part about having left university would be trying to stay motivated whilst holding down a full time job. Setting yourself goals and searching for opportunities is key to pushing yourself to create. I am thankful for the response that my work has received and this has really driven me again to be more creative with my work.

The Void – Ryan Esson

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My name is Kelly McGrath but I work under the name/brand KellyDawn Riot. I’m Irish but moved to Glasgow to do my MA at GSA. I’m originally from a purely printed textiles background, but have transitioned into a both a print and menswear designer in recent years. The opportunities in Glasgow have been wonderful and so I have decided to stay here as so far it’s been very kind to me.

Photography: Gabriela Silveira, Model: Bejoy Sanjeev

Since completing my MA two and a half months ago, I’ve been lucky to have had fantastic opportunities come my way quite regularly, but that’s not to say that they fell into my lap. A lot of it was days spent searching for opportunities online or going the extra mile to go out of my way to approach people.

The GSA Promenade and accompanying publicity was a launch pad as it provided great exposure for me. I was featured alongside two other classmates on The Herald and on the college website. From this, I was contacted and offered two photoshoots, one for an online retailer, and the other for GUM magazine. Following this, GUM offered me the main space for a fashion show at their launch event in December.

I think it’s important that if you meet like-minded creative people that you keep in contact and network as much as possible. There’s a lot of people who want to collaborate with other creatives and the photoshoots I have on my website were the result of this. Gabriela Silveira Photography and Bejoy Sanjeev were two people who really just wanted to get involved and be creative and I think you can see that in the shoot.

Since finishing college, I have ensured that a large portion of my time was spent entering both large and small competitions. Although it’s sometimes incredibly disappointing not to win or to hear that they don’t want you, it’s good to see who wins and what their website or CV looks like so that you can better yourself and improve on things (like your website, like I did).

However I have recently been awarded The New Talent Award for Scotland Re:Designed which was an exhilarating experience. It has provided me with fabric, funding and a mentor which is more than I could have asked for. From this, I was offered a fashion show with Glasgow University and have had the most amazing feedback and compliments from various creatives such as the director of Grazia and the director of Victoria Beckham.

If I had any advice it would be to network constantly and to research, research, research.

Comment below or on Twitter using #LifeAfterArtSchool & mentioning @CenSta with your experience after art school.

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Samantha Wilson specialises in large scale drawing and painting and is currently based in Dundee completing her MFA at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design. She received a first Class Honours degree from Duncan of Jordanstone and studied for one semester in Toronto at the Ontario College of Art. She was brought up in Elie, Fife and spent six years of her childhood in Portugal before returning to Scotland for University. Here she talks about her experience of graduate life…

Since graduating from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in June, I have spent some time in the summer working and travelling to take a break from making art. This was mainly because I intended to return to university in September to begin a Masters in Art and Humanities at DJCAD, where I am currently studying.

Untitled (2014) Charcoal and Ink on paper 93 inches by 121 inches

Before returning to study, I exhibited with the Six Foot Gallery in Glasgow in July. The show itself was quiet, but overall it was a worthwhile experience because subsequently I was contacted by a publication called BleakZine (also based in Glasgow) who are interested in featuring some of my work in an upcoming issue. I mention this to consider that no matter how small an opportunity may seem, you never know what could come of it, so apply, apply, apply!

Dressing Up (2014) Charcoal and Ink on paper 44 inches by 80 inches

The time away from making has allowed me to really channel all of my energy back in to full time study where I am now developing a new body of work for the RSA New Contemporaries Exhibition in Edinburgh in March 2015. It’s fantastic to have somewhere to make work straight after graduating because the ideas and processes are still fresh in my mind after the degree show.

Dog Man (2013) Charcoal and Ink on paper 44 by 80 inches

Mermaid (detail) (2014) Charcoal and Ink on paper 44 by 81 inches

Since leaving my undergraduate study, I am feeling, even more so than during my fourth year at art school, the pressure of reality after school. Although I am studying again, it is a different experience to my undergraduate course in terms of feeling much more on your own. Art work is no longer something you feel you are obliged to finish because you want your degree certificate, but it is one step closer to being your ‘job’. It’s really ‘for you’ and not the grade. That brings a whole new perspective and emotional challenges to face every morning when you come into the studio. It can be very daunting but as long as you still enjoy the work, it’s worth it! I don’t know what else I’d be doing if I wasn’t battling away drawing and painting in the studio. In between studio work and studying, I am applying for artist residencies, publications and exhibitions.

For more about Samantha’s work, see Koren Dumbleton’s review of the DJCAD Degree Show here.

Untitled (2014) Oil on Canvas 240 inches by 60 inches

Comment below or on Twitter using #LifeAfterArtSchool & mentioning @CenSta with your experience after art school.

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