Avramescu Anda Self-Reflection on the first term of Subject – Making Connections
Once given our subject brief I went directly to the library and began my research through a dozen of books from all market areas, fashion, interior and stationery. I have to admit that besides fashion, which happens to be the most popular, I didn’t know many names in neither of the remaining areas. By the time I’ve selected the ones that most appealed to me I ended up with a page full of names. I then brought further my research by collecting information from their websites or interviews and one thing would bring me to another and also lead me to new designers. Confronting my chosen companies with some of my classmates helped me widen my knowledge of existing companies as well.
Once I narrowed down my preferences to 3 companies, which I chose mostly for their aesthetic, I then began asking myself more on why I was finding them more attractive than others. The first thing I had to understand was what were they inspired from, and through which style they were expressing their work. I realized that all of three were inspired by natural and historical motifs with a Gothic feel and a bold colour palette.
I started my Pecha Kucha presentation having already most of the elements I needed and just gradually added pieces to it while continuing my research. What in the beginning may seem quite an easy kind of presentation since each slide runs only for 20 seconds it is actually quite difficult if you don’t prepare for it in time. I am struggling a bit in speaking in front of other people but going over the presentation several times saying it out loud gave me more confidence and even if I never liked presentations, I’m obliged to say that with all I did already it’s getting better and better.
Finally I chose my favourite company, the Timorous Beasties and took the study of their patterns to a more practical level by deconstructing them in order to find all the elements they contained. This gave me a deeper insight on how to approach and develop my work to fit their style and at the same time to differentiate myself as well.
I love making and experimenting in different areas but (or maybe because) I always struggled in finding my own style. These weeks of researching, self-doubting and a bit of the last day’s anxiety is the closest I’ve experienced in finding it.
I look forward for the next challenge ahead.
Anda Avramescu 