When a tutor says to do something- do it

Don't get caught up on your message- just make

Don't let the medium restrict you- just play

See lots and lots of contempory art

Have fun and don't worry about what you need to 'make' too much

Be nice to the tutors :)

Failure is what makes things get better. Play, experiment have fun, even if you believe you are a traditional drawer or painter, find some way through having fun to make that practice your own and individual.

Go see as many exhibitions as you can wether they be local or elsewhere, walk round the studios for inspiration too if you feel like you are in a bit of a bind. Be nice to the tutors and converse with them constantly as the more familiar you get with them, the more you will realise that they aren’t trying to change your work they are just trying to take you to the next level (plus they are quite funny people) and they do have some amazing ideas the majority of the time.

If you are scared you will be stuck to just one medium then make it your goal for that not to happen, play around with mixing mediums and techniques, you never know what will happen and thats okay

• Have a meltdown or an existential crisis (or both) - sometimes you gotta break things down before you can build them back up again, don’t get stuck in your head like I did

• Step away and take a break for an hour or a day - sometimes coming back with a clear head and fresh eyes makes a world of difference, that and sometimes ideas will come when you’re not inside the studio

• Do things!! - debate with your mates, jump in on conversations you find interesting, go to shows or exhibitions even if just for half an hour, make stuff even if it doesn’t feel immediately relevant or useful, I sometimes sketch to destress, my practice is nothing to do with sketching but it helps keep creativity without stressing about the course, cuz you definitely will (and also not everything is meant to be a ‘practice’)

• Don’t be afraid to change things - I changed something every single module, and I only figured things out during the final module in final year, best stuff I’ve ever made

• Sometimes you gotta play the ‘academic’ game - I don’t fit the academic way of working, I found that working my way but fitting it to the academic style a couple weeks before submission was better than trying to fit myself to that expectation (still be doing research though, don’t be leaving that til last minute otherwise it’s pointless)

• On that point though, research can be almost anything: music, artists, artworks/performances, movies, documentaries, books, quotes, historical events, external influences - don’t limit yourself

• Sometimes your work will do something you didn’t expect, follow it, don’t force it into an existing idea

• Remember we all make shit work. Sometimes really shit. Doesn’t mean you’re a shit artist. And even then, some people make a living out of being a ‘shit’ artist.