Way-Finding: Initial Ideas

Creative Report: Louise Lockhart Responses

• When did you first realise that you were creative?

I have always loved drawing, I would be constantly making pictures and books and writing stories to go with them. I have been brought up by a very creative family. I don’t think I ever thought “I’m really creative” I just couldn’t help but do it!

• Did any teachers inspire you at school to get into the creative industry?

I had absolutely dreadful art teachers at high school, I mean the worst. That forced me to do more creative things outside of school. My mum was the head of the Art Foundation course I attended (in Bradford) and that was a really great course. That’s where I found out that you could do illustration at Art School. It hadn’t occurred to me before, I think illustration is much more popular than it was then (10 years ago).

• How important do you think art is for children when growing up?

Incredibly important! It’s a way of exploring the world and finding out who you are and what you’re interested in.

• Do you think it is important to keep art in the school curriculum, if so, why? Yes, but taught in a different way. It’s very prescriptive at school, not free and creative. I think people underestimate how knowing basic design skills can enhance your life, it’s seen as a frivolous thing to be interested in. You can see it when people expect you to do work for free because they assume you do it for fun. It’s not valued as highly as it should be.

• What was your experience at university both good and bad?

I loved it at Glasgow School of Art. The people and the place were really inspiring. I hadn’t really found my style or my niche then so I did struggle a bit. I think it’s OK to not have found your fully formed artistic style whilst you’re at art school, but the people who did best had mastered theirs, so I found it tough! I just used it as a chance to try out all sorts of things such as film making, animation, photography and painting. 

• Did you find it hard to find yourself and your own creative style?
  Is it hard to balance having your own time and work time?

It definitely took a while for me to get into my groove. That was partly down to being very reluctant to use computer programs to create my designs. Now I see them as a tool to aid me, rather than a hinderance. I rarely make designs without using photoshop now. It takes persistence and hours and hours of practice to start finding your style. Mine is still evolving all the time. I can’t help but do it all the time so I should probably have more days off. There’s just not enough time!

• What are the best and worst things about your job?

When you do what you used to do as a hobby as a job, it takes on a different feeling and sometimes can feel like you’re pumping out ideas all the time which is draining. I wouldn’t do anything else though. I love making products that make people smile. It can be quite lonely working from home on your own, but it’s great to have a connection on social media to see other illustrators doing the same thing. I feel like we’re all connected in a nice creative family across the world.

• What do you hope to achieve for the future?
  I like running my business The Printed Peanut but don’t want to become a manager of accounts and logistics. I just want to do the designing! I would like to license my designs to other large companies so I don’t have to worry about manufacturing them and selling them too!

• Is it hard to stay motivated?

It can be hard to treat it like a normal 9-5 job as sometimes you just don’t feel like being creative. It’s quite exhausting because every design has thousands of decisions you have to make. I don’t think people realise how hard designers work. Sometimes I just have to cycle into town and go round the shops to have a brain cut off from thinking!

• Does your work vary at certain times of the year?

I think I am more productive in summer when it’s lighter for longer, but I like the mad gearing up for Christmas season where things are on at full pelt! I have had a cold every Christmas since I started my business though so I do get run down. I think I need some Christmas elves.

• If you couldn’t run your own business what other job do you think you would be doing?

Oh wow hard question! I always used to want to make films, or be a part of the film industry as I think it could be really interesting. 

• Any creative people inspire you?

Yes! I love illustrators such as Nathalie Parain form the 1930s who made pictures using lithography and other traditional print methods. I find inspiration form all sorts of people such as fine artists like Matisse for his paper cut outs, Ravilious’ ceramics, Hockney’s etchings… I also love contemporary designers such as Donna Wilson, Sukie Studio, Yellow Owl Workshop and illustrators like Kaye Blegvad and Alice Pattullo.

• What is your best advice for young creatives?

You just have to do it all the time and don’t give up!

• Would you advise running their own business?
  If you enjoy it! I never thought I would run a business but I do enjoy it and it’s a good way to have money trickling in, in between illustration jobs.

Session: Creating and Presenting Work

Define the requirements.
Identify the problem.
Who are you talking to?
Where/how do they exist and inhabit in the world.
How do they speak/communicate?
Can you 'see' them as actual people? TRY, imagine you are talking to them in language they use.
What do they NEED to know?
Simply answer the brief and WHY this is the correct set of outcomes.
HOW, rationalise and be positive with your solution, review and review over the pre presentation work.
Never show the work up front.
Put client/viewer in a comfortable place.
Explain the requirements identified.
Tell them what they will see and why.
Ask them to keep questions to the end.
Explain the rationale and what they will see and the reasons it is the best solution.
Show the work and take time to remind them of why it fits the rationale.
Close, reminding them  few bullet points of why it works. 
Thank them for listening and tel them you are sure they can see why the rationale fits the requirements. 
User your rationale as a guide to answer the questions, keep on rationale and don't drift.

Creative Report: Questions for Primary School Teachers

 These questions look to explore their own experience at school growing up, their routes into teaching and their experience of teaching at present. It also intends to look at any advice they would give to me about becoming a primary school teacher. Both teachers are actually very creative, so it would be interesting to see their opinions on art in schools, how they overcome it and what creative things they do outside of teaching. It's also interesting to fins out why they didn't go into the creative industry and chose teaching instead.

- Did any teachers inspire you at school to get into the creative industry? 


- How important do you think art is for children when growing up? 


-  Do you think it is important to keep art in the school curriculum, if so, why? 


-  When did you realise you wanted to teach rather than go into the creative industry? 


-  Why did you choose to teach rather than going into the creative industry? 


-  What was your university experience like? 


-  What route did you take into becoming a teacher? 


-  What would be your best advice to someone interested in becoming a primary teacher? 


-  How important is it to show children the jobs that are available in the creative industry? 


-  What are the best and worst things about your job? 


-  How do you feel about having such a big impact on children’s lives? 


-  What do you see for the future of art within the school curriculum? 


-  What is your best memory of teaching? 


-  What got you interested in teaching? 


-  What is your opinion on the government’s role within schools and the curriculum? 


-  Do you think sciences, English and maths are more important than creative subjects? 


-  If you weren’t a teacher, what other job do you think you would be doing? 


-  Do you do any creative work alongside/as well as your job now? 


-  What other creative people inspire you? 


-  What do you see for the future for yourself and your job? 


Creative Report: Questions for Graphics Teacher

• Below are the questions which I decided to ask an A Level Graphics Design Teacher, which meant I could get an insight into both the creative industry and also the education system. The initial questions look at art in schools, asking about their own experience and what they think of it now, how it should be taught and the importance of it. I also thought it would be interesting to ask about their route to becoming a teacher and their university experience, which would be of useful information to me. 
• Some questions relate to the education system itself and discusses the importance of academic and creative subjects. 
•  The final few questions look at the future and also what other jobs would appeal to them in an ideal world. 

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• -  You inspired me, who inspired you?
  
• -  How important do you think art is for children when growing up?
  
• -  Do you think it is important to keep art in the school curriculum, if so, why?
  
• -  What made you want to teach art/graphics rather than going into the creative industry?
  
• -  How important is it to show students the jobs available in the creative industry?
  
• -  What was your university experience like?
  
• -  What route did you take into becoming a teacher?
  
• -  How hard did you find the route into becoming a teacher?
  
• -  What would be your best advice to someone interested in becoming a primary teacher?
  
• -  What are the best and hardest things about your job?
  
• -  What do you see for the future of art/graphics within the school curriculum?
  
• -  What is your opinion on the government’s role within schools and the curriculum?
  
• -  Do you think sciences, english and maths are more important than creative subjects?
  
• -  If you weren’t a teacher, what other job do you think you would be doing?
  
• -  Have you ever thought about freelancing?
  
• -  Do you do any creative work alongside/as well as your job now?
  
• -  What other creative people inspire you?
  
• -  What do you see for the future for yourself and your job?
  

Creative Report: Questions for Louise Lockhart

These are the initial questions I decided to ask, specific to Louise Lockhart, looking at what she thinks of art in education, her business, being self employed and how she got to where she was today. It's important to look at her as a creative and see what her experience at school was like and how she got into the creative art subjects and also the creative industry. I also thought it would be interesting to get an opinion of someone who isn't a teacher or in the education system, to see what she thought of art in schools and the importance of it. 
 I also asked her about her career now and what it's like having your own business, both the good and bad. I didn't ask her about how she got to where she was, because she already carried out a talk at university explaining this. 

• When did you first realise that you were creative?

• Did any teachers inspire you at school to get into the creative industry?

• How important do you think art is for children when growing up?

• Do you think it is important to keep art in the school curriculum, if so, why?

• What was your experience at university (if you went)  both good and bad?

• Did you find it hard to find yourself and your own creative style?
  Is it hard to balance having your own time and work time?

• What are the best and worst things about your job?

• What do you hope to achieve for the future?
  
• Is it hard to stay motivated?

• Does your work vary at certain times of the year?

• If you couldn’t run your own business what other job do you think you would be doing?

• Any creative people inspire you?

• What is your best advice for young creatives?

• Would you advise running their own business?

Session: Presenting

- Prepare
- Plan out the story you wish to tell. 
- Use images that will enhance your points you are covering.
- Images may replace the need for words too. 
- People want to know who you are, why you're there, what you're going to talk about and about you. 
- Smile
- Make eye contact.
- Beginning, middle and end.
- Keep text to a minimum. 
- Build up bullet points, same with images.
- Make a checklist.

Enrichment: Lotta Nieminen

I came across this designer, Lotta Nieminen who is an illustrator and graphic designer, below shows her publications she designed for children. It's very interesting and inspiring to see how she has used collage and made the books interactive in different ways. After looking at her designs, I found an interview on Facebook where she showed her process, with the link showed below, it showed how simple collage can be, but it can also be very effective.

Pancake! and Pizza! - Lotta Nieminen  

http://www.lottanieminen.com/

https://www.facebook.com/nytbooks/videos/1564428590254309/

Session: Interviewing with Creatives

Interview or Conversation

An interview is the exchange of information as a 'question and answer'.
What informs their life and their practice, all the people they know they will talk about.
Keep questions simple. 
Arrange the interview, will need contacting in advance, how long, the purpose, where will it be. All of these needs considering prior approaching potential interviewees. 
Preparation is key, an interview is better face to face but in some cases that may be impossible. 
Never take the easy route Skype/Facetime is an option, telephone or worst case a questionare. 
Why do you want to speak to a 'Creative Hero'?
Have a valid reason to want to find out things about them, how does their practice reflect their own personal life.
Plan, good planning, proper preparation and a sensitivity to the complex nature of interaction during the interview itself. 
Be attentive. 
Empathy, relax, take your time. 
Prompts, checking.
Inductions and formalities, recording, confirm things. 
Trust and rapport. 
Written notes, audio recordings, online record, using your initiative. 
The first question is significant, collect background information. 
Don't begin with anything contentious or abstract. 
Progress, keep checking you are getting the answers you need, keep checking you have covered everything.
Finishing interview, keep an eye on time, thank the interviewee, leave them with something about you. 
Post interview, transcribing, don't edit quotes. 
How can you use your interview, cop, dissertation, too good to waste this information. 

Interview examples - estudio 
Start building a list of people, why am I doing it.