Checking in

Although I have the day off today and would like to plough forward with study, I’m exhausted and have decided to rest and consolidate. I’m happy with where I’m at. What has been working well for me is that I will do informal reading/google searching and as I come across articles and photographers that I feel will be useful, I email the link to myself and group those emails into categories that I can access easily when I get to that section.

I have a general idea of what I’m going to do for some of my future assignments, more specifically the locations and a gist of the concept I want to explore. It’s necessary for me to plan my time.

Tasks in hand

• First assignment done, feedback was generally positive and I’m clear about the way forward with it and how I’m going to present it.
• Part Two coursework is progressing ok and I have Assignment Two well planned. I wish to focus on the hero’s journey incorporating the jungian concept of the shadow self. I’m going with a tentative title of “Tenebris umbra” which means dark shadow. Not sure if this is a tad dramatic but I liked the ‘sound’ of the phrase.
• Assignment three is also partly in hand. Having spent time at Christmas at Walton on the Naze during assignment one, I’m going to use the area for ‘Spaces to Places’ focussing on the geology of the area. I’ve got a tide-time booklet which is important as you could easily get cut off plus I’m booked onto a ‘geology talk’ next month which will be helpful for when I get to the assignment.
• I’ve decided to photograph Holkham beach for my self-directed project. On one hand it’s because I fancy a ‘jolly’ up to Norfolk in the summer. I’m going to explore liminal spaces. This will in some ways be again about grief although not specifically in the sense of death and sadness but a process of letting go. This is where I am at in my life. I’ve reached an age where a lot of things are coming to an end. I’m going to use a ‘big stopper’ filter with an open aperture to create a dream-like effect. It just seems like a worthwhile personal project to do and I’m looking forward to it.

Things to attend to

• I’m woefully failing at assignment six transitions. Although I’ve made some visits to photograph the park, the images are boring and I’m not feeling very inspired about it. I was at the Natural History Museum at the weekend. In the gift shop they had the crystal growing kits which I remember from my childhood. I had a glimmer of an idea about creating a landscape using the crystal solutions. It may be an entirely bonkers idea but when I’ve got some headspace, I may give it some thought and look into how I might go about this.
• I’ve not thought about a topic for my assignment four essay but I think that will reveal itself as I work through, so not too bothered.
• I’ve not done any gallery visits. I’m taking my Dad to the Tate at St Ives in May but other than that, I’ve got no other plans. I’ll probably book Photo London in May as well which if I’m honest I find wholly overwhelming (but also amazing and inspiring!).
• Next steps are to finish the coursework for part two. Before I formally start writing up my research for the next assignment, I’m going to research ‘Critical Analysis’ and write up the works that my Tutor recommended in his feedback for assignment one. Then I can focus on assignment two.

I’ve got an awful lot of draft posts which is a very large plate to digest but I’m comfortable with it. I see this as a process of identifying the holes in my knowledge and gradually filling them in.