Lisa Wrench Illustration
  • About
  • Drawing
  • Artist's Books
  • Animation
  • Installation
    • Building The Boat
  • Stories
    • Salt in The Blood
  • Blue Ondine
    • Wearable Art Pendants
    • Sirens & Sailors Paintings
    • Wildlife & Nature Paintings
  • Contact & Links
  • Journal

Journal

Lisa Wrench Illustration

The Results Are In!

20/9/2014

Comments

 

I'm not sure I realised just how much the academic grade of my MA meant to me ... Until the time came to open the envelope!
Whatever the result might have been, it was my absolute belief that I had done this MA for myself. That I had worked to the absolute best of my ability. And that I had followed my own path and created work which was personal to me and which I was proud of.
Ultimately, this MA has instilled in me a strong sense of identity and confidence, and a conviction that all good work must come from the heart.
In this respect, the grade would seem to be of little importance. I have never been a particularly high achiever when it came to academic success, I was always far too interested in writing and illustrating my own stories to waste much effort on homework and although I did reasonably okay at school I always felt like I was on the outside, that I never really understood or saw the point in academic achievement.
This MA, however, was quite different, which was why I decided to go back to university and have another go. The clue was always in the title ... Authorial Illustration. For the first time in my life it was an opportunity to be academically recognised for being myself. And in order to be the best myself I could be, I had to push myself. I had to put myself on the line. I had to make work and write essays on the stuff which really mattered to me. I had to be honest. I had to allow myself to be exposed.
After all that, after all that joy and frustration, after all that work, to then be handed an envelope with the sum total of your academic achievement hidden inside ... Well, it felt so terrifying!
It took me two hours before I found the courage to open it. I was afraid that if the result was any less than extraordinary, that the whole experience of this MA would somehow be diminished. As it was, I got the dream result. A high distinction. I cried a bit because it truly is the first time I have ever pushed myself and won. It shouldn't really matter. I'm sure that nobody else in the world cares. 
But for me, opening that envelope was one of the best moments of my life. 
A good moment.
A good result.

Comments

The Final Show

5/9/2014

Comments

 
I was mostly enjoying myself too much to think about taking many photos from the night of the Private View, but here are a few images from early on in the evening, when everything -(including me)- still looked fresh and pristine. There are many more images being loaded onto my website at www.lisawrenchillustration.co.uk and onto my Facebook page if you would like to see more.
It was a fabulous evening. Two years of hard work culminating in these last few weeks of frantic building to get the exhibition ready in time. There is still much to reflect on as I look back over the whole experience, but for now I simply want to enjoy the celebrations and the place where I am in my life, both professionally and personally. It has been quite the journey and I think I am still a little bit surprised to find myself where I am, having achieved so much in a relatively short space of time.
I will reflect on this more once the dust settles a little, but until then, all I can say is ... Follow your dreams, people ... Follow your dreams ...
Comments
    Picture
    Lighting fires on the Summer Solstice at Whitsand Bay

    I am a ...

    ... Teller of Tales. A Creator of Books. An Artist, Illustrator and A Boatbuilder. A Professional Daydreamer, Occasional Mermaid, and always The Eternal Optimist.

    About me

    Categories

    All
    Academia
    Animation
    Being Alone
    Boat Building
    Bookmaking
    Cancer
    Exhibition
    Fairy Tale
    Happiness
    Masters Degree
    Memory
    Saudade
    Social Media
    The Melancholy Joy Of The Freelance Illustrator
    Writing

    Archives

    February 2016
    January 2016
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014

     Subscribe in a reader

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

ⓒ Lisa Wrench Illustration 2017/All rights reserved.
  • About
  • Drawing
  • Artist's Books
  • Animation
  • Installation
    • Building The Boat
  • Stories
    • Salt in The Blood
  • Blue Ondine
    • Wearable Art Pendants
    • Sirens & Sailors Paintings
    • Wildlife & Nature Paintings
  • Contact & Links
  • Journal