Well here's a post I never thought I'd be writing, especially after how excited I was about going onto Viscom at Leeds Art when I got in about this time 2 years ago. Obviously I cannot go into a large amount of detail, nor do I want to really, it's not my place to say anything bad about the course, let's just say it wasn't for me.
It took a bit of a wake up call from Tim suddenly wanting to change course as he was unhappy that I realised that I knew I'd been miserable on that course for a whole year but I was still going to stay on it for the duration and for what? Because I was scared or because I didn't have the guts to just leave and do what I actually wanted to do. So as well as so many other things I can thank him for I can hand on heart thank Tim for giving me the push I needed without even realising it.
After Tim decided he wanted to change course and set off for his holiday I was on my bus home about to book my first driving lessons, but I couldn't stop thinking about how unhappy I was and that if Tim could change then I could too, I just needed to go for it. Rae and Connor were already on the Graphic Design & Illustration course at the University of Cumbria in Carlisle so I'd heard about it before and it was easy enough for me to ask questions about it. I'd looked at the course and the website before and I liked what i saw, so when I got home instead of booking my lessons, I emailed Cumbria instead about applying to the course (bearing in mind this is late August so all applications are done and I'm about 2/3 weeks away from starting my second year of Viscom). After quite a lot of back and forth emails I find out I can still apply and not through UCAS since I'm past A-level/college stage and have the grades to get it. Cue staying up till 6am three nights running on Skype with Alex making a personal statement. I prepped my portfolio just in case I needed to suddenly rush off to an interview, which I kind of did. I sent my application on the Wednesday and had an interview on the Saturday.
Tim and I travelled to Carlisle early Saturday morning, setting off at around 6am to make sure we were there on time. I then had a tour round the campus and an interview with Tony, who is now my first year tutor. I got my place in interview and I've never been happier and more relieved in my life. I'm not going to lie I cried. I knew I had it in me to get in and that my work and my mindset and my passion was enough to get me in but I still had that sliver of doubt that made me think I couldn't so just hearing that I was good enough and I could do what I wanted to do made me so incredibly happy.
About 2 weeks after this I moved to Carlisle, which was pretty daunting for me as I went to uni before in a city I knew and lived near and have studied in since I was 16. I also didn't want to leave my Nana, who I live with, as obviously when at Leeds I was quite nearby, Carlisle is a 4 hour train journey away and I wouldn't be seeing her for months at a time. But I had to do what I needed to do and my Nana has always pushed me to do what makes me happy and supported me, she was great through this whole thing. I moved into halls again, into a house of 9 first years (I went into the first year again also) which was also pretty scary.
I think when I was applying to uni courses I felt that I would struggle too much on a graphics course even though I was on one I didn't feel I could match up to uni level, and that made me sad. But it was only when I left graphics that I realised how much I loved it and wanted to do it for real. I'm so glad I took the plunge and changed courses, it's honestly the best thing I've ever done and I'm so much happier now.
Sorry for the ramble, but that's just me telling you what happened as it actually happened. Graphics is what I'm happiest doing and I'm so glad I can say once more that I'm a graphic design student,
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