Two Thousand and Nine

The year when:

1. Britt went to the MCM London Expo in May and she intends to go next year.
2. Britt had a rant about trying to find a job without experience.
3. Britt worked until October and then quit. She realised how ill it was making her.
4. Britt laughed, Britt cried.
5. Britt got into photography quite a bit and had fun with the #npwalk group. She went with them to The Hoppings, Enchanted Parks and had a lovely Christmas meal with them, hopefully she will attend many more meetings in 2010.
6. Britt took her camera to Tynemouth and took many photos. She also took it to Blyth.
7. Britt went on many tidy sprees through the house which were quickly thwarted by the other occupants of the house.
8. Britt updated her website.
9. Britt started to concentrate on her illustration and comics work, she plans to upload and update said work regularly throughout 2010.
10. Britt joined in with the Paper Jam Comics Collective.
11. Britt passed her driving test.
12. Britt got involved in a comic project titled Project Z.

So, what now?

2010, the year when hopefully everything comes together and just works. I do hope so. I'm so happy to have people who have stood by me and helped me out during this year, it hasn't been easy, it's had its ups and downs. Most of the ups seemed to happen during the sunny months, maybe next year I'll hibernate for the winter?

Resolutions:

• Less planning, more doing.
• Draw something every day.
• Take at least one photo every day (365!).
• Get a job that I am happy in.
• Be happy.
• Ignore the bad things or learn from them, don't let them control.

I think that went okay.

Sands

Originally posted: August 22, 2009, 12:44

Sands, originally uploaded by Britt7094.

Britt had fun a few weeks ago at Tynemouth, she took photos, she is really bad at blogging these days.

I plan on getting a new webcam and a mic and trying this whole video blog thing, see if it's worth a laugh or two.

Horror

Desk at work.

Rainbow Houses

Rainbow Houses, originally uploaded by Britt7094.

Wishing I'd posted these up on LJ a few days ago. Anyway, yay a trip to Blyth and look at what we find.

Website Update and other thoughts...

I recently did a website update, changed my photos to feed directly from my flickr account and cleaned up the links section a bit.
That now to one side I'm going to get a move on with a few other projects. I am on holiday for the next two weeks, yay! Free time!
During said free time I have a lovely to do list including:

• Think Website pages and content + upload
• Redesign Portfolio site
• Finish drawing chapter 1 for my comic + upload
• Draw another Jpop Happenstance strip because I've abandoned it for a while and am feeling bad
• Plan and thumb pages for my other comic project

Yes that's three comicy/mangaish projects, I still can't limit myself to just one at a time, I suck at that.

Also on the cards is a trip to ikea to get some new shelves, mine are full of books. And I'm sure there is something else that should be on my to do list but I appear to have forgotten it. I shall add when I remember. But first things first, Think. I need to get some content on those pages, filler is easy to do but a bit boring I want it to actually be usable. So I get to make activity sheets, this should be interesting! 

Oh, some of you might know I applied for a job at the Baltic gallery, heard nothing back and it's been a couple of weeks so I guess I didn't get that, the search is continuing on and on. Britt really wants a new job.

#npwalk Hoppings

#npwalk Hoppings, originally uploaded by Britt7094.

So the #npwalk crew and I went to the Hoppings on tuesday night. Here be the result.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/britt7094/sets/72157620282672487/

Check out the entire set for photos of various moments throughout the night.

Getting Noticed

Getting yourself noticed as a designer has never been an easy task. Right now I'd say it's even harder, you've got to have the experience or nobody wants to know, so for someone who has recently finished their degree and is looking for their first serious design gig employment can be a minefield of "at least two years agency experience required" and similar phrases.  Don't write off these sorts of vacancies just because they ask for experience (if I did there would be nothing left to apply for), make a real point of letting your work speak for itself, if you are good enough, you will get the job regardless of your experience, provided the prospective employer gets as far as your portfolio.

Of course, if it looks like you just fell out of education with the same CV layout your high school gave you as a template then getting noticed is not going to be easy. You're unlikely to get anywhere near that precious interview, where you can really show who you are and what you're about.  Now, I'm in this area at the moment myself, giving my CV a face lift, re-wording everything, making it easier on the eyes and I have been pouring over advice from many sources. Each source seems to contradict another, some say use only standard fonts, some say to avoid them, some say don't use word, others say use word because everyone can open it (which is not correct and that's surely what PDF is for). The question, really, is, which advice to follow? When there's so much of it out there if you followed it all your CV would be some sort of frankenstein monster CV with bolts and greenish skin. 

The only consistent rule is keep it simple and readable, which is plain common sense surely. Nobody will read past the first section of your CV if they get a headache de-cyphering the colour-coded mass. Another good rule is to keep to the standard format, the usual headings are there for a reason, the paper is A4 and portrait for a reason. Further more, why do most online vacancies sites request your CV as a Word doc anyway? It would make far more sense to ask for a PDF, which even Word (with a little of jigery-pokery if you're using 2007) is capable of. I would also ask, why do people feel the need to include their photograph? Unless you are a model, planning on becoming the face of the company or need to assure the employer of your appearance for some other reason then just don't bother.

Okay, lets get to the point, as all of the various suggestions, advice and help I have received have pointed me off in all directions, I feel I should throw this open to the floor. it's somewhat mind boggling so this can't make it any worse.
What is the best advice you can give me regarding my CV?
Things that would help me get a job within design and illustration, I understand the portfolio is my most powerful weapon in getting that interview but right now I feel like I might not even be getting this far.

And to make things interesting, lets hear any CV horrors you have encountered. Any of the big no's that have really shocked you.  
Thanks everyone.

Tame

Tame, originally uploaded by Britt7094.

This weekend was the London MCM Expo! A great time was had by all. I've bought so many small press comics it was hard to actually get them back home.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/britt7094/sets/72157618800085213/

Take a look at the absolutely awesome turnout, the cosplay was fantastic, the atmosphere was buzzing and the people were amazing in every way.
My thanks go out to everyone who was involved in any way, whether you ran a stall, were on a panel, were behind the scenes, ushering us in and out of the centre or even just attended. You made it so fun!

More Alnwick Garden

More Alnwick Garden, originally uploaded by Britt7094.

Andrew and I went to Alnwick Garden yesterday, taking full advantage of the nice weather.
I took about 200 photos, ouch I know. Out of those 200 here are the highlights. There were a few blurry ones yes, I will admit. That's me getting used to the new camera (excuses). You can take a look at the full set if you like.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/britt7094/sets/72157617594378103/

There are a few of my nice little blackbird friend who was suspiciously cooperative when it came to posing for photos. I got about 15 of him... limited myself to uploading three here though.

Many more sets and collections to come I am sure. Let me know what you think, share your opinions, I want to get better at this photography fun, it's really quite nice.

My new office mug.

So I got bought this by someone at work, what an interesting present, it got quite a laugh.

Do you think they're trying to say something?
Good mug for mah tea.

The really ironic thing is that Andrew got one last week off his mum. Yah.

Random Walkies

Random Walkies, originally uploaded by Britt7094.

Soo, good old Shakespeare, he's on a wall yup.
My sister and I took a walk today with my new camera, took quite a few photos while on said walk. Take a looksie, there's some nice blossomy trees in there too.