First Year, Looking Back.

It's all handed in. It's over. My first year at university has drawn to an end. 

It's been just over a week since my final hand in and now the dust has settled, I would like to take some time to reflect on the year. 

I expected to write something along the lines of 'it's all gone so quickly' and 'it's all gone by in a blur' but now I think about it, it really hasn't. Just looking back through this blog highlights how far I've come in a year and it feels like I started it a long time ago.

Self portrait progress, 2013 > 2014.

One of the most important things I've gained from this year is an idea of scope. I expected to work hard and I expected to have a lot to learn. But I didn't even come close to fully appreciating just how much my skills have to develop and expand if I'm to achieve my goals.  

This realisation was is incredibly intimidating. At the end of the first term, 'get better at 3D' is just one 'project' in your mind. By the end of the second term 'get better at 3D' is an enormous mountain, encompassing thousands of projects. And the same goes for Visual Design and Critical Studies.

Breaking up, prioritizing and compartmentalising the areas that I need to work on has been invaluable in making it all less daunting. I feel the most valuable skill I've developed this year has been the ability to productively manage large work loads and plan projects to reduce stress.

Managing a finite amount of willpower, between multiple projects, over many weeks, is a skill all on it's own. After this year, I have the impression I need to be a productivity ninja if I'm to get through and learn all this. 

The question 'what have I gained by coming to university?' has been at the forefront of my mind because the answer is difficult to quantify. 

Do I look at what I've been directly taught? The hours that I've spent in labs? The books I've read and the feedback I've received? I don't think so.

I've come to the conclusion that the question is wrong. Instead, while staring at the rain streaking down my window, I asked myself 'what would I have missed out on if I had not come to university'.

The truth is I would've spent a lot more of this year doing nothing and staring out the window. But really, this is a better question because the first year of university is just as much about unlearning as learning. The only way I can describe it is brain reconfiguration.

Most of all, university has given me a sense of purpose and a goal to strive for. It's that for which I'm most grateful, because it's what will get me through the challenges in the years to come.

I'll continue to update over the holidays and show you what I'm working on in my own time. Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a fantastic summer!