FMP Week 24

This week I met with Sarah Bell and went through my project and book. It was lovely to spend an hour at a cafe talking through everything, and I’m looking forward to seeing what her feedback says.

Everything else has been focused on finishing up my studio practice pdf. I’m just about there, and to be honest, not sure what I’ll do after the hand-in. I’ve been working so hard on this project, with so many other irons in the fire workwise, that I’m a bit worried I’m going to have a little collapse when I’m done!

Feeling a bit bittersweet, I’m not going to lie. I feel like the project itself has gone really well, I’ve managed to create something I’m quite proud of and want to continue with the creative momentum. The course has had some issues in the last few weeks, due to staff illness, so I don’t feel very supported in that regards. I’ve had to push on through myself and I’m nearly there now! The whole degree has been a bit of a mixed bag, but I’m so pleased I’ve done it.

Sarah has come back to me with her feedback and I’m blown away! I wasn’t expecting her to go into so much detail, but she has really written some beautiful things about my project.

“Lorri Trewhella has produced a highly personal and beautiful book on the theme of Narrative
Identity based on her own and her family’s experience. Having been uprooted and moved multiple times, crossing continents, countries and states, the different sections of the book deal with different periods of Lorri’s family history and experiences from her own lifetime.
Lorri discussed several themes with me on one of her studio visits to me, and also came to
experiment with some printmaking techniques which she has incorporated along with other
mediums. She has explored monotype, lino printing, copper foiling, bookbinding amongst the
traditional techniques, as well as watercolour illustration, and digitally designed postcards of some of the places she has lived in the USA and has produced beautiful digital illustrations for a Selkie story.
The first section: “Seeds” is an ostensibly simple but profound telling of the story of a seed trying to find a home illustrated with monochrome monotypes. As Lorri says, “it’s about how you build identity through the stories you tell others and the stories you tell yourself.” I think there is huge potential for this story, with to be developed into a children’s book for publication.
All of her work is intelligent, poignant, thought provoking, beautifully made and presented.
I’ve been delighted to have discussed ideas with Lorri; have had her working at my studio, and to have seen her final project developing into the beautiful and thought-provoking book it has become.
I’m looking forward to seeing more of her work!

Sarah Bell, Artist
Penzance
18 August 2022″

Is that dust in my eye or am I crying?

I just need to work through some snagging lists, double check my pdf for any broken links, etc., but I’m am ready for the hand in! I feel like my project management was on point with this project. It is unusual for me to structure a project in this way, especially in the early weeks when it was research based. I feel like I really came into my own once the production started, and creating a very output based schedule for the last few weeks really helped me to stick to that and get things accomplished. Lots of things to take away from that one!

This project has been an intense exploration into not only my design practice, but into my history, personal identity, family background, and creative self. This has been a difficult project, but also one of the most worthwhile to accomplish. I feel like I have met every objective I had, and have greatly enjoyed learning new skills, and reconnecting with a more pure creative process. This did mean pushing myself out of my comfort zone, which was not an easy feat. My final outcome is far more accomplished than I had anticipated, and I am very pleased with both the technical skills I have learned and the content of the book. 

In addition to this, researching such a personal topic has brought up many deep questions about my own sense of belonging and place in the world, and then gone on to answer them. Not only do I feel pleased with the outcome of the book, but I feel a deeper contentment with my own identity after undertaking this project. This may not be a more traditional use of graphic design, but it proves how strong design as a tool can be.