New 3rd year blog and summer ness

Soooo its 3rd year which means I have to start a new blog just for 3rd year stuff. But never fear I will still keep you up to date with everything here and on the tumblr equivalent! Let me start you off by telling you about my awesome summer, which I think was rather interesting!

Me and dad outside the main house - Calke Abbey

Firstly I went to Calke Abbey in Derbyshire, which was a real treat. I absolutely love history and used to visit places like this all the time when I was younger and its something I miss doing. I was particularly interested in Calke Abbey for the efforts that the National Trust have put in to keep it in the exact same condition that it was given to them in. When it was given to them 1985 the house was in a serious state of neglect. The estate tells a fascinating story of the decline of country estates as time goes on and modern life as we know it creeps in. These beautiful houses are so impractical for modern life these grand spaces were built for a staff of at least a hundred and as society changed there was no need for them and it became impossible to keep them running.
It's fantastic work that they do, it actually takes a lot of work to keep the house frozen in time the way it is and it's really interesting to see. I have never seen a house like it has such an obvious story to tell and as you walk through the rooms you can see the different periods of times that the house has been through and how it has struggled to adapt.
And theres not just the house to see either, the grounds are interesting too, theres a church, gardens, out houses, stables and a grotto. I would recommend that you go and see it for yourself but I believe the house is shut for the winter as it is incredibly hard to heat. Which leaves me with a slight problem, I was considering doing this house for my FMP (Final Major Project) I was so utterly charmed by it I could resist the idea of re creating it myself!
If I were to attempt it I would have to get in contact with the national trust or at least the team that runs it so I can gain access. I'd need to take a ton of pictures for reference but last time I was there they said I could take as many as I like. I can't see it being too much trouble but I would have to see.

After that I spent some time in London meeting all sorts of interesting people. It was around that time in the summer where its was ridiculously hot, even more so in congested London! First I went to meet Sophia Coney again and see how her new job in the capital was fairing. I had a great time catching up and afterwards we went for drinks with all her co workers. I felt ever so grown up in London having after work drinks with a bunch of people in the industry. It was really nice to be around these guys they were all so genuine, it was really comforting in a way, sometimes I feel that the course can be so dramatic and that some of the people on it can be so self involved and ignorant it can put me off the industry all together. But after that I felt like I could fit in and that the industry was full of actual people and not ego boosting students. I could really see myself working for a company like that. The employee's seemed pretty happy and thats always encouraging. Every time I see Sophia I feel like I can achieve stuff, I feel inspired and like I'm not crazy for wanting to do something different. Sometimes I feel so isolated on the course for wanting to do something else, I feel very misunderstood and on the outside. But in a way thats okay, I feel like I have my eye on the bigger picture and I need to work to my strengths.
Anyway it was a good experience, after that I met up with some international Internet friends! I stayed in a hostel with a bunch of girls from around the world and it was great. After not really having a summer last year as I was catching up after my illness, this year I wanted to make the most of it! after all it would be the last summer I would get. Call it seizing the day or whatever.  It was really interesting from a career point of view though, now stay with me on this.
I met Cameron Parker again that day (I hope he won't mind me talking about this). The first time I met him back in February 2013 he gave off the best first impression ever. He was so enthusiastic, warm and friendly I felt like I had known him my whole life, he managed to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable and there was a lot of people there that night. I couldn't help but think that this was a ridiculous talent of his and that this must be what they call a people person. Then when I met him again he was exactly the same he even remembered my name which is amazing considering the amount of people he must meet. As the day progressed I began to realise why the company he worked for was so successful. A lot of it was down to him and his skill set; his job is in marketing but he is essentially the designers right hand man and I can see why. He is well organised, friendly, warm he makes people feel like they are part of something special and when everything seems to be falling into chaos he does the most amazing thing and smiles. Not only does he do all this but he also runs his own company on the side. I find him pretty inspiring and he has opened my eyes to what I can do with my own skills. So thank you Cam

Me the girls and James Lillis in St James's Park

Outside Buckingham Palace with the girls

After all that excitement I got a promotion at work. I'm now a supervisor, which is good. I mainly just want as much as experience as possible. Any opporuntunity that comes along I want to grasp, I'm just trying my best to build up a good set of experience that may one day lead to a job I enjoy. I'm taking as much responsibility and training as I can handle and I hope that all this will make me more employable. After all I have so many balls in the air I think that kind of proves I can multi task and manage my time efficiently! Even if it sometimes gets a little much. Either way it's something for my CV not everyone can say they are a third year student and a supervisor running the store on their weekends.

I also took the time to do some touristy stuff in the summer and went back to London and visited my old flatmate down south. I visited a few beautiful sites such as Windsor castle, Longleat House Westminster Abbey and Eton College.

Eton College

Westminster Abbey

So for the great finale of my awesome summer I went on holiday to Barcelona with my other half. It was really nice to get away somewhere warmer, but don't think for one second that I was just relaxing. I couldn't help myself, what's the point just lying around on the beach when there's so much to see and do! So much culture and history. Is it terrible that I had so much fun planning everything I wanted to do? I think I managed to fit quiet a lot in. Yet again its that whole thing that I can't just let opportunities go by (which I think is a good quality), I mean who says I will ever be there again I might as well make the most of it.
Now don't you worry I'm not going to go through what I did day by day, I'll just give you the best bits!

The highlights for me were mostly incredible sights. First one being the top of Montserrat the whole thing was just incredible. I was really rewarding to climb part of it too, its not something I ever imagined doing. But I'm really glad I did.
The monastery there was absolutely stunning, it was pristine with some of the most beautiful vistas imaginable. I always have this strange conflict when I go to places like this though, places of religion. I always think of how beautiful the buildings are but then I think of what conflict and pain religion has caused and it makes it bitter-sweet. I had the same feeling at the Vatican, especially when I found that the building materials had been "recycled" from the Colosseum if only we could have kept both. Although I still appreciate their beauty and historical significance. I always think that if I could go back and do a different degree I'd do ancient history or the history of art.

View of the peaks from the monerstary in Montserrat, rather pround of this one 

Me near the very top of the peak, I was a little nervous after almost stumbling

  The other highlight for me was the La Sagrada Familia. It was actually magical and I never use that word. I couldn't believe my eyes! From the outside it is beyond impressive but then you step inside and are transported to another world. If I had to describe it honestly I'd say its like some Disney princess castle on magic mushrooms. It's so heavenly and beautiful but then its also twisted and distorted; it is a work of art! I don't think there is or will be anything like it; and to think that Gaudi in visioned all of this in his day its truly inspiring. I would recommend everyone to go and see this with your own eyes as it is absolutely breathtaking.

Outside the familia, damn cranes ruining my shot

Inside looking up at the celing deatils they were mind blowing

The colours bleeding in from the widows were unreal

Once I had returned from Barcelona I had to prepare myself go go back to reality which was a bit depressing but oh well.
First thing I did when I got back was board a train to London in order to attend the Women in Games Jobs conference. I was so anxious about this as I had in visioned it to be  this really intimidating event, full of people pushing and shoving to be heard. I had tried to prepare myself the best I could I had had business cards made and made myself look as presentable as possible but I was still super nervous.
But once I had got there I had found it to be the exact opposite, I felt right at home amongst these people as they were so helpful and welcoming. I don't know why but I always feel like I stick out like a sore thumb because in the end I got on with everyone and made some contacts and more importantly learnt a great deal. It was really interesting to hear what these industry professionals had to say about their work and how they see the industry. It was also encouraging to see that many of them are pushing for change and encouraging people like me to take a chance on myself and have some confidence. One of the statistics that stood out for me is that studies showed that a male is more likely to apply for a job if they only had 3 or 4 out of 10 of the desired criteria but a female would hold back on applying until they had all 10! That rings so true for myself! I think as a female I often put myself down and see others as being more capable even if they probably aren't. The whole conference made me feel less isolated and alone listening to what others had been saying made me realise that all of these inspiring and successful people had once been in my shoes and had felt the same. This comforted me somewhat. I felt really positive after returning from the conference as it seemed that there were more people willing to help me as I originally thought. I tried to savour this thought as I knew I would feel less positive when I returned to uni once again.

Over the summer I had done some leisurely painting work and studies but not a lot of 3D work and any that I had done, I had lost momentum and not finished. If I'm honest it's hard for me to be super passionate about producing stuff for my artist portfolio as I don't actually want to be an artist anymore. It feels a bit redundant especially when I get myself so wound up about it; it can get a bit much with all the hounding competition and cock swinging that goes on. I just want to do stuff that makes me happy and sometimes 3D just makes me miserable. Sorry but it does, I don't want to pretend that I want to be the worlds greatest 3D modeller or texture artist because I don't and I'm not a false person.It's a bit of a kick in the teeth that I find this out after 2 years on the course but that's life unfortunately; I will try my best to complete this work and finish the course. But I have my eye on something else, something that I'm better suited to and I will excel at. I think since day 1 on the course I had the underlying felling that I wasn't going to get anywhere at this, at the time I thought it was just a crisis of confidence but I tried my best and it's time to face it, its not for me. BUT I can take what I have learnt and apply it to something I am good at and something I have a passion for, Which is exactly what I am planning on doing.

Here's a piece I enjoyed doing over the summer, it came about after watching the entire 2 series of the BBC's "Sherlock" in a relatively short space of time.

Benedict Cummberbatch painting I did in the summer for fun

Thanks for paying attention this entire time! I realise now how long this post actually is and why I split it up on the other blogs!