Summer Plans

I have learnt a hard lesson from last summer not to waste away my days slaving away in a mind-numbing job that pays an absolute pittance! Subsequently this year I have decided to go easier on myself and give myself more time to explore and develop my creative practice. But here are a few things that I have planned:

Summer Job: Tribe Leader at The Bushcraft Company

Applying for a job that was pretty far out of my comfort zone was a bit of a spur of the moment decision, but I'm hoping it will benefit me in a number of ways. The Bushcraft Company is something I hadn't heard of until I searched for fun and interesting summer jobs on google, but spending a part of my summer teaching children about the great outdoors and survival skills really appealed to me. If you're reading this you are probably wondering what on bushcraft has to do with illustration, but it has many interlinked skills that I am hoping to capitalise on which include:

• Teaching and leadership skills
• Communicating with different age groups
• Self confidence
• Increasing my personal knowledge
• Working in a team
• Essential survival and first aid skills

Staff training in the Easter Holidays! (I am in the middle with the dark blue hat)

I am really excited about this job; it will be a great opportunity to open my mind and challenge myself in ways in an alternative environment. Also, I have found that balancing two jobs works well for me, i.e. half of the week putting my energy into working with others, and the other half in a solitude environment where I can have time to myself.

Travels

I'm not planning on going anywhere extravagant on my travels this summer, but I do plan on taking a few trips by myself to explore places that I have never been even if it is just an afternoon somewhere a train ride away. Some places that come to mind are:

• London, the non-touristy parts
• Cambridge
• Bristol
• Brighton
• Some really gross seaside towns e.g. Skeggy 
• Some nice seaside towns e.g. Wells-Next-The-Sea/Cromer etc
• Scotland! I've never been to Scotland
• Villages nearby in the vale of Belvior maybe? 

The slightly more obscure places will just be interesting to spend a day in with my sketchbook. Otherwise I wouldn't ever go to Skegness.

Etsy Shop

I am super keen on setting up an ETSY shop to sell some of the things (and hopefully more) that I have made for the art market. This will be a great way to get my work out there as well as having the potential to develop into a substantial 'Cash Cow' within my practice that will create additional sustainability. 

I made a list of products and prices that I will aim towards selling, although these may be altered at any stage:

My aim is to set up my shop by the end of July!

Everything in between

I definitely need some time to myself after such a challenging and intense year to relax and unwind before starting third year. During this time I plan to do a lot of the things that I struggle to find time for during term such as reading, watching new films, exploring etc.