Due to the recent completion of my fifth project
studying my level 4 Animation & Illustration foundation degree I shall be
completing a self-assessed analysis to determine my current skill set regarding
this project and how I want to move forward in development. The way in
which I shall be analysing my work is using a structure called 'SWOT'
Analysis. 'SWOT' is an acronym for the questions:
- Strengths - What are the strengths of my unit, research, Pre-production, time scaling & final result.
- Weaknesses - What are the weaknesses of the afore mentioned.
- Opportunity's - What are the opportunity's that I have come across during this unit, did I take full advantage of them and what opportunities am I looking for moving forward
- Targets - What are my targets to consistently improve my creative works and skill set. The aim of these targets is to set the goals to becoming more industry standard.
SWOT Analysis – Personal Development
Strengths
This project is unique since the final product wasn’t one compiled research file or single creative work, but rather a demonstration of understanding, reflection, knowledge, and engagement with the blog itself. To put it simply I feel that one of my strengths of this project when creating and running this blog is the level of depth and engagement I made with the blog and the information I attempted to portray. The minimum I needed to do when writing posts and engaging consistently with the blog Is something that was far below what I committed to my blog posts. The strength that I identify as my most prominent feature of the blog is the detail in my posts when conveying my insights, growth, and development.
More specifically I feel that the SWOT Analysis’s I performed at the end of each of my 4 prior projects demonstrated my level of understanding and reflection when seeking to grow as an animator and illustrator aspiring to one day create his own animated short. I feel that by stating to a technical high standard all my strengths, weaknesses, and opportunity’s before making reflection with a concise action plan has shown integrity in my understanding and desire to grow as artist. I believe that this quality of analysis is clearly demonstrated as one my strengths when conveying my personal development through my blog.
On top of the previously mentioned analytical skills which co-ordinates the development of my artistic skillset and creation process a further point which I believe is one of my strengths throughout my blog so far, is the extra-curricular research that I committed my time to when attempting to expand my knowledge and insight in my chosen vocation. For example, my research into my personal interest of animation backgrounds has communicated the level of quality and expression which I seek to create when creating my own animation backgrounds. As well as enabling my tutors, peers, and members of public to clearly understand where I draw my influences from when viewing my own creative works.
A further strength which I feel has been demonstrated in my work is the updates and explanations that I have given regarding my current creative works during my project developments. For example, at the beginning of my blog I have demonstrated my creative process regarding my animation experiments which took place during the projects timeframe. This insight and detailing into my process showcases the level of consideration and technical skill which I involve in my development process. Essentially the strength in my blog posts is that I clearly show how I got to my design results which may have not been so easily identifiable beforehand demonstrating my inner working.
Overall, I feel that this project has demonstrated many strengths due to the level of engagement I put into my blogs and posts insuring that my readers have a comprehensive insight into my knowledge, design outcomes, processes, inspiration, and reflections due to the time and effort I have clearly put into this project. I specifically feel that the time I have spent creating SWOT analysis’s (Such as this one) has prompted me to spend an amount of time I wouldn’t otherwise reflecting on previous works and other artists gaining considerable amounts of useful knowledge from my experiences. In my next project I shall continue to utilise this SWOT analysis system to push the effectiveness I have so far used to continue my effective artistic growth.
Weaknesses
The first thing that I feel has been a weakness within my blogging project is the amount of time during my production that I spent showcasing my creative process without getting behind in my other projects and posts on the blog. I feel that I prioritised posts such as reflection and research without conveying more detail into my creative process above and beyond what I have already shown. I believe that if my blog is to increase in quality I will require to create more posts detailing the creative works that I create in all spectrums of my process. This will allow me to convey my technical skillset in full through demonstration in my posts.
Another area of my blog that I feel could be improved upon in future blog posts is the types of research that I investigated and performed during my time spent studying. For example, I have often investigated artists, why they interest me, their process, and what I take from that. But I have never considered exploring techniques in general, for example character rigging in Adobe After Effects is a technique in animation I have seen others use that I am keen to explore myself and therefore I feel I should dedicate some time discussing this on my blog rather than neglecting this idea. Without this kind of research my blog is limited to what I like visually to what I can create visually rather than the technicality behind it all. Therefore, I am keen to resolve this weakness by spending more time exploring methods, approaches, techniques rather than just discussing my likes and dislikes based off appeal. Rather I will demonstrate my interest in animation creation rather than just the viewing factor whilst also growing as a content creator.
Aside from the visit I highlighted during my sequential image project to the Hancock history museum I have not specified extra-curricular activities and visits that I explore in my own time. I feel that this is weakness because it can have the potential to demonstrate to my blogging audience the depth and extent that my profession impacts me that I am not only passionate in my education and professional life but that I am passionate in my personal life as well. This passion when demonstrated can be the turning point between someone considering commissioning me, hiring me, or getting in contact. Audiences want to know the extent that an artist’s connects to his passion and by excluding personal posts such as ‘My visit the NOWT SPECIAL exhibition’ from my blog I could be letting myself down in potential opportunities to the conveyance within my blog. I feel that an easy way to remedy this is to take the time to create short blog posts updating my audience about things I am doing in my personal time to enhance the visual experience that my blog conveys solidifying the impact that I convey as a professional when expressing passion and commitment as an artist.
Opportunity’s
The time I have spent engaging with my blog has provided me with the opportunity to script discussions, theory’s, reflections, experiments, and personal development as well as demonstrate my experience utilising such information to inform my progress and guide me forward when growing as an artist aspiring to succeed in the industry. This has resulted in an improvement in my overall skill set through consistent reflections and action plans to keep me on track whilst prioritising due to my organisation and consideration due to this blog as a catalyst.
This blog has also enabled me the opportunity to use this space as a demonstration of my current development as an artist to anyone seeking to gain insight into my study’s whilst engaging my foundation degree in animation and illustration. This will be integral to my success in the industry by providing future tutors and potential job interviews to use this space as a platform to view the quality of my work and mind.
When working full time in the industry it can often be hard to find the opportunity to explore new direction and experiments with innovative new techniques, materials, and processes. I have utilised this project as an excuse to explore and research into artists and topics that I otherwise would have dismissed due to time scaling if I had not had this space as a catalyst of focus. Therefore this project has also provided me the opportunity to explore and grow as a creative artist by studying contemporary and historical artists and topics in my spare time.
And finally, every brief that I commit my time too including this one provides me with the opportunity to better myself in every aspect by been able to express and discuss my ideas both scripted and verbally with peers or online due to the various places and topics I cover during project development. This in turn provides me with ideas, experience, and inspiration which I am keen to expand on, build upon, and apply to my next project brief that I will engage with.
Targets
To consistently grow as an artist, it is imperative that I understand how I can improve to allow my skillset to naturally evolve in a productive direction. Reflecting upon my SWOT analysis and my project there are a few key areas which I would like to create an action plan for to balance out my skill set whilst making quality improvements to this blog moving forward.
Target 1 – Demonstrate my technical skillset through process and technique
Been able to produce a piece of artwork or animation is one thing but been able to demonstrate the methods of which I created that one thing is the difference between a client considering it a fluke or an example of my skills.
As outlined in my weaknesses section of this SWOT analysis I believe that a core component of my blog that could be improved is to spend more time scripting posts that convey my creation process and thoughts during such project developments. Posts like my animation experiments included at the beginning of my blog. I believe due to previously mentioned points above, that by taking the time to add such posts to my blog I will be able to convey my current skillset and decision making based of insights to my audience more effectively not only making it easier for my tutors and peers to provide assistance but enabling potential recruiters and clients to use this blog as an example of my ability’s when considering my services.
Outlining this fact alone will not improve the situation of my blog, therefore I shall be outlining a plan of action target moving forward in my blog creation to create at least 3 more posts demonstrating my creative process during different stages of my projects in the following weeks and months. This will take my reflections and apply a response to them increasing the technical quality that my blog posts portray whilst simultaneously providing me with further opportunity to iterate and reflect on the fine details of my previous creations and their involved processes.
Target 2 - Explore animation techniques that are used successfully in industry today
To stand out and be successful in today’s industry an animator can not only relay on the skills that he has been taught whilst studying, but he must make it his goal to continue learning every day as new techniques arise frequently.
Simply exploring artist style and influences alone will not provide me with enough experience to succeed in the industry today. Especially as we are slowly approaching the second decade of the twenty first centenary. Technology is constantly evolving years ago it was primarily hand drawn animation, then the birth of CGI animation was formed, now a lot of advertisement firms are gaining popular due to the use of software’s such as Adobe After Effects to make animation through tweens alone. VR is on the horizon and if I don’t make the time to study current and upcoming technology’s I will be left behind.
In reflection to the previously stated facts, I feel it is imperative that I develop a concise action plan in how I can continue to stay relevant and effective when creating animations whilst been able to draw upon an ever-growing range of options when seeking to tackle clients needs during projects. Therefore, I will create at least 2 posts in the following weeks covering current or upcoming techniques in animation most likely through software’s such as cinema 4D or Adobe After Effects. This will insure that I expose myself to gaining insight and experience in more relevant and effective animation techniques when growing as an artist.
This project is unique since the final product wasn’t one compiled research file or single creative work, but rather a demonstration of understanding, reflection, knowledge, and engagement with the blog itself. To put it simply I feel that one of my strengths of this project when creating and running this blog is the level of depth and engagement I made with the blog and the information I attempted to portray. The minimum I needed to do when writing posts and engaging consistently with the blog Is something that was far below what I committed to my blog posts. The strength that I identify as my most prominent feature of the blog is the detail in my posts when conveying my insights, growth, and development.
More specifically I feel that the SWOT Analysis’s I performed at the end of each of my 4 prior projects demonstrated my level of understanding and reflection when seeking to grow as an animator and illustrator aspiring to one day create his own animated short. I feel that by stating to a technical high standard all my strengths, weaknesses, and opportunity’s before making reflection with a concise action plan has shown integrity in my understanding and desire to grow as artist. I believe that this quality of analysis is clearly demonstrated as one my strengths when conveying my personal development through my blog.
On top of the previously mentioned analytical skills which co-ordinates the development of my artistic skillset and creation process a further point which I believe is one of my strengths throughout my blog so far, is the extra-curricular research that I committed my time to when attempting to expand my knowledge and insight in my chosen vocation. For example, my research into my personal interest of animation backgrounds has communicated the level of quality and expression which I seek to create when creating my own animation backgrounds. As well as enabling my tutors, peers, and members of public to clearly understand where I draw my influences from when viewing my own creative works.
A further strength which I feel has been demonstrated in my work is the updates and explanations that I have given regarding my current creative works during my project developments. For example, at the beginning of my blog I have demonstrated my creative process regarding my animation experiments which took place during the projects timeframe. This insight and detailing into my process showcases the level of consideration and technical skill which I involve in my development process. Essentially the strength in my blog posts is that I clearly show how I got to my design results which may have not been so easily identifiable beforehand demonstrating my inner working.
Overall, I feel that this project has demonstrated many strengths due to the level of engagement I put into my blogs and posts insuring that my readers have a comprehensive insight into my knowledge, design outcomes, processes, inspiration, and reflections due to the time and effort I have clearly put into this project. I specifically feel that the time I have spent creating SWOT analysis’s (Such as this one) has prompted me to spend an amount of time I wouldn’t otherwise reflecting on previous works and other artists gaining considerable amounts of useful knowledge from my experiences. In my next project I shall continue to utilise this SWOT analysis system to push the effectiveness I have so far used to continue my effective artistic growth.
Weaknesses
The first thing that I feel has been a weakness within my blogging project is the amount of time during my production that I spent showcasing my creative process without getting behind in my other projects and posts on the blog. I feel that I prioritised posts such as reflection and research without conveying more detail into my creative process above and beyond what I have already shown. I believe that if my blog is to increase in quality I will require to create more posts detailing the creative works that I create in all spectrums of my process. This will allow me to convey my technical skillset in full through demonstration in my posts.
Another area of my blog that I feel could be improved upon in future blog posts is the types of research that I investigated and performed during my time spent studying. For example, I have often investigated artists, why they interest me, their process, and what I take from that. But I have never considered exploring techniques in general, for example character rigging in Adobe After Effects is a technique in animation I have seen others use that I am keen to explore myself and therefore I feel I should dedicate some time discussing this on my blog rather than neglecting this idea. Without this kind of research my blog is limited to what I like visually to what I can create visually rather than the technicality behind it all. Therefore, I am keen to resolve this weakness by spending more time exploring methods, approaches, techniques rather than just discussing my likes and dislikes based off appeal. Rather I will demonstrate my interest in animation creation rather than just the viewing factor whilst also growing as a content creator.
Aside from the visit I highlighted during my sequential image project to the Hancock history museum I have not specified extra-curricular activities and visits that I explore in my own time. I feel that this is weakness because it can have the potential to demonstrate to my blogging audience the depth and extent that my profession impacts me that I am not only passionate in my education and professional life but that I am passionate in my personal life as well. This passion when demonstrated can be the turning point between someone considering commissioning me, hiring me, or getting in contact. Audiences want to know the extent that an artist’s connects to his passion and by excluding personal posts such as ‘My visit the NOWT SPECIAL exhibition’ from my blog I could be letting myself down in potential opportunities to the conveyance within my blog. I feel that an easy way to remedy this is to take the time to create short blog posts updating my audience about things I am doing in my personal time to enhance the visual experience that my blog conveys solidifying the impact that I convey as a professional when expressing passion and commitment as an artist.
Opportunity’s
The time I have spent engaging with my blog has provided me with the opportunity to script discussions, theory’s, reflections, experiments, and personal development as well as demonstrate my experience utilising such information to inform my progress and guide me forward when growing as an artist aspiring to succeed in the industry. This has resulted in an improvement in my overall skill set through consistent reflections and action plans to keep me on track whilst prioritising due to my organisation and consideration due to this blog as a catalyst.
This blog has also enabled me the opportunity to use this space as a demonstration of my current development as an artist to anyone seeking to gain insight into my study’s whilst engaging my foundation degree in animation and illustration. This will be integral to my success in the industry by providing future tutors and potential job interviews to use this space as a platform to view the quality of my work and mind.
When working full time in the industry it can often be hard to find the opportunity to explore new direction and experiments with innovative new techniques, materials, and processes. I have utilised this project as an excuse to explore and research into artists and topics that I otherwise would have dismissed due to time scaling if I had not had this space as a catalyst of focus. Therefore this project has also provided me the opportunity to explore and grow as a creative artist by studying contemporary and historical artists and topics in my spare time.
And finally, every brief that I commit my time too including this one provides me with the opportunity to better myself in every aspect by been able to express and discuss my ideas both scripted and verbally with peers or online due to the various places and topics I cover during project development. This in turn provides me with ideas, experience, and inspiration which I am keen to expand on, build upon, and apply to my next project brief that I will engage with.
Targets
To consistently grow as an artist, it is imperative that I understand how I can improve to allow my skillset to naturally evolve in a productive direction. Reflecting upon my SWOT analysis and my project there are a few key areas which I would like to create an action plan for to balance out my skill set whilst making quality improvements to this blog moving forward.
Target 1 – Demonstrate my technical skillset through process and technique
Been able to produce a piece of artwork or animation is one thing but been able to demonstrate the methods of which I created that one thing is the difference between a client considering it a fluke or an example of my skills.
As outlined in my weaknesses section of this SWOT analysis I believe that a core component of my blog that could be improved is to spend more time scripting posts that convey my creation process and thoughts during such project developments. Posts like my animation experiments included at the beginning of my blog. I believe due to previously mentioned points above, that by taking the time to add such posts to my blog I will be able to convey my current skillset and decision making based of insights to my audience more effectively not only making it easier for my tutors and peers to provide assistance but enabling potential recruiters and clients to use this blog as an example of my ability’s when considering my services.
Outlining this fact alone will not improve the situation of my blog, therefore I shall be outlining a plan of action target moving forward in my blog creation to create at least 3 more posts demonstrating my creative process during different stages of my projects in the following weeks and months. This will take my reflections and apply a response to them increasing the technical quality that my blog posts portray whilst simultaneously providing me with further opportunity to iterate and reflect on the fine details of my previous creations and their involved processes.
Target 2 - Explore animation techniques that are used successfully in industry today
To stand out and be successful in today’s industry an animator can not only relay on the skills that he has been taught whilst studying, but he must make it his goal to continue learning every day as new techniques arise frequently.
Simply exploring artist style and influences alone will not provide me with enough experience to succeed in the industry today. Especially as we are slowly approaching the second decade of the twenty first centenary. Technology is constantly evolving years ago it was primarily hand drawn animation, then the birth of CGI animation was formed, now a lot of advertisement firms are gaining popular due to the use of software’s such as Adobe After Effects to make animation through tweens alone. VR is on the horizon and if I don’t make the time to study current and upcoming technology’s I will be left behind.
In reflection to the previously stated facts, I feel it is imperative that I develop a concise action plan in how I can continue to stay relevant and effective when creating animations whilst been able to draw upon an ever-growing range of options when seeking to tackle clients needs during projects. Therefore, I will create at least 2 posts in the following weeks covering current or upcoming techniques in animation most likely through software’s such as cinema 4D or Adobe After Effects. This will insure that I expose myself to gaining insight and experience in more relevant and effective animation techniques when growing as an artist.
------------------------------------------
Having
reviewed my ‘Personal Development’ project and applied my feedback into a clear
action plan for me to work on, I am satisfied that I have grown from my time
developing and analysing my work in this unit. I hope that everyone reading
this has taken on board from my experiences and learnt a little something for
themselves. Thank you for reading till next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment