02 Mar 2020

When I was in Year 12, I had three major works- Extension English, Drama and Visual Arts. Looking back on them, whilst my opinion on the greatness of them might have changed, I remember the time working on them so fondly. This is largely because I haven’t had the chance to work on a project completely on my own terms on a large scale since leaving school.

This pressure to make something spectacular can prove to be both encouraging and terrifying. At this point, you might've already settled on a concept or formed somewhat of an idea, but some of you might be asking, is it too late to start from scratch?

 

I had three very separate experiences with each of my major works. For Visual Arts, I thought of the concept quite early. 

I decided to just make artwork after artwork, all revolving around that same idea, and was left with a whole bunch of art, all in different mediums, that coalesced into a giant body of work that I was super happy with. If you have a concept that you know you care deeply about that you don’t want to give up, just make stuff. Paint and draw and take photos until it makes sense what you really want to create, and beauty could potentially arise from just workshopping.

For Extension English, I was also in a similar place where I knew what concept I wanted to focus on, but I struggled and struggled to flesh out a story.

I remember my teacher being really on my back about not having a clear storyline yet, and I nearly lost hope all together. Until one day, I just had an ‘a-ha’ moment and the story just flew out of me. Of course I had to then film and direct the movie I had created in my head, but sometimes you just need to be patient in letting that idea really come to you. This happened later than it should’ve, so if you’re thinking about changing now, you have plenty of time for that ‘a-ha’ moment.

I was cutting time even shorter for my Drama major work. I decided to do a monologue, and scoured the internet trying to find scripts that were suited for me, and nothing stuck at all. I read out monologue after monologue to my teacher and nothing was sticking. It wasn’t until a month and a half before my performance date that I sat in front of my computer and this ridiculous monologue about a zumba instructor just poured out of me. I rehearsed aggressively with whatever time I had and it ended up going the best out of all three major works. Whilst I don’t recommend waiting that long, it’s certainly a testament to the fact that you shouldn’t lose hope just yet. 

Like I’ve said, doing my major works was some of the best time I had during my last year of high school. At this point, you have plenty of time to start your major work from scratch. But in saying that, don’t quit an idea because it isn’t making sense yet. Let the concept sit and bubble up with you and if you’re lucky and patient, something incredible could arise.

Need a helping hand with your folio?

Our mates at LCI Melbourne are holding a panel and portfolio workshop called Creative Careers Beyond the Known. The panel is led by the Principal of LCI Melbourne, Karen Webster, who has some pretty amazing experience in the design industry and was previously the Festival Director of Melbourne Fashion Festival.

There will be heaps of interesting info about careers in design and the future of the industry during the panel. Plus, just for attending on the day, you’ll have the chance to show your portfolio to one of the experts and get some advice on how to improve it. Pretty handy if you’re still trying to nail down the concept of figure out what you’re doing with your folio.

This workshop is completely free, and is on March 14, 2-4pm at the LCI Melbourne campus. Suss out all the info and register right over here.