Notes so far: NOTES FOR EACH PLACEMENT
O’Dell’s Studios
SUCCESSES : Coordinating test shoots, freedom because there wasn’t a workplace structure, hands on
CHALLENGES: issues with boundaries and difficult relationship with placement provider , non-professional environment,
Orto Print Studio
SUCCESSES: Development of my hard skills within textile printing, learning new techniques and applying my knowledge of screen-printing in the workplace. Learning about learning a manufacturIng businesses from a self employed screen printer, seeing what I can actually achieve with printing for 3rd year
CHALLENGES: Working with one other person, not being good the first time and remembering that I am still learning,
Christopher Farr Cloth
SUCCESSES: First time working in an office environment with a team
CHALLENGES: Menial tasks, not as much what I expected, knowing that there wasn’t room to grow there was difficult, a small team, felt like I had more to give
Cou Cou Intimates
SUCCESSES: All female team who are very driven, positive feedback and feeling like I add value, broadening my understanding of how fashion products are developed and the process from concept to launch
CHALLENGES: Overworking myself , feeling burnout
DESIS Lab UAL
SUCCESSES: Conducting academic interviews , seeing the behind the scenes at UAL , contributing to a real life event, having 1 work from home day, curating and designing an exhibition
CHALLENGES: not doing ethics forms for interviews so my interviews can’t be used in the final report.
Structure
-Introduction (About me and my motivations for DPS)
-Chapter 1: My DPS Year (overview of my different placements)
-Chapter 2: Challenges (challenges faced on DPS)
-Chapter 3: Learning, Lessons and What I’m Proud of (Hard and soft skills, lessons that will stick with me, successes)
– Chapter 4: What’s next? (Future ambitions and final year)
-Conclusion (have I achieved what I set out to do?)
Intro: my positionality, my reasons for doing the DPS, my work so far before the DPS
I’m a designer shaped by growing up in the rich, multicultural city of Manchester. Being raised by my mum, my upbringing taught me independence, resilience, and curiosity. I’ve always been drawn to noticing beauty in the everyday – from colour combinations in the street to textures in materials. I think visually and instinctively, with a design brain that’s always collecting inspiration from the world around me.
In my creative practice I like to combine digital and hands-on processes, to create work that explores colour, sustainability, and materiality. I like to create mixed media, non-traditional textile outcomes, such as set design, zines, art installations and CMF storyboarding. I have a natural eye for layout and aesthetics – I love making things look good and feel balanced. I’m drawn to objects, spaces, and visuals that please me, and I often express myself through my surroundings and personal style.
I often question what it means to be a responsible designer in a world already full of things and this can cause me to feel overwhelmed sometimes, but this drives me to create with intention. I want my work to bring joy, raise awareness, and reflect care.
I wanted to do the DPS year to get a better idea of what I actually want to do once I graduate. As someone who feels anxious about the future and often feel overwhelmed by navigating the career ladder, I wanted to challenge myself to step out into the professional world. My hope was that gaining real experience would give my career aspirations some direction. I really wanted to build confidence in my own abilities, learn new skills on the job, and try out new things. I started my DPS journey without a clear picture of where I fit in the creative industry. At times, I even questioned what bring to the table with a degree in textiles. I didn’t necessarily feel like I fit into the box of a traditional textile print designer, and hoped that taking the DPS year would help me to find my place in the industry.
However, this initial lack of direction and knowledge about what roles were actually out there ended up limiting my placement options. Looking back, if I’d had better understanding on where my design skills could take me and what placements to look for, I think I would have pushed for a more design-based role.
We are currently facing a youth unemployment crisis where junior” or entry-level graduate roles often require at least one year of experience. I hoped that having this year in industry would set me apart and make the job hunt post-graduation easier. By completing the DPS, I hoped to build my network and hopefully open the doors to job opportunities.
Chapter 1 ; what I did in the DPS\; brief overview of my placements
My DPS has consisted of ….. days in 5 different placements.
My year began last summer, where I interned with art director and menswear stylist Tom O’Dell.
I then interned at Orto print studio from 7 October – 17th December. Orto is a specialist screen print studio I had followed for a while on instagram, and I really liked the work and range of techniques. I reached out via email and instagram and had a phone interview, securing the placement in July. The studio is owned and ran by Holly Ramjaun, and she often has an intern or a print assistant to help her print at the studio. Orto is based at Blue Garage, a coworking and makerspace in Lewisham. Brands and artists reach out to Holly with their designs for specialist screen printing and textile print processes. She has an extensive knowledge of textile techniques and she was very inspiring to learn from. I worked at Orto on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
I then did my placement art Christopher Far Cloth from November 12th-January 31st. In my role as an intern at Christopher Farr cloth , I was working in the office in Fulham, earning £50 a day to cover expenses.
I then began my placements at UAL DESIS Lab and Cou Cou Intimates in February, with Cou Cou being my longest placement of 6 months. I am at Cou Cou 3 days a week and DESIS 2 days a week (1 wfh day|).
I joined the team at Cou Cou Intimtes as product Design and development intern in February.
Alongside all of these, I have maintained my part-time job as front of house at a cafe-bar.
Chapter 2; Challenges on the DPS
Anxiety
Finding opportunities: Finding placement opportunities in the creative industry can feel really daunting and its hard to know where to start. Where in other industries jobs and placements may be advertised in a more traditional way, creative placements can be hard to find on jobs boards and the ones that are are extremely competitive. Finding placements. You have yo commit time to sending cold emails, putting your item into each one not even knowing if they have capacity for an intern. You email your cv and portfolio just to hear nothing back. Prior to the DPS, I didn’t have any familial connections or a network in London in the creative industry and I have found it very exhausting looking for placements and spending time finding potential placement providers.
Working for little to no money : I feel I also have to acknowledge the privilege I had in being able to take on this DPS year in the first place. Many placements in the creative industry offer little to no money. Alongside my placements I have worked part time sometimes working 7 days a week including my placements but I also have economic support from family. The reality is that being able to even consider working for free in the most expensive city in the UK is a massive position of privilege. This creates a huge barrier for people from lower socio-economic backgrounds who simply can’t afford to pay London rent and survive without a proper wage. It makes the creative industry feel exclusive, as if it’s only open to those who can afford to work for free. By taking on these roles myself, I realise I am also part of the problem, as my participation contributes to the idea that working for free is “okay” or just something you have to do to get your foot in the door. It’s a problematic cycle that keeps the industry from being truly diverse and accessible.
Questioning whether I’m in the right placement: During my play placement at Christopher Farr Cloth I struggled with feeling lost lost and uncertain about my direction on the DPS year. After starting at Christopher Farr. I had a tutorial with Lisa that left me questioning what I was really getting out of my placements and what I want to gain from them. I had been organising the Cole Although I know I’m learning and developing skills, I haven’t always felt excited or fulfilled by some of the work I’ve been doing, which made me feel disappointed and aimless. I’ve realised that when I’m interested in something, I give it my full attention and feel confident, but when that connection isn’t there, I start to doubt myself and my abilities. This has led to a mix of self-confidence and self-doubt, and a feeling that it’s been harder than expected to find placements that feel like the right fit.
Reflecting on this, I think part of the issue is that my expectations may not always align with reality, and I can be quite self-critical when things don’t immediately feel right. I also need to appreciate that internships aren’t about knowing everything straight away, and feeling unsure doesn’t mean I’m not capable or qualified but also I need to appreciate my skills and I can trust my gut when I don’t feel like a placement is worth my time, when working for free, I think you should actively be learning in exchange for your time.
Despite these doubts, I am actively learning processes and gaining valuable skills, and it’s important to acknowledge that. Moving forward, I want to challenge myself more by reaching out to larger teams and creative agencies, while also appreciating where I am now. By staying organised, being proactive with emails, and allowing myself time to figure out what truly fulfils me, I hope that by the end of the year I’ll have a clearer sense of direction and confidence in the path I want to take.
Chapter 3: What I’ve learned (skills and knowledge)
Hard skills: Screen printing, colour mixing, dyeing, devoree, fabric approval , sample approvals, PO Tracking, archiving, figma, sending shipments, Adobe Suite, heat press
Soft skills: organisation, time management, multitasking, written communication, social skills, how to be in a professional environment,
Lessons: Trust your gut, when I finish uni I’ll I feel like I’ve got a better awareness of how to look for jobs and how to write cover letters and CVs: you have , doing the DPS has made me appreciate having your own time and how uni life you’re only real showing up for yourself so you can be more lenient with your schedule and make more time for yourself if you need it. Being on the DPS has taught me that you show up for your team/coworkers and stick to a schedule.
Highlights
Visiting IVO Textiles with Christopher Farr Cloth.
Reflecting on whether I achieved what I wanted to
How has the DPS helped me prepare for my third year and future?
DPS has helped me to prepare for my final year of my degree as I feel like I’ve got a better sense of what can be achieved in the education of a project. I hope that having this routine carries on through to my final year and I can treat my practice as I would a job.
My time at Orto Print studio has taught me a lot of practical skills for applying print techniques. We would print a lot in a day which has shown me how much you can do with a day in the print studio. Now, I feel I can approach my work with a level of efficiency and pace that I didn’t have before as well as a wider knowledge of screen print application. I feel like I’ll be going back to 3rd Year with the ability to produce a wider, more professional body of work. I feel a lot more capable and confident of taking a project from an idea to screen printing.
Leave a Reply