Why I chose to study BA(Hons) Illustration (Online)

This article was written by BA(Hons) Illustration (Online) student, Cat. 

For me, creativity is a necessary part of my life. I need it within my work to feel fulfilled. I spent 15 years teaching in the UK and beyond. To begin with, this scratched my creative itch. However, as time went on, I realised that creativity was missing from my work, and I was no longer enjoying my career. This is when I began to research other options and came across an advert for the Illustration BA online at Falmouth.

I was drawn to this course, because as well as honing your artistic skills, it also claimed to give you an understanding of how to navigate illustration as a career. This felt important. By the end of the degree, I wanted to not only be confident in my ability to illustrate, but feel equipped to change career paths.

Having just handed in my final module, I can confidently say that I do feel, although petrified, ready to venture into the world of freelance illustration. This did not happen overnight, but through a gradual honing of skill and gaining of knowledge of the industry through the carefully planned structure of the course.

The first year gave me permission to experiment, learn to be creative again, dust off the cobwebs from skills that had lain dormant for 15 years. There were opportunities to explore different media and materials, structured in a way that it was accessible from home. An online studio environment was fostered, with the support of our tutors, so that we could collaborate and build a community together. A highlight of this year was a face-to-face event, where we met in person, taking part in workshops and even a dip in the very chilly February Falmouth Sea! Here I forged friendships and made my first connections with others who found joy in the same creative things as me!

During the second year, we built on these skills, gradually being given more information on how the industry worked, dipping our toes into different types of illustration, finding our own passions. There was a big focus on collaboration, emulating how working within a creative practice could be. For me, a highlight of this year was visiting the Bologna Children’s Book Fair with other members of the course and staff. It gave me my first glimpse into the world of children’s publishing, portfolio reviews and the breadth of the industry.