Interactive creativity...

I visited a friends interactive workshop at the Tate Modern this weekend and thought you might be interested in the below...

The workshop I visited was created by the company 'Stooki', it is a young independant brand that crafts jewellrey related apparell.  They had been chosen by the Tate to be involved with the Louis Vuitton Arts project, as the designers represent a mixture of the Tate's target audience and the next generation of artists they want to work with.

Stooki's webiste...
http://www.stooki.co.uk/stookicurates/
Interview with the stooki creators and Wonderland magazine...
http://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2012/03/stooki-and-vuitton-take-over-the-tate/

The interactive aspects of the exhibition included you as a visitor turning your hand to the creativities of design, producing a 3D item that could be styled and photographed, I think the concept was very clever as it gave the younger generations an albeit brief, but little insight of how a company works in stages from the garment being designed and physically made to being styled and photographed.  I went along as support to Luke one of the designers and the brand, but found the whole exhibition a breath of fresh air in terms of installing creative ideas within the young that could be relevant across many fields not just fashion, such as jewellrey design, costume design, styling and photography!

The above workshop is linked to the Yayoi Kusama exhibition that is curently on at the Tate until June, see details below...
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/yayoikusama/
Kusama's art encompasses an astonishing variety of media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, film, performance and immersive installation.
See images below of the ever-changing art created by 'us' using relective mirror imagery.
A well worth visit!!

I know this blog isnt directly linked to any of the BAPP module perse, but it gets all of the creativity a'flowing so I feel is therefore relevant,  please enjoy reading :)

Task 1B - Professional Communication Technologies Web 2.0


Web 2.0 is definitely an amazing tool no-one can defy this, but is it a good or a bad thing for society?  This has been dicsussed on millions of occassions I am sure, but it is the main discussion that really interests me about web 2.0 - I mean imagine a world without being able to have this much freedom of speech that is viewed so publically, having that power to be both the creator and reader in today's world do we view this as a positive or negative?
See links that I have found below that I found quite interesting in terms of differing opinions...

Positive view
http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/a-social-society-the-positive-effects-of-communicating-through-social-networking-sites/

Negative view
http://www.oprah.com/relationships/Negative-Impact-of-Social-Networking-Websites-at-Work

I have to admit that it took me a while to get my head around totally understanding the concept of 2.0, but after googling it (which didn't really shed anymore light than the reader), you tubing it and discussing with colleagues I began to get to grips with it and similarly to my BAPP colleague Ahmet Ahmet stated in his post regarding the reader, I have also been involved and participating in professional communication trechnologies for the last few years, and not only was I pretty naive to web 2.0 I had no idea I was part of it!
It is a very exciting platform that enables both friends, colleagues (and not always recommended strangers) to share and collaborate information and experiences.
I am inclined to agree that there should be at least a definite age eg 18+ limit to social networking sites due to the amount of information that is readily avialble to the likes of strangers and bullies - if the steps aren't taken to ensure profiles, images and blogs etc are totally private, which even I as a fairly PC literate person seem to sometimes find incredibly confusing, then the sites can be a cause for concern for the younger generation - especially as a parent.

It is a truly powerful tool, having a number of resources and tools that are so accessible to you everyday literally at the tips of our fingers is amazing, being able to complete the mundane things such as uploading images, updating status' to the career changing life experiences such as communicating with future employers via blogging, facebook and youtube etc all in a few minutes is quite miraculous, and  I think we are lucky to be the generation that have grasped this and ran with it using web 2.0 to it's fullest, as well as learning new things about the technology everyday - I sure am...I had never blogged until I started this course and was introduced to new technologies, and now i'm hooked!

I think it's a magical tool in terms of how it enables people of all diversities to communicate and connect, people and families have even re-connected by the means of web 2.0!

I have interned in companies where they have their own dedicated social networking team, i think this just shows the importance of social networing in today's retail climate.  Retailers and business' will sometimes rely on accounts such as facebook and twitter to connect with their customers, this enables them to follow shopping habits, create awareness for certain promotions or products, market specific campaigns and trends, and monitor competitors.  It can only be a huge benefit for business' there is no denying this, enabling them to communicate to customers on a much larger, even global scale then ever before is invaluable, and in terms of marketing decor - this is a costly expense, where-as updating a status is completely free and the turnaround is seconds not days!  I appreciate from a different perspective the customers will also have their right to state concerns or complaints which again will be totally accesible, but these can be resolved automatically with a 'comment'. 

I unfortunately was a bit of a sheep when it came to twitter 'oh another social networking site, I must be part of this 1 too!' i thought, but I have severley neglected the account mainly owing to the fact I was pretty naive to how it can be used to my advantage.  My inital thoughts were that I couldn't be bothered to read up on celebrity spats and these oh so fantastic holidays in Barbados whilst on my hour tube ride in-to work (normally standing!) of course which I would inevitably become addicted to, but after reading BAPP's colleagues blogs, I've realised that actually monitoring my twitter account and following the necessary people, using it both as a personal and professional tool may not be such a bad thing after all.  Networking, alongside hard-wrok can sometimes the key to success, it falls down to that old saying...it's not what you know...   

I will update my twitter journey as i continue blogging...optimisim is key!

1a Continued again...

Writing my personal profile has been a little trickier than I first thought, deleting and re-writing...deleting and re-writing, when all you really want to say is...'Hi give me a chance, let me show you what I'm capable of' no matter what kind of position or role you are going for!

I think I am finding it more difficult as I am trying to merge both my theatrical experiences with my current retail experiences, as I believe both are genuine relevant life experiences! I am always so critical when it comes to tasks such as these, when one almost has to reflect at the past, and I think am beating myself up, trying to look for what I believe the 'right' thing to say is, but if I'm beginning to learn and understand anything on this course I think the main thing should be that there is no, and will never be a 'right' answer, and the quicker I realise this the better it will be for my development on this course.

I've had a little look on google - utiling the web to help guide me, and have found the below link quite interesting and helpful, especially in terms of -

What is the difference between a personal statement and a covering letter?

http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/CVProfiles.htm 

With regards to the above, as discussed in my previous blog I am used to writing covering letters, I have an outbox full of them!  I found myself pausing for thought during my personal statement/profile, as you are not writing about yourself with regards to a specific role in mind, but simply writing about yourself, it is a general introduction to your CV, giving future employers an insight to you and your interests.  I have attached mine below, again feedback positive or negative is greatly appreciated - please let me know if you can't view the links properly!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_opAgvROo7D0AWCirrauuji0I3CNJ07RdzHEku1Q334/edit#

1a Continued...
Firstly, happy St Patrick's day to any of you fellow paddy's out there...

Following on from my blog last week, I am attaching both my thetarical and business CV's.  After looking at both of them again, my business CV actually needs a bit of an update which as we all know updating your CV is always something one forgets to do until the day before the casting or the day before that all important interview, so with thanks to this exercise I shall, fingers crossed have a polished and up-to-date CV before the weekend is out!  Please let me know any comments you may have, all feedback is hugely appreciated.

Professional Business CV
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eRYTQHIWGPgvFAhHD1uIAe_kc4fZhukVsnSPLWadgK0/edit#

Performance CV
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BZ-fHOuJHhxVsTXkyiAl37oj9VTqA1dJnLbx3LZcAmk/edit#

Over the last 2 years whilst i have been applying for specific jobs and internships every cover letter I have written has had to be relevant to that particular retailer, making sure I include information I have researched on the company showing my level of retailer knowledge and interest, discussing previous campaigns and significant marketing strategies that I believe have or have not been successful etc.  Therefore although in a cover letter I will be sure to include how previous experiences can help me succeed in this position I am applying for, I haven't written a 'personal profile' as such before that I would send out to employers until applying for this course.  I have a mini 'profile' on my CV which I have just re-read over and decided could do with a lot of work as well to really bring a part of me across to future employers!  I am going to see if I can gain an insight to other BAPP's views and tipps on creating their profiles and go from there!

1a the beginning...

I have been thinking about my CV and how best to present it - I have both a theatre based performance CV and what I call a business CV.  My theatre based CV has been neglegected for a couple of years, as I no longer work in the industry, so this will be interesting to see in comparison to my BAPP colleagues and how they have developed theirs.  Personally, I am going to attempt to portray all my skills across both areas on to 1 CV - I thought this would be interesting to try and combine them both.  This will be a working process for me and the outcome may not be totally right, but an interesting learning curve as to what is and isn't useful to possible future employers.

Looking at Hollie Victoria's blog led me to the idea of utilising my contacts, and luckily I also have some contacts in recruitment, so I asked what tips they would have with regards to writing a CV that may be helpful to us all...see below...

1. Show what makes you unique
For every job you apply for you could be up against hundreds of other candidates so you need to make sure you stand out. Employers don't just buy skills, they buy solutions, so show how can you make the company money and how can you resolve the problems that they have.

2. Choose a clear layout
Employers spend around 20 to 30 seconds scanning your CV so it needs to remain clutter-free and easy to read. The last thing a recruiter wants to do is to go hunting for the information that they are looking for so don't hide it amongst an array of elaborate graphics.

3. Tailor your CV to your audience
It may sound like a time consuming process, but making the effort to tailor your CV to suit the requirements of each particular job that you are applying for can greatly increase your chances of securing an interview.

4. Keep it error free
It's deceptively easy to make mistakes on your CV and exceptionally difficult to repair the damage once an employer gets it. As well as checking your spelling and grammar, make sure your employment dates match up and that you've provided the right phone number and email address.

5. Keep your CV up-to-date
When you put together a CV it's often difficult remembering the projects you have been involved with and the achievements you have made. To avoid missing important pieces of information out, revisit your CV every month adding anything of importance, and cutting any information that is no longer required.

Taking all of these pointers on board I am going to upload both of my original CV's as my true initial starting point and develop them from there.

I visited a few places this weekend that have been food for thought for my 'starting out on BAPP' video! I have been waiting and waiting for inspiration for my video and I think it might finally be here...

First stop was a vintage fair, re-engaging my thinking of how fashion and theatre have had a huge love affair! I adore vintage fashion, and I feel like a different character in every dress, hat or pair of shoes...it got me to thinking of how everyday we wear a costume, and everyday we are playing a part of a very interesting production...

Second stop, 'Bourjois press Look event', perfectly coinciding with LFW - all props and product were beautifully arranged, very jazzy and theatrical...got those creative ideas a'flowing... artist Zarina Liew was also on hand to illustrate!

For all of you theatre lovers...(well that's the majority of us then!)...I recently went to see 'The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged)' at the Kings Head Thetare/Pub in Angel Islington, and thought i'd share my experience with you all. 
Firstly, the pub stays open throughout the entire show, as this was the norm for shakesperian times (which i thought was a nice little touch!).  This was the funniest piece of theatre I have seen in a long while and well worth a visit, showcased by 3 young and very talented professionals.  A great little cosy venue also, if you fancy something a little different!

Check out the reviwes from when the tour first started below...
http://www.thepublicreviews.com/the-complete-works-of-shakespeare-abridged-%E2%80%93-new-red-lion-theatre-london/
venue...
http://www.kingsheadtheatre.com/main.html