First off, some art I think. Then, some Random Ramblings.

Simply because, well, that's kind of what I am: An artist... of sorts. I don't really like that stamp to be honest. Tough luck if what you do is drawing, mostly. :P
Anyway, voilà my final pieces for my degree project. They are all pencil, aquarell watercolours, and a bit of gouache on Watercolour paper.

Yes, I am now a graduate of the Manchester Metropolitan University, I have a BA(Hons) Illustration with Animation. Since July 11th to be precise. The graduation ceremony was a lot of fun, and I am proud to have accomplished something of sorts. I finally finished something. I have a degree now. I can't deny that I feel pride about that. 

Society says I am a real person now. So much bullshit. It doesn't mean anything, it's a piece of paper that is somehow supposed to prove to some cretins who obviously don't know what talent is that I know what I'm doing and that I am worth employing. It's all pretty stupid, really, there are self taught people out there who are absolutely incredible and much, much more competent than I will ever be, but for some people, some, not all, no diploma equals no competence/talent/trustworthiness. 

But nevertheless I am proud to have finished it, to have passed. And studying abroad has taught me so much about life. And even though I hate Manchester (sorry guys) which is a grey, unfriendly, drug infested, rainy-as-fuck shit hole par excellence and even though I suffered in my first two years, struggling to find any likeminded creature at all, and even though I had an early midlife-crisis of sorts, I would live through it all again JUST for that 3rd and last year. That year in which I met my Schmusekater: my boyfriend Josh and all of his wonderful friends, housemates and colleagues and of course my wonderful new course mates, who accepted me into their midst with welcoming arms (so to speak - english people don't hug much, at first.) I mean of course I had some fun in my first two years as well, some good times, some fun people, some very, very few close friends in the making (one to be exact), it wasn't all doom and gloom... but... well, mainly. 

Which is probably also why my subconscious decided to fuck me over and pull that stupid stunt that made me have to sort of "drop out" for a year. Namely not write the only essay we had to write all year and not do it over summer either, which would have been my chance to get away with it but noooo. I just ignored it. I was lucky they let me back on the course at all I reckon. Anyway, got a frustration filled gap year off, finally did the stupid essay and got accepted back into the course a year later. 

And this time, I went back knowing exactly what awaited me, determined to concentrate on my studies and fuck everything else, expecting nothing at all, least of all to find Love and I was barely settled back in and suddenly BOOM! Out of nowhere I meet this amazing, charming, lovely, beautiful, kind, funny, intelligent, intriguing creature and WHAT the fuck he fell for me too. And then suddenly lots of lovely people kept appearing all over the place, most of them related to Josh's environment somehow or other and I had the bestest year ever. 

I guess there's a reason why clichés and sayings exist... 

"...when you least expect it..."

"...when you've stopped looking..."

Piece out,

Jill