Olivia Wayman

Blog Post 4: PEER REFLECTION 

I chose to comment on Emily Marin’s project reflection post, her chosen Better Lives topic was ‘Makeup Breakdown’. I found it interesting that her main university course is Makeup and Prosthetics for performance, but she wanted a ‘new angle’ during Better Lives. I find this displays her true love for the art of makeup, that she is open to exploring all areas of such. 

Emily discussed how she struggled with the new online learning approach to studies, something I found myself feeling similarly about. Like Emily I too am I hands on learner, so the changes brought about by the Corona virus have been a hard adjustment. However, despite her struggles, Emily managed to persevere and went on to produce great work. The unreasonable levels of perfection Society can often promote are truly awful. Yet Emily acknowledging this, created her own unique piece of art, straying from Social Medias ideas of beauty.  

Whilst I was able to form a mental image of Emily’s fantastic work, it would be even better to have had an image included, this way we could see the final product. It would have been interesting to include images of the work in progress, to link with her written thought process. In the latter part of her blog, Emily reflects in the diversity in her group, describing it as a ‘great learning experience’. I for one, wholly agree with this, Better Lives has provided such a terrific opportunity to meet students of all backgrounds. 

Overall, Emily provides a great insight into her Better Lives journey, she has not shied away from addressing problems that were encountered along the way, which is to be admired. Emily shows great awareness of current matters in the media and is not afraid to combat them. Her reflection provided an enthused read, it made me reflect upon my own work and how it could be improved.  

Despite doing Fashion Journalism as my main course I was always intrigued by Creative Direction so when I was able to study this for just a sliver of time I was elated. Upon first entering the class we were put in task groups; little did I then know that this great group would work to produce a final video we were so very proud of. Better Lives provided a chance to meet new people from other courses, which is always appreciated. Our task was to provide a short video for a brand we were given. Our brand was Emily Bode; I had never heard of this brand before, so it was exciting to discover the intricate details of its background and aesthetic. Emily Bode is a menswear clothing brand, the garments are focused on tradition and her own background.  

We knew we wanted to create a video that was very authentic to the brand, our initial ideas were focused on nature and rural settings. We did not have any Emily Bode clothing to present in our video, so the brand aesthetic had to be reflected everywhere else. Teamwork was a key factor from the beginning, but these foundations were made a thousand times stronger when the Coronavirus changed our work environment. Our communication was tested as we were limited to only talking through online means. However, whilst challenging, it struck a real sense of comradery within the group. I believe the effects of the Coronavirus on my work ethic will be long lasting, intertwined with this project I have learned what it truly is to work as a team. Instead of being affected negatively by this disease, we worked even harder to produce a project of the highest quality. 

Our final video consisted of various footage filmed in nature by each group member. I chose to film swans on the lake and lamb running freely in the field, believing this represents Emily Bode’s theme of natural settings.  

Overall Better Lives has shown me the work that goes into making a project such as an advert, especially in this complicated time. Working with other creatives will provide me with contacts for life, it has allowed me to think in other ways and develop new skills. 

I write this as the Better Lives course draws to a close, whilst doing so I recall all that I have learnt throughout its duration; how this new information will shape the way I think about the fashion industry forever. Better Lives has given me a new insight into the inner workings of the fashion industry.

When one initially thinks about fashion, stylish luxurious garments and glamorous models spring to mind yet there are so many more aspects. Better Lives has provoked a wave of new questions, like where are these luxurious garments being made? Why are the majority of these models white size zero women? Am I unknowingly being emotionally manipulated by brands to buy their clothes? Now that last one may seem a little farfetched, but after listening to Lorraine Gamman’s lecture on Empathy you too will be wondering the same.

The theme that I had chosen to study was fashion activism. I learned most importantly that teamwork is the most important factor, for creative direction requires many people in order to produce something great. Creative direction provides a closer look into brands and their ethos, in order to produce content for a brand you must consider their brand aesthetic. How many brand advertisements does the average person unconsciously come across every day? Do they stop to think about the process that went into making that billboard or that YouTube video; I for one did not, until learning about creative direction. Better Lives has made me think a lot more, past the surface level of words, people, corporations and the industry.

Throughout all the lectures I noticed certain themes were always present, diversity and sustainability. These issues were present in every lecture, even when not directly addressed, this has shown how important they have become to the industry and its growth. I am sure that all I have learnt in Better Lives will linger with me, especially in the way I work, for a lot later to come.