Well, it seems a long time ago now, and in time I have developed fond memories, no doubt it was more than challenging at the time, but it has certainly left it’s legacy with me. It gave me a castle in my mind, which I’ve been endeavoring to furnish as best as I can ever since. An education can certainly be as restrictive as it is liberating. People can hide behind it at times, and at other times we can be glad to leave and go out to play a while. Either way, I am certainly grateful for it.

It was the first time I’d been in a place with so many free thinking individuals. All different, yet somehow, with at least that single trait in common, it was exhilarating. It was terrifying at first, only lessened by the realization we were all terrified! In time we all found our place, and seemingly all our skill-sets were all, yet distinctly different, complimentary. It was melting pot of ideas and a hot bed of open mindedness, brilliant people, and

brilliant ideas. The greatest gift it gave me was the beginnings of an ability to take a problem, explore it, deconstruct it, and create an elegant solution.It taught me a lot about how others think, and put a lot of ideas into context, a framework or foundation on which to build. The beauty of the place was to allow us all create without to many of the real-world constraints to stop us before we were ready. It really gave me the opportunity to begin to be able to take off my own shoes, in order

to put on someone else’s and walk around in them. What is the best piece of advice can you give a young designer today?Well I wouldn’t presume to give advice, all our paths are well... ours to decide. But I guess, don’t be discouraged by rejection, lack of opportunity, lack of funds, lack of apparent support, what ever your follow your dreams regardless of the ‘seemingly’ insurmountable obstacles that no doubt will present

themselves along your path. There is an inevitable momentum inherent in your academic life, terms/exams/hand-in dates etc. they build a sense of urgency. In life, circumstances can require that you’re patient, strength comes from inside, not allowing anyone or anything to distract you sufficiently from your achieving your goals. If you happen to have dreams already, then great, but for those who don’t, (probably most of us)

and probably who’s parents and lecturers feel the greatest difficulty to help... There is something to remember, ‘stop worrying about it’, begin to ‘recognise when you’re procrastinating’ and learn to ‘think less’ and ‘do more’!

Some of us have to actually do things, if for no other reason than to find out we actually don’t like them. Rest assured, there will always be aspects we do like, and thus begins a picture of what we do like emerges.

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