Never underestimate the impact that white goods have on one’s soundness of mind. No dishwasher or washing machine for half a week can lead to extreme agitation. This information should temper the following rant.
I hate CVs. I hate having to write them, I hate having to edit them, I hate having to read them. It makes me feel so artificial and self-conscious. What I hate even more is going to all the trouble of doing all that hateful stuff, and then coming up against a job that won’t take them, in favour of an even more hateful application form. Last week I did some work on the website aspect of our Professional Practice module, and this week I started to think about the dreaded CV in all its incarnations. We’ll have to make three different versions for use in different situations, which is useful, but still a pain. Having done a similar unit last year during the HND course, none of this is too alien. Actually, this year’s brief doesn’t seem any more complicated, dare I say it.
So why the whinge? This module isn’t due to be handed in until next year! I suppose I just feel like it. I probably feel like it because far from being all theoretical, I’m actually in the process of looking for work, and it’s anything but straightforward. Finding something exciting, only to realise that the hours would just be impossible to fit in with childcare or the university course, or wouldn’t pay enough to cover a childminder, is more than annoying. Trying to summarize all of the skills I’ve picked up as a rolling stone/mum/artist/functioning adult is also annoying. In a funk of annoyance I decided to try to draw a diagram style CV instead… which actually turned out to be more enjoyable to do, and may or may not go down well in certain situations. On reflection it seems that our course does quite a bit to prepare us for life after university. I just feel the need to hit the ground running, which puts the stress on.
On the other hand it’s been a good week in the studio, and the wooden block has been moved to the sculpture room to be hacked away at with mallet and chisels until the finer detail can be addressed in front of the clay model. After a domestic day in the middle of the week, cleaning (really) and – shudder – CV writing, I started some work on the paintings at home today. Alternating between the sculpture and painting is a must to stop my right shoulder and wrist from suffering too much; I can still feel the effects of Tuesday’s hammering now. One more day of it tomorrow should show some good results though. Another good thing – my essay and brief for this first module are complete, a month early, and I’ve given them to a tutor for feedback. Even with a bit of editing, that leaves plenty of space for dissertation writing. Whoopee! I actually mean that.
Oh, and I caught an exhibition at the weekend – Leonardo Da Vinci at the National Gallery. But that’s a post and a half in itself!
