The Next Chapter

So as I'm sure you all realise the last two months have been crazy hectic for both myself and Abigail. We both have been pushing really hard and buckling down in the race to finishing our degrees and we have finally finished! So here is what I have been up to since.

First things first lets start with the fun stuff, we both got to go to our graduation ball! It was such a fun night. We got to get all dressed up and enjoyed a evening at Pendennis Castle in Falmouth. The student union booked three fantastic bands that played live music for us all evening and it was just a really great way to see everyone and have some fun before everyone headed of to enjoy their summer and start the graduate job hunt.

Falmouth Graduation Ball 2015

Falmouth Graduation Ball 2015

University wise I am still waiting to hear what grade I will be graduating with but I hope to find out in the next couple of weeks.

The next stage is working our what to do now I am a graduate. First things first I had to find a job so I can continue paying my rent until myself and boyfriend Jacob can move to a bigger city and start looking for career jobs in our field of animation. Whilst it's not impossible to find creative work in Cornwall the opportunities are limited and to be honest we are looking to have a new adventure somewhere new. Fortunately I have managed to find myself a new job as a hospital cleaner here in Cornwall, I'm starting in August, which will allow me to cover the bills and start saving toward the eventual move that we want to make. The job is well paid and won't take up my whole week meaning I can continue towards developing my portfolio and myself as a creative in my free time with the aim of applying for animation and illustration positions in the future.

So for now we are in Cornwall, working our butts of and saving as much as we can and in the future we would like to be working in a bigger city closer to my home near Basingstoke.

Being a new graduate is hard! There is a lot of adjusting to do as well as the stress of having to be making enough when you finish to cover your expenses and to find the motivation and determination to continue working towards finding work in your studied field. I am already learning that if you become stagnant you will be less likely to succeed. I am challenging myself to draw everyday so that I continue to grow as an artist, involve myself in creative projects and to build myself a better online presence via social media to start to get my name out there as a illustrator and animator.

If your wondering you can find my professional site at pariswashington.com  and I am on Twitter and Instagram @parisanimation. Here you will be able to follow my work more closely and see the little daily challenges I am setting myself.

To all the new graduates out there... Firstly CONGRATULATIONS you deserve it!! And secondly, good luck in the new chapter of your life, maybe one day I will cross paths with some of you other creatives out there. And please if you to are looking to work in the creative industries do drop me a line on my social medias because I would love to connect with you and share work and job hunting experiences!