I attended 2 inductions today.  The first one being the Art & Design Course (level 4) – the one I applied for.  I sat in the class, looked around and everyone was no older than 18 years of age, but I didn’t mind.  We got our class timetables, student handbook and diaries.  All was looking great.

Then the tutor, who took my evening painting class, took the head of the art department aside, came back in and asked me to come outside with them.  “Strange”, I thought.  They said “would you not rather go into the Portfolio Building class?”  Now the Portfolio Building class is a level 6 class, and it is generally for people wishing to go to Art School (university), which requires a good portfolio, and I didn’t apply for it because I thought it would be far too advanced for me.  I wanted to be cautious so that I didn’t get in over my head.  So, they went on further saying that I’d be bored here, that I was older than everyone and I’d feel a bit strange, that I had the skills to do the Portfolio class, and my tutor said that if she had interviewed me in the first place, she’d have advised me to go into Portfolio Building.  

I was a bit apprehensive but they both assured me that I’d be absolutely fine in the class.  So, I said yes.  I went back to the class and picked up my stuff and left.

I went to the Portfolio class and it was huge – full of people.  I sat down next to a girl, who asked straight away, “Are you Megan’s mum?”  I was gobsmacked.  It was her friend Sophie.  What are the odds?  It made me feel a bit easier anyway.  I got handed the timetable and course specifications, and they are radically different from what I was going to be doing. 

To top it off, I must do it in 30 weeks instead of 40, so instead of attending two and a half days a week, I will be attending 4 days.  All sounds pretty intense, but I’m prepared to give it a go.  It should be good fun. 

After we went over the timetables we had a ‘bonding’ session.  I had to produce a personality portrait that expresses who I am, so it wasn’t a literal representation of myself.  Then I had to divide the portrait into 3 sections: forehead, nose and mouth areas; then swap two of my cut-outs with other people in the class.  It was hysterical.  We all drew like we were at primary school and drawing for the first time.  You certainly wouldn’t have guessed that we were all art students!  I drew a wild face with heaps of colours.  The hair was like a rainbow of colour.  I thought it would show that I have a childish side and was very colourful.  Instead, it looked really manic but it really broke the ice for everyone. 

And now, I have to wait a week for the course to start proper, and my first class on Monday will be 2D Design for Print. Exciting!