End of an Era. Beginning of a Career.

And so it ended like that. No big Bang. Just a subtle finish, slightly built up, and not a stare back over my shoulder as I took the final stride forwards, towards my car, away from that building. A good luck card clutched in one hand.  My uniform in the other. And that was it. That capped my 5 years doing part-time work in retail. 5 long years. It’s finally time; I’m finally out and ready show the world what I can give.

Everyone that knew congratulated as I tried to remain coy, I didn't organise a leaving party, I just wanted to disappear and become a memory. “Well done for escaping this place!” was rung out to me by the vast majority of my colleagues that did know. No, I wasn't escaping, retail has been good to me in the past 5 years, ironically those 5 years was the exact same time I spent learning my future career, and even more ironically, I suppose, retail has helped me become a retail designer. I wasn't escaping retail, I was merely passing on and beginning a new branch of life that retail had led me on.

God it feels good knowing that I do not have to return. But I’ll miss it. I enjoyed it whilst I was there. But I was ready to leave.

Someone I consider wise beyond their years once told me, “You have to work retail to understand retail.”

I’m 21. ‘Just got my first real, full-time job, which I've been learning and wanting to do since I was 15. I’m lucky. I graduated at 20. I've made this happen. So here’s to the next 5 years, I’m going to learn and awful lot more now. And I believe, I’m in the best possible place to begin the next 5 years. Like I said earlier, I’m so, so lucky.

with Thanks to Morrisons for their help in my commitments to learning and helping to shape my future, Huddersfield and Hadleigh. 

What I've been busy doing.

I have been really busy lately... And I tend to be using the blog as an excuse.

Recently I completed all my coursework.

I was then selected to have an informal conversation about my work to the two visiting external examiners. Which went really well.

As a class we exhibited our work in our university campus studio. This was on Friday 15^th June, and it also went really well.

I was awarded Most Improved Student at the opening night.

The following Tuesday, 18^th June, I received my results. I got a 2:1.

On the Thursday I was selected to have a video interview about my work and the course which will be put on the university profile to advertise Interior Design at The University of Huddersfield.

I have an upcoming casting for 883 Police Jeans in Preston, which I have been personally selected to attend.

My Final Major Project will be exhibited at New Designers (Part 2) on July 4^th – 8^th.

I will also be at and attending Free Range at the Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, Shoreditch which offers me another chance to exhibit my work again.

I will be graduating on the 18^th July.

Life’s ‘looking good guys.

Professionally seeking design help and inspiration.

4 weeks left of uni. I’m baffled with what I am doing in these last stages. Need to stop designing and create a final presentation. Need a final design before I do that. It’s going to come right down to the wire. I cannot get my head straight. Gonna’ do some more drawings, draw anything that pops into my head, time is a-ticking because, as I said, there is only 4 weeks left of uni. Help?

Error of my ways.

When re-reading posts it is obvious I have let the odd swear slip into the blog. I would therefore like to go on record of saying that I am cleaning up this blog and my act and all future blogs will not feature any swear words.
Peace and Love
Anthony George.
#AGB

Newsflash!

Here’s some news: I’m going to write a book. I’m going to spend time on it. Don’t expect it done anytime soon. I already know the direction and ending I would like to conjure up using words, I just need a journey. Those of you that know me will scoff at this idea; mainly due to my excessive ability to miss words out, spell the majority of things wrong, and generally make no sense with my delightfully colourful worded explanations. One close friend of mine once said he could see me going into writing. I’m not doing it to get a job, but as a creative counterweight to balance my thoughts out against my heavy weighted design devoted part of my brain. Also, I believe he was just trying to humour me and play good gist to keep me ‘going strong’.

Night anyway.

Sun, sun, sun, so let’s have some fun.

Where has this crazy weather arrived from? Spring has almost definitely sprung and maybe even overshot straight into summer over the last few days.

The sun has been out since mid-afternoon Saturday and it has been sizzling hot, bright and boiling our temperatures. Great. All just in time as we hit the Easter Uni Break. Which ain’t helpful at all for us, as most people are currently writing our dissertations. The lure of Warehouse’s pub garden proving way too powerful to contain us at our computer desks, making us struggle in a personal battle of self discipline.

Naturally this meant that for me it was even more exceptionally hard, as I do not possess the average amount of required self discipline. Therefore, I have not achieved much or got much work done compared the amount of alcohol I have consumed in the sunshine. Can I say though, I do look good in shades, a relaxing polo and boat shoes so I have put this to good use while I can.

The next few days and weeks have to be totally dedicated to my work as I have been most of the year. I have to stop giving to the sun. I have to stop thinking like this is an Easter break. This is THE most important time of my WHOLE career. And my devotion will push me through.

TTFN – Enjoy the sunlight if you can. And drink for me, I had two for you earlier.

Please forgive the lateness of this blog.

Morning guys!

Right. I know. I’ve let you down, on the second day in. But I’ve just woke up and powering through tiredness to make amends for this slight hiccup.

So yesterday was quite chilled yet again. For those that don’t know I work part-time at the weekends at Morrisons, purely just to fund my hectic and normally very entertaining uni life. Recently I’ve split my Saturday shift into half, so now I do 4 hours on Friday evening and 4 on Saturday evening. This is all well and good, but if I’ve slept in on the Friday, and knowing I’m off to work at 3.30pm I don’t get much done. Purely because I dislike rushing about and being pushed for time, especially on a Friday.

This said, all I did yesterday was wander into town to meet my vice captain of my life team, my second in command, if I was Danny Zuko he’d be my Kenickie (although if we were in grease he’d undoubtedly Danny ‘coz he’s much cooler).  So yeah, I met up with the uber trendy, frontrunner of men’s fashion that is Mike Roskell – he dresses better than your granddad too! Anyway, the basic principal of this meeting was to check out some clothes for a local shop that me and Mike are soon to be modelling for a friend’s uni project. Hence this meant that we also met up with our friend Tom Pringle, a man that definitely talks the talk, knows what he’s talking about, knows what he wants to get done, and gets it done properly.

This upcoming shoot sees me and Mike modelling about 6 outfits in an old warehouse. So sizes checked and done, stock ordered we wait for the day of the shoot, (date under wraps).

After that I had a massive kerfuffle trying swap a suit jacket that is too small. I purchased the suit from Burtons with the hope a 36Regular would be in stock at my local store. It is not. This is my first suit and I’m keeping it simple with a plain navy number. While I was doing this I was with two suit genius’s in the forms of Mike and Tom, Tom worked for Paul Smith for two years and has un-rivalled knowledge of the matter. Even shop clerks with offering him jobs! And Rocko (Mike) basis his life on knowing his shizz, when it comes to men’s fashion and looking the bizz, he’s the one you sought advice from.

Then after all this suit activity Tom left us for uni and me and Rocko headed to Cafe Nero for a proper man date lunch. Being controversial me and Mike both dislike coffee, so I settled for a raspberry herbal tea and Pain Au Raisin. Afterwards it was time to embark back to flat to get ready for work. The rest of the day gets pretty boring at work so we’ll leave it there. And I’ve got to run down into town to get some shin pads quick. Hopefully catch you tonight! Peace out guys.

Trial and Error

After being encouraged to blog more I have set myself the personal objective to blog each day for a week starting from today.

This now means I have to ensure I do something exciting, fun and worth reading each day. Or whether I should use exceptional and raw scripting skills to turn a boring activity into something worth reading.

So maybe today is the wrong time to embark on such an objective, or it could be a perfect opportunity for the ultimate personal test, for today I did nothing.

Literally nothing.  The most exciting part of my day was purchasing a 10-piece KFC Family Feast bucket between three of us. My excitement was purely down to the fact I haven’t had a KFC Family Feast bucket since I was about 16. I’m now 20.

Basically, on Wednesday night, I participated in the usual routine of football training, but then un-wisely decided to go out, with un-desirable effects. I didn’t have the mental or physical energy to capably chill out and enjoy myself when intoxicated, and this subsequently led to me beginning the day hungover, tired, and exhausted. This of course set me up to do absolutely nothing, rendering me un-motivated, and lacking in inspirational creativity.

Deliberating on this as I write this blog I have decided that when you are constantly working and searching for creativity it is sometimes a good idea to do absolutely nothing for the day. It refreshes your mind, and de-stresses and chills you out. I even had a bath. It was beautiful.

Right, so that’s me done for tonight - apparently doing nothing all day is also tiring. So TTFN (ta-ta for now) and I’ll catch you tomorrow.