MATS Blog Tour

Today kicks off a Make Art That Sells blog tour.  I'm one of the first (eek!) along with two other lovely students. The idea is we talk a little bit about our time on Lillas' wonderful course, and link to some of our fellow MATS students' blogs.  It's our little way of helping and promoting each other.  An amazing part of this course is the support and encouragement you get from your fellow students.  They're like a big team.....full of praise, advice, constructive criticism and 'likes', cheering each other on, 24 hours a day (great for us lonely designers who work on our own at home, and stay up working way past our bedtime). So this blog tour is our little way of continuing that support.

Well, first up here are my thoughts about MATS.  I LOVED it, every second of it, every late night and exhausted morning.  I didn't watch ANY telly for 5 weeks I was so into it.  All the beautiful inspiration which I LOVED, interviews,  Lillas' words of advice (especially if I was feeling a bit stuck....Lillas' "get cracking" always did the trick and has now become my mantra). Lilla's teaching is fantastic and inspiring.  You know the saying....A mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains.  The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. (William Arthur Ward) Well, Lilla is definitely a great teacher.  I loved the mini exercises given on a Monday in preparation for the main assignments Wednesday,  I loved the weekly review. I loved everything!!  Most importantly, I learnt a LOT, which I can't wait to put into my new work.

If you want to read more about my time on MATS, please have a look at my previous blog posts. 

If you're in a rush, here is a little montage of the five weekly pieces I created while on MATS. Top left: Home Decor, bromeliad inspired plates.  Bottom left: Gift market, zipper pouch based on our collections. Middle: Children's Books, Russian folk tale 'The Language of the Birds'.  Top right: Bolt Fabric, Berries and Pyrex.  Bottom right: Wall Art.

Now back to my fellow students, please head on over to www.aishaandherwork.blogspot.com and www.jillbyers.blogspot.com who are both blogging today about their MATS experiences.  Tomorrow it will be the turn of www.melissadoran.com, www.goradiate.ie, www.ma-len.blogspot.com and www.sarahgager.com so be sure to check them all out.