Let's Start at the Beginning....

**side note** just because the blog is called diary of a mature student don't be thinking that I'm all old and wrinkly, in fact I'm not even 30 yet. Apparently everyone over the age of 21 is called mature students - I just thought I would clarify that.



So shall we start at the recent beginning or beginning beginning?

Do you want to hear about what a naughty, prococious child I am was?

I think we will go with the shorthand version - afterall I don't want to scare you too much.

As a small child I had a creative instinct.  I liked to make things up, I had lots and lots of imagination.  There are plenty of tales I could tell (the time I married Alvin Stardust, the time I had tea with Jesus in the clouds, my imaginery cat....).  I would share my 'imagination' whenever I was able and with whoever would listen.  I liked to collect pens and paper, I liked to copy people and do what they were doing (pretending to read the paper/cook/breast feed my baby doll/iron/hoover).  My mum liked to knit, so I wanted to have a go, my nana liked to cook, so I wanted to join in....

Then I went to school and expanded my disruptiveness creativity.  They had paints and glitter and glue and prettty paper and they made stuff.  Stuff that made you run out to find your mum with your chest puffed out with pride (providing I hadn't gone too far and the teacher was coming out to find mum too).

And thus life continued with my knitting/crocheting/spinning/tatting/sewing/embroidering/drawing/painting/cooking/making jewelry/playing with fimo.  Then I made too much 'stuff' so I put it up for sale, people brought stuff and my chest puffed.  Then if I felt like it I made more, if not I left it alone.

Then news came that the funding *may* be running out on my job...

*crickets chiruping*

*general silence*

*wild west blowy things go past*

*dust bunnies gathered*

*blink, blink*

KER THUD!!!

So after the general shock wore off, I cried, paniced, buried my head in the sand then dusted myself off and thought 'well shoot.  Now what am I going to do' And then the naughty school girl kicked in...

'But I donwanna get a job'  Ok fine girly Sarah, so what do you want to do?  'Skool' Don't be silly you can't go back to school.  'SKOOL'  She said, Ok maybe some kind of business course said I.  'SKKKKOOOOOLLLLLLLL' she said and threw the mother of all temper tantrums, well there is a good art course said grown up me. 'sk sk sk skool' girly Sarah hicoughed through a red face full of dried tears and snot?  Yes said the grown up, Skool!

So I applied to go on the arts course and for the finance side of things.  I kept telling myself that if the finance didn't pan out I wouldn't be able to go.  Then I received a call asking me to go for an interview.  I had to build a portfolio, start a sketch book, make up some samples.  This was all nerve racking and I nearly gave it all up there and then.

I had been playing around with the idea of a circus themed something, so I went with that.  I photographed everything that I had made recently, put it in the folder along with some drawings and inspirations and went from there.

The tutor who interviewed me seemed impressed, I was embarrased thinking that she would think my stuff was stupid.  I was expecting the well it's all very good, but why don't you try some GCSE's, but she said well I'm happy to offer you a place...

sorrypardonwhat?

I'm happy to offer you a place!  You will start in September will that be ok?  *blink blink* Erm, yes, YES of course it will!

I floated out of the class room with the overwhelming feeling that I was good enough.  That I did have some kind of talent.  I was on cloud 9, but I still didn't think I would be going because well I hadn't heard off the finance people....yet......