Stanislava Junasova

Currently, I work for the NHS as part of my contribution to the community, seeing people heal from mental illness is heart-warming. I have noticed an increase in new hospital admissions, with patients affected both physically and psychologically. People may receive the right treatment for their physical illnesses, but if their emotional and psychological state is not balanced or in the progress of healing, their bodies may take longer to recover. Art can be a powerful therapeutic tool, helping to heal both the body and the mind.

I associate an artistic mindset in my daily life and enjoy being as innovative as possible. I love creating something out of nothing and I feel like I am steadily achieving this, especially in my current Art, Design & Media course. Once you discover what resonates with you, it becomes second nature. And this is exactly how I feel about art, specifically fine art like painting and experimenting with different colours. I realised how long I have been suppressing my calling, holding myself back from fully developing the gift I have had inside me, all along.

I was already enrolled in a different course at WAES before applying for the Foundation in Drawing and Painting, followed by the UAL Level 2 Diploma in Art, Design & Media. I have to say, the course challenged me at times, but always in a good way. My current course, the Level 2 Diploma in Art, Design & Media gives me a broader experience of art and pushes me to develop my skills to digital art, which I truly appreciate. Digital art is a major trend today, and for me, understanding and learning how to translate my drawings or paintings into digital form, is absolutely essential.

Mark making and print making especially creating mono, positive and negative prints are my favourite aspects of the course. They were definitely my favourite and the most fun part of the learning experience. My highlights of learning are working with ink, charcoal, warm-ups drawing, and animation making. I love the uniqueness of these aspects taught in the class.

I had Sisetta Zappone teaching the foundation course and now I have Andrew Stockwell leading the Level 2 diploma course. Both tutors are very different, as are their teaching approaches. It was during the foundation course with Sisetta that I painted a design which later became the only significant piece I have created so far for my portfolio. The design practically became famous. Overall, the teaching in my current course is inspiring and free-flowing and I am really enjoying it.

My greatest achievement was creating a free-style design at the end of my Foundation in Drawing and Painting course. It became part of a sequence of what I would call ‘an unfinished abstract painting’ for my final project. That same design got later recognised by a local fabric shop. Sometimes things happen in life and if they are good things, I believe they happen for a reason. The local fabric shop adjusted my design slightly transforming it into a smarter-looking pattern and giving it different colours. The pattern was printed on 100% silk and, is now successfully being sold at Joel & Son Fabrics.

This promotion came about as if it were a calling from heaven, to be honest, and I am very thankful for it. It has opened a door to something I never could have imagined, but I feel that this is just the beginning of something new and big – the start of an idea to establish a business. I am currently working on a website that I hope to publish soon. Additionally, I have started looking into how I can improve my tailoring skills so that I can not only design prints on fabric but also print on different materials and sew simple clothing. The focus of my new business has begun to narrow. I can attribute this progress to the college course for providing the foundation that helped me get here.

If you are someone who knows you are creative but is not sure in which way, or if you already know which aspect of art interests you and you would like to develop it further, I can confidently tell you that signing up for the Foundation course in Art, Design & Media is a great choice. It provides the opportunity to explore, discover and refine your skills giving you a solid foundation for whatever path you choose to pursue. School in art, Design and Media will help you develop, discover a new creative well within yourself, and also nourish you from within. Over time, people will definitely notice the difference in you from taking art classes, that’s for sure.