By Lucinda Parfett
Over the past two months we have seen some drastic changes in the way our society functions. We are now entering our fourth week of lock down. In this time Schools and Universities remain closed. Education has taken a swift move to online learning. However, for graduate students who are meant to soon be handing in their final portfolios, and preparing to accept their certificates of diplomas, where are they left?
For art students this more often than not means that they are unable to showcase their work to both industry professionals and a wider audience. The portfolios that they have worked so tirelessly on for three years are left with a question mark over them as their exhibitions are cancelled.
The team behind Fal's Lost Grads, Holly Astle left, Jasmine Freemantle middle, and Anna Robinson right.
However, one group of students from Falmouth University studying BA (Hons) Illustration have taken matters into their own hands. The team 'Fal's Losts Grad's 2020' of which is founded by Jasmine Freemantle with the help of Holly Astle and Anna Robinson.
This magazine was put together by third year Falmouth University Illustration students, showcasing the broad range of work in their course, as well alumni successes.
We reached out to the group to find out more about them and what they are trying to do:
What inspired you to start this Instagram?
It would be very unfair to claim all the responsibility for the making of this account. I was influenced by other university cohorts that were starting their own showcase accounts (such as csa illustration’s account @csathirdyearillu), watching lots of them evolve and in particular the @sadsgrad2020 account, which served a purpose to really promote university students work across the UK. I realised this was such a great evolving initiative that was beginning to promote so many different students, especially as we no longer have a final show. I didn’t want for my university class, and myself, to miss out on this opportunity. So I founded @falslostgrads.illustration after proposing it to my class, which was fully supported. Holly Astle and Anna Robinson offered a hand and I thought it would be ideal for the three of us to come together and share the load, with so much other work to do for uni we needed a good team. These are two people who are very passionate, like I am, about promoting themselves and our amazing classmates. – Jasmine Freemantle
What can we expect from you?
We have just started the account, beginning to share a work from everyone in our class (which is of about 140 illustrators) based on the theme of curiosity, for our university graduate magazine. At the minute we are promoting the beautiful contributions our classmates have made for the theme of curiosity and will continue to do so for the first few weeks before we start promoting individual artists and exciting collaborative projects. We want to do all that we can to give our peers a voice and the promotion they deserve. – Jasmine Freemantle
Do you have plans to expand your project even further?
We hope that this page can be used for the next year or more to promote the journey of our cohort. We are passionate to use the platform for the beginning of professional careers as well as during the last leg of our student experience. In the future you can expect the documentation of exciting opportunities our classmates received during their professional careers. I would like to say that this could inspire something bigger in the future but I’m not too sure what that would be, I will say the page is rapidly gaining a large following though, which is amazing! – Jasmine Freemantle
What are your goals?
I think as a team we would all say our goal is to give our collective the space they deserve for promotion, filling the gaps that professional study trips and final shows allow. We want this page to be a fun, exciting and inviting place for people to be sourced and promoted. – Jasmine Freemantle
How have you been affected by the pandemic?
Our course and university have been heavily affected by the pandemic because art schools cannot just simply go online. Working from home has involved an enormous shift to a working space that I personally find very difficult. The university studio atmosphere is a breath of fresh air that promotes creativity, which the home environment doesn’t quite have the ability to replace. I miss my studio space more than anything. We’ve also lost opportunities because of the pandemic, in the way of the final show and professional visits to meet clients in Bologna, London and New York, which felt very vital to our progression. I’m not entirely sure how to find my feet for the foreseeable future but I’m hoping this Instagram platform allows me some more leverage than I had before. – Jasmine Freemantle
I have found this whole time incredibly difficult to navigate, both in personal life and professionally. I definitely thrive in a creative environment and have taken facilities at the university for granted, so adapting to working from home has been tricky. It is an incredibly uncertain time for everyone, and I feel somewhat like a rug has been pulled from under my feet, I hope that in time a new normal will bring some stability back to my life as I am feeling very unsettled right now. - Holly Astle
I think the hardest part for me has been adjusting to having no structure. Without the studio, lectures, my job and all the things which give shape to the typical week I’ve really struggled to motivate myself. People are too quick to look at my situation and assume that my degree is going really well because now I have ‘all the time in the world to draw’ but that simply not the case. It can be hard having people expect so much of you in such a difficult time. I think we are lucky as we have such a close-knit course and are all supporting each other through this and trying to inspire and keep creating. - Anna Robinson
How do you feel about the uncertainty of graduations and hand-ins?
It’s certainly an anxious time. I think the uncertainty is a hard thing to manage, but I think this page is giving myself, and others, something to be excited about. The hand-ins being digital is something I am learning to adapt to, and I’ve had to have a kind little talk with myself regarding what I expect from myself at this time. I certainly expect less from myself right now and that is a thousand percent okay! I do have faith that I will have a ceremony somewhere down the line, I will finally get that scroll! – Jasmine Freemantle
Hand-in has been something I have been worrying about a lot, there has been a lot of talk about how our grades “won’t be negatively impacted by this” but not how this will be ensured. I am definitely not working to the level of work I am used to, and adapting my work for a digital hand-in has been a challenge in itself. I am saddened that in a time where I should be producing my best work, I am struggling to do any, but as Jas has said, I need to be kind to myself and realise it is okay to expect less from myself. Graduation hasn’t been as much of a worry as it has been just another thing we’ve unfortunately lost as an impact of the situation, whenever the ceremony will be I look forward to it very much. - Holly Astle
I feel it was a real struggle over the past weeks to think positively about either of these things as we were just so unsure of what would be put in place for us. Having now had more details about our hand-in and the promise of an eventual graduation ceremony and online degree show I’m feeling a lot more optimistic about our situation. - Anna Robinson
Do you think that the effects the pandemic has had on your degree could have a lasting impact?
I think that for the foreseeable future it will affect my opportunities and progression. I think seeking employment is going to be a lot harder than it was before and this is something I am preparing for. It’s definitively affected my goals for the rest of the year which were to start working and save so I can move elsewhere with my partner, but I think we are going to have to have a rethink when things get a bit normal again. It’s definitely had an effect on my mental health, which is something I hope will calm down, but I think its impact is all too uncertain to say. – Jasmine Freemantle
Yes, there will definitely be lasting impacts. Every aspect of life has been disrupted for everyone. The creative industry may well suffer for a while because of this, but will hopefully adapt and rebuild in the long run. I feel in a difficult position in terms of careers, but in the same way we’re having to adapt as new illustrators, the industry will have to as well to be accommodating to new ways of working. - Holly Astle
I definitely feel that with an entire year group graduating under such circumstances it’s going to have a huge impact on our future. With such a large number of people who will need to be seeking employment, accommodation and planing for their future during this time it’s going to be really disruptive. I hope that the creative industry can adapt and that we won’t be at a disadvantage by not having the degree show and study trips to kick start our professional careers. - Anna Robinson
Do you think enough support is being given to university students to help them through this uncertain time?
Personally, I think my universities higher ups really haven’t handled the situation very well. There is no immediate extension for the students which I still find baffling but is something I’ve come to terms with. This screams a lack of support, with no leniency for the students who are trying to get a degree in this uncertain time. I think the support has come from my peers and myself more than university officials, with no criticism to my tutors because they are trying their best. This is not something anyone could have prepared for. – Jasmine Freemantle
Yes and no, I truly believe our tutors are doing the best they can for us right now, they are also having to adapt but they are supporting us how they can. I do however feel like higher up things seem to be moving very slowly, I am still waiting to see what they are going to do for us and how, I hope that there will be more clarity on this in the coming weeks. - Holly Astle
I definitely agree that our tutors have been really supportive during this time, and we have been made aware of support not just in terms of our course but for mental health and financial issues. I understand that it can be a slow process to implement the support we need as a course and I trust that they will continue to give us the help we need going forward. - Anna Robinson
What advice do you have for other students that have been similarly effected?
My biggest piece of advice is to expect less from yourself. It’s okay if this isn’t your most productive phase in your creative life. It’s important to be patient with yourself at this time, we are all in this together. – Jasmine Freemantle
Similar answer: don’t feel guilty for doing less, we are all going through a shared experience and everyone is struggling in some way. Try to reach out to others and let the creative community come together in this time. - Holly Astle
Exactly what they have said, work at your own pace and don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone is coping differently and it’s so important to stay positive and take things day by day. - Anna Robinson
Do the effects of the pandemic on university students deserve more media recognition?
Absolutely! I haven’t seen a huge amount of it in the media, but I also haven’t been searching. The government haven’t said anything about university students, as far as I’m aware anyways. I think it really needs to be addressed that we are experiencing little help in the way of finances or reimbursement. We are paying an awful lot of money for online schooling, which I cannot stress enough, cannot replace art schooling. Art schooling is impossible to be provided online, If I were university officials, I would extend everyone’s studies so they can have vital time with facilities, like screen-printing etc.
Thank you so much for having us! We really appreciate it and send all of our love and best wishes to all the students around the UK, we are all in this together!
To see more of the work from the graduates of Falmouth University's Illustration course, check out their Instagram @falslostgrads.illustration
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