We often emphasize that the theme of a good collection of works should be found from ourselves, and we should attach importance to the students' own experience and interests to be reasonably displayed in the collection of works. In this regard, many students do not understand: why do I need to "analyze" myself when I apply to art schools? For example, "I like sweet food" and "I'm afraid of water" are these minor personal views really enough as the theme of creation? Even some bad emotions, such as "mourning", "chaos", "personal dark side", are just the inspiration sources often mentioned by teachers and cases. Today we will talk about how to make a collection of works? How to analyze yourself in the creation of works?

In fact, the reason why many students have such doubts is that they believe that they should try their best to show their excellent and positive side when facing the assessment of colleges and universities. These off the table careful thoughts cannot play the role of promoting strengths and avoiding weaknesses and maximizing advantages. In order to solve this problem, we should first understand what is the fundamental purpose of colleges and universities to submit collections of works? Do colleges and admissions officers want to see a perfect design or a fresh creativity through their works? The answer is obvious: personal expressiveness is the foundation of art works collection. Today, we will take specific cases to analyze how to make a collection of works? How to analyze yourself in the creation of works?

How to make a portfolio? How to analyze yourself in the creation of works?

1. Do you need to "optimize" yourself?

First of all, we need to solve the premise that whether we need to be optimized as shown to the admissions officer is inevitable. The collection of works is not only a major of personal professional ability, but also a collection of your personality, potential, thinking, knowledge reserves, cognitive perspective, etc.

Since the collection of works is the carrier of individuals, it is reasonable to show the best side of yourself to the admissions officer. The reason why people think that "optimization" and "truth" cannot coexist is that they are misled by the definition of "background optimization" in the broad category of studying abroad.

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Although background optimization/improvement is also very important in art study abroad, the functions and logic that work collections and document materials need to carry are different! We often emphasize the importance of collection production in art study, which leads many students to ignore the purpose and role of document materials. In fact, document materials are the best "packaging" and the key to improve themselves.

First of all, compared with the visual application materials, the document materials show our comprehensive strength in addition to professional ability, which is reflected through a series of internship projects, competitions, social activities, practices, scientific research, study visits, letters of recommendation and other ways that applicants have participated in.

Its purpose is to show the students' special features in the application field and their unique advantages. In short, it is to show themselves from a more dimensional perspective, which is a relatively soft content review;

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However, the collection of works emphasizes the "creativity" without reference standards and the professionalism reflected through the works. Technology is the foundation and expression is the key. Through observing and reflecting on your own life in the creation of art works collection, you can create a work that can express yourself. Such works collection has fundamental advantages.

2. Advantages of self analysis?

Everyone is an independent individual. We have different hobbies, growth environment, perception ability and expression methods. It is because of various objective factors that we are different. Taking yourself as the material and digging out the most authentic emotions is the driving force of artistic creation, which is also equal to the most unique advantages and characteristics of your works.

Of course, there is emotional drive as well as theoretical support. Professional ability is the basis for realizing ideas. How to establish a complete logic to support personal views through collecting inspiration, research, divergence, and expression in the creation process to achieve resonance with the audience is what we really need to learn. Next, we will analyze several specific methods through cases:

　　a. Selection of theme

From the perspective of the real market, the homogenization of products in clothing, graphic, architecture and other fields is very serious. The fundamental reason is that the purpose of these creators is to cater to the market and audience, and they have rules based on the business model.

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But if we want to break the homogenization, we need to jump out of the outside interference at the beginning of creation and dare to look at the heart. Even though some of your ideas may be somewhat different and some may not be so "positive", artistic creation is free and human nature is diverse; If the world you see is gray and the river you think is static, then you can express it in your works in this way. There is no right or wrong in art. Daring to question and explore is the most valuable instinct in the creation of works. Of course, all of this is based on your true thinking, rather than unique and unique.

　　b. Depth of research

It is no exaggeration to say that self analysis can be said to be the simplest and most effective way to make a collection of works. After choosing the theme that you really feel, how to clarify the personal direction and motivation of creation, and how to extend personal feelings to a deeper creative theme, we need to build the foundation of the work through research.

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The choice of theme is to focus on a small matter. Research is to dig into the event itself and explore its internal logic. For example, you like sweet food, so why do you like it? What do people who like sweet food have in common? What emotional resonance can sweet food bring? This leads to the discussion of a group and a social phenomenon. 　　

Maybe many students think that their life is ordinary and their views are not unique enough, but in fact, their personal views are not equal to unique and unique views, and can even be an event that everyone has a consensus on. Although the themes are much the same, everyone's emotional processing is different, The resonance and divergence angle that can be harvested will certainly be different.

　　c. An experimental attempt

When we observe the curriculum of top art colleges, we can find that basic skills courses, whether art or design, are usually concentrated in the first year. After that, most of the courses are based on studio courses with perfect equipment and seminars to cultivate design thinking.

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The fundamental purpose of this curriculum model is to cultivate students' personal creativity. The design style and personal artistic language are never taught, but gradually formed through individual's gradually clear direction in practice, continuous experiments and enrichment of more techniques.

Therefore, self analysis is not a flash of inspiration or the ability of talent, but a process of continuous accumulation and excavation. In the process of a project from finding problems to solving problems, what you show to the admissions officer is not just a flash of thought or the final visual effect.

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It is a complete design process built by your own ability: how to find a unique perspective through critical thinking, what creative techniques you have integrated to achieve different visual effects, how to derive your own design process, and how you have tried your best to express your ideas, then such works must be the most artistic expression.

How to make a portfolio? How to analyze yourself in the creation of works? Art is essentially free expression. For the creation of the school's art works collection, it should not be put under the yoke of "artificial" and "professional". Whether it is artistic expression that conveys emotional value, or design that serves the people, looking directly at the heart, digging out the true self, and conveying perception, it is the origin of everything and the help to promote the development of design.

The collection of works is a kind of bearing form to show oneself, trying to make the collection of works into self expression. No matter what you feel in life, you can express it in an artistic way. It must be the most authentic self that can impress the admissions officer.

Because of this, Natural Light believes that each student is different, and each person has unique personal talents and characteristics. We always refuse to set template teaching methods, and also resolutely refuse to set template documents and background optimization. We hope to train students based, conscious, and targeted. We look forward to a better you!

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