Fast Forward

Well, I must apologise for the break I've had. Or maybe I shouldn't, because its given me things to write about....Hm.

I've been meaning to post for ages, to be perfectly honest. But life, as it often does, whisked me away and now I'm somehow in September. But in that statement begs the question 'what have I done in these intervening months?'

Thats a darn good question.

Well, first things first, we all packed down degree show and upped to London for New Designers-which was crazy, but awesome. I was awarded Craft and Design Magazine's 'One to Watch' award; and have since been featured in their magazine. Thanks again to the lovely Emily for the photos, and to Amy, for letting me publish those amazing cheekbones.

After New Designers came... nothing. I had a period of time which I can only explain as grief I was in denial about leaving, but alas the time came when I found I had left, and for that I was unprepared! It's not that I don't want to grow up and do real life; I'm actually super excited about that. I just enjoyed the crazy, creative, addictive, pushing atmosphere of higher education. Being constantly stretched almost to breaking point was where I found that I thrived. So after a few black, incredibly unhappy days; I worked as much as I could on anything and everything to make me busy again. Things were looking up (so we can now put the violin away).

I also got this happy letter through the post telling me I would graduate with a First Class Honours Degree! So naturally my response was to cry.

Lots of job applications, cups of tea with friends and their beautiful babies, and volunteering here and there passed. And we find me a few weeks later slightly shellshocked that a whole month had passed, and wearing a funny hat. What to do in this situation? Try and eat the Principle, apparently. Enter graduation stage right:

I also found out that I had won second place at the Royal Welsh Show that I sort of spontaneously exhibited at. Well, thats not too shabby for something I didn't really plan, is it?

And the day after graduation, Mark, Myself and two good friends set off for a week in Italia. This needs a separate post to do it justice, but this is really where I saw a revival in my making process. I knew that I needed some new life in my work and where else to gather fresh inspiration-especially of the architectural kind-than Italy?! As I did before however, I took interest not in the grandiose buildings of cathedrals; but the wear and tear the shown, door markings, text and graffiti and as always a good old bit of rust and decay. Mmmmmmm!

Post Italy, we travelled to Cornwall with Mark's family. This was lovely and relaxing, and allowed my brain to have time to process the new information Italy had brought. Now I am beginning to not only look at the architecture as a vessel of usefulness (its value as a whole) but the marks and the surface qualities that build up together to create such a presence of having been used. And this new interest didn't just include accidental scrapes and marks, but interesting little expressions in the form of graffiti. And these graffitis were found in the city; not a farm… How could this gel? Was this a new direction for me altogether? Well, in all honesty that question hasn't fully come to fruition yet. One thing I know is that I'm not abandoning my style and degree body of work. I still adore it, and am creating collections from them to take to Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair (oh yeah, I got asked to go-that happened too!!); but instead this journey is developing from there and expanding. I want to explore the surface detail as much as possible and also I am finding my fascination with text has brought me into the realms of poetry too. Which is both interesting and ironic; as my first ever piece of jewellery incorporated text.

Look at those solder joins. Gulp. The text used in this piece reads 'time for bed,' a quote derived from my grandmother who, in the last stages of dementia, thought my father was young and told my granddad to take him to bed. This links another similarity to where I am finally, and quite painfully, treading. My father is an Alzheimer's patient, and he's end stage. To put it simply; it's a waiting game now. And whilst my degree show work discussed valued versus valuable and rather tenuously talked on human relationships through the relationships we have with buildings; this new area-for now-is looking at the marks and decay and graffitis which show life, and presence of absence, and finally decay.

This new project is 'derelict beautiful' and so far, I'm enjoying researching new avenues, and mulling over new ideas whilst still creating collections from previous work. It's the way makers actually work, I suppose, rather than having one brief. Move on. Another brief. Move on.

This is the first piece from the collection. I think it will be a slow process but I am also determined that it won't be a depressing one either! I will range a breadth of emotion I think.

'Missing you', Nicola Lillie 2015

I have now officially joined Alloy; the Herefordshire based jewellers group, and it feels fantastic to be making again. I am not exaggerating when I say it felt like the sun had risen once I'd made something. I'm also in the process of setting up my own workshop, but I will continue to be part of Alloy for the larger space, companionship and exhibition opportunities that it presents! (Watch this space.) For more information on Alloy, click the logo image.

I have a new job to start on the 7th, which is part time and I think will suit the making excellently. I hope and aim not to be so distant from now on. I'm getting rather adept at the old Instagram now, too, so keep an eye out on there for my latest updates and check for the #derelictbeautiful to see where this new project leads.

ciao!