I felt very fortunate to be given the opportunity to travel abroad as it was my very first time to travel to a foreign country. I had no idea that for a country that had so many people fluent in english that so many of them would choose to speak Finnish.
I was also able to work with materials I was not able to before and I also learned how to drawing in a more product design style that will help me with my work in the future.
I also learned how to paint gesturally and draw using both pens and watercolours and became more confident to distort subject matter around me in order to convey emotion and atmosphere in my paintings. These new skills that I have developed have now given me a new frontier to develop my fine art painting on a completely different level that might change the way I look at painting in the future.
I was also able to work with materials I was not able to before and I also learned how to drawing in a more product design style that will help me with my work in the future.
I also learned how to paint gesturally and draw using both pens and watercolours and became more confident to distort subject matter around me in order to convey emotion and atmosphere in my paintings. These new skills that I have developed have now given me a new frontier to develop my fine art painting on a completely different level that might change the way I look at painting in the future.
During my time at Pekka Halonen academy, I was engaged with my own personal project. The college provided more than enough space and time, and I was free to be open and explore, and play. However, the college also provided me with woodcutting, painting and still life workshops, and the work and conversation during this time was all mingled through the use of a notebook which proved very useful and I hope to use these skills in my art practice in the future.
I was fortunate enough to have been placed on the outskirts of Helsinki with regular buses and I took this chance to visit art galleries in the city and acquire knowledge on some new artists.
My confidence has grown through this experience, and I want to express my gratitude for being given this chance. Thank you for this time, Kiitos.
I was fortunate enough to have been placed on the outskirts of Helsinki with regular buses and I took this chance to visit art galleries in the city and acquire knowledge on some new artists.
My confidence has grown through this experience, and I want to express my gratitude for being given this chance. Thank you for this time, Kiitos.
I was very happy with my Erasmus+ placement. My group started with printmaking, but by the end of the week I was making a 2D sprite for a computer game I would be making the following week. Thanks to Pekka and the game design teacher I was able to confirm my interest in becoming a video game designer.
The teachers and students were very helpful and friendly. Pekka our supervisor, who is also the animation teacher, thought me how to make a 2D animation in ToonBoom Harmony and export it in a sprite format to be imported into a game engine. When the exporting of the sprites was done the game design teacher thought me how to import them into a game engine called Construct 2.
The culture in Finland is different than in Ireland. In Ireland, however, people love to go out and meet new people, they will even go out of their way to meet new people. In Finland they are more reserved, they seem to be very aware and conscious of what they say when they first meet someone which I found very interesting. When they get to know you though they light up like a Christmas tree. They want to hear what life is like in our corner of the globe. They were very welcoming to us when we arrived and I would love to see some of the friends I made in Finland again in the future.
The teachers and students were very helpful and friendly. Pekka our supervisor, who is also the animation teacher, thought me how to make a 2D animation in ToonBoom Harmony and export it in a sprite format to be imported into a game engine. When the exporting of the sprites was done the game design teacher thought me how to import them into a game engine called Construct 2.
The culture in Finland is different than in Ireland. In Ireland, however, people love to go out and meet new people, they will even go out of their way to meet new people. In Finland they are more reserved, they seem to be very aware and conscious of what they say when they first meet someone which I found very interesting. When they get to know you though they light up like a Christmas tree. They want to hear what life is like in our corner of the globe. They were very welcoming to us when we arrived and I would love to see some of the friends I made in Finland again in the future.
I felt very fortunate to travel abroad independently for the first time. I would never have been able to do anything like this without the Erasmus+ programme. I really enjoyed getting immersed in another culture and working with people of a different background.
I got to work with new technology and really develop my own work initiative. Working so independently really boosted my confidence in my own problem solving abilities. The placement also accommodated a lot of social and cultural events. I got to see so much of Finland and meet lots of interesting people in all kinds of fields of work. Meeting so many passionate people really showed me a lot of new ways to look at things.
I feel this trip has had a deep impact on my own grasp of my strengths and weaknesses. Although I found the experience intimidating at times I think what I’ve learned has had a real impact on me.
I got to work with new technology and really develop my own work initiative. Working so independently really boosted my confidence in my own problem solving abilities. The placement also accommodated a lot of social and cultural events. I got to see so much of Finland and meet lots of interesting people in all kinds of fields of work. Meeting so many passionate people really showed me a lot of new ways to look at things.
I feel this trip has had a deep impact on my own grasp of my strengths and weaknesses. Although I found the experience intimidating at times I think what I’ve learned has had a real impact on me.
While I was in Finland, I had opportunities to work in both 2D and 3D animation, graphic design, photography, painting and printing. I also worked with the college to provide art therapy workshops and lectures to the students as a potential career choice for them and as an opportunity for me to learn and experience Finnish people on a deeper level.
Through these opportunities I learned such a huge amount in just three weeks. While print is extremely time consuming, I was surprised to have learned in depth, four different types of print while I was there. The fact that they had a whole department entirely devoted to print and their advanced print equipment made this possible.
For me this learning was invaluable. I came from a place of being quite daunted and intimidated by print; I felt it was something I would never become competent in. Now I feel I have learned so much about these four areas of print that I am both inspired and excited about how much is possible to be achieved through print. It makes me feel even more prepared for the print component of the fine art degree that I want to do next year.
In relation to the art therapy workshops, I learned so much about Finnish culture and how it compares to Irish culture. I got an opportunity to work with the teachers in organising these groups which gave me insight into how the school operates, and again, I had a chance to reflect on how this compares with schools in Ireland. The teachers in the college in Raahe were so obliging and helpful and worked very closely with me to help me to understand what I felt I was observing of Finnish culture. They spoke to me about Finnish life and history amongst other things, which added to my learning.
Mostly, I am interested in how this learning about Finnish culture has impacted on my art. A lot of my painting is influenced in some way by human life, ways of being and the human form in general. Already, I can notice a difference in the portraits that I am painting since returning to Ireland; there is more life, expression and experience in them. There is also the influence of the many art galleries and art museums that I attended while in Finland and also, the students art, the houses and architecture in general and the people of Finland that I met.
All in all this trip was an invaluable experience for me and I look forward to seeing this increased learning in my work over the coming months.
Through these opportunities I learned such a huge amount in just three weeks. While print is extremely time consuming, I was surprised to have learned in depth, four different types of print while I was there. The fact that they had a whole department entirely devoted to print and their advanced print equipment made this possible.
For me this learning was invaluable. I came from a place of being quite daunted and intimidated by print; I felt it was something I would never become competent in. Now I feel I have learned so much about these four areas of print that I am both inspired and excited about how much is possible to be achieved through print. It makes me feel even more prepared for the print component of the fine art degree that I want to do next year.
In relation to the art therapy workshops, I learned so much about Finnish culture and how it compares to Irish culture. I got an opportunity to work with the teachers in organising these groups which gave me insight into how the school operates, and again, I had a chance to reflect on how this compares with schools in Ireland. The teachers in the college in Raahe were so obliging and helpful and worked very closely with me to help me to understand what I felt I was observing of Finnish culture. They spoke to me about Finnish life and history amongst other things, which added to my learning.
Mostly, I am interested in how this learning about Finnish culture has impacted on my art. A lot of my painting is influenced in some way by human life, ways of being and the human form in general. Already, I can notice a difference in the portraits that I am painting since returning to Ireland; there is more life, expression and experience in them. There is also the influence of the many art galleries and art museums that I attended while in Finland and also, the students art, the houses and architecture in general and the people of Finland that I met.
All in all this trip was an invaluable experience for me and I look forward to seeing this increased learning in my work over the coming months.
I enjoyed my work experience in Finland. It was a beneficial experience because I got to learn new animation softwares such as, 3Ds Max and Adobe Animate, and I became a lot more confident in my work. I noticed an improvement in my organisational and communication skills being in Finland. I also learned how to work in a group to organise our travel and work. I am grateful to get to experience Finnish culture and get to meet the lovely Finnish people.
During my time in Finland I had a lot of good experiences. I really learned a lot about 3D animation, a new program and how to animate with more life, which is something I can take forward to my 2D animation. I feel like i’m more confident in my abilities, and i’ve also developed my drawing skills. I am also more comfortable travelling and I never would have been able to come to Finland without the Erasmus+ funding.
It really helped clarify what I want to do in the future, and helped me decide what direction to take. I feel like I know more about my skills now that I’m home and how to manage myself. And on top of all that, I got to tick skiing off my bucket-list.
It really helped clarify what I want to do in the future, and helped me decide what direction to take. I feel like I know more about my skills now that I’m home and how to manage myself. And on top of all that, I got to tick skiing off my bucket-list.
Reflecting on my experience overall, I must say it has been truly a unique and positive experience. I learned about an area of art that I had no experience in, at the Pori Art Museum, and this has opened my eyes to not only the possibilities of working in an art museum, but also to the important role they play in showing us different ways of exploring and viewing the world.
Working abroad in another country has developed my confidence more than I thought it would. It gave me the opportunity to find my feet within a busy art institution and will hopefully help me in the future when looking for internships and employment in art museums.
Working abroad in another country has developed my confidence more than I thought it would. It gave me the opportunity to find my feet within a busy art institution and will hopefully help me in the future when looking for internships and employment in art museums.
During my stay in Pori, the placement allowed me to build the confidence needed to help me advance in the business world. I was given the chance to meet a number of talented people and to see what is needed progress in this field of work. In meeting new people I feel my confidence was boosted and that i’m more prepared for interviews in the future and working in group situations.
I was able to see where my strengths lie and where my weaknesses are which will allow me to work on these in the future. The placement allowed me to realise how 3D modelling and animation is my weakest point at the moment and that I do not want to follow that path. It is however 2D animation I wish to pursue as a career path or concept art and design and for this I am grateful for.
It was a great opportunity that i would have never been able to experience because of my financial position. I am grateful for the work done by Erasmus+ team and Léargas for making this possible for us.
I was able to see where my strengths lie and where my weaknesses are which will allow me to work on these in the future. The placement allowed me to realise how 3D modelling and animation is my weakest point at the moment and that I do not want to follow that path. It is however 2D animation I wish to pursue as a career path or concept art and design and for this I am grateful for.
It was a great opportunity that i would have never been able to experience because of my financial position. I am grateful for the work done by Erasmus+ team and Léargas for making this possible for us.
During my time in Pori I have learned how to use two new animation programs. 3ds max which is a 3d animating software and Adobe Animate which is 2d. I feel this will help me in the future since I have a knowledge of more programs which will help me in the future when finding work. I improved a lot in my artistic skills which was a huge goal of mine. I was so glad that I managed to achieve this during my placement. I also improved on working on projects, both by myself and with others. I learned how to live independently and experienced living in a different country. I feel like I had experiences that I wouldn’t have had a chance to have in Ireland. Overall this placement has been very beneficial to me from both a practical and a personal perspective and I was happy to have had this opportunity.
My work aimed to identify possible contacts and future placement opportunities for GTI art and animation students to help them gain professional experience in Helsinki region in Finland, a country where I had never been before. The work involved visiting and meeting relevant people in various art organisations, galleries and museums. The work placement helped me gain new skills and knowledge as I travelled within Helsinki and studied closely its visual arts culture. The experience also helped me build my existing skills of researching, networking and collaboration.
For an artist-to-be this kind of experience enriches one’s perspective about society we live in and the world in general. I came back with a few very interesting future projects based on my experience in Helsinki.
For an artist-to-be this kind of experience enriches one’s perspective about society we live in and the world in general. I came back with a few very interesting future projects based on my experience in Helsinki.
I could not have predicted taking so much from the experience in terms of insight in to the commercial art world and a European city. I could never have afforded to make something like this happen for myself so to be funded for it and have the arrangements put in place for me to participate is a real privilege and a once in a life time opportunity. If I ever get to have another experience like it, I will be very lucky indeed. Moving forward having this experience as part of my narrative could be incredibly valuable when I have ventured further in to my studies within contemporary art. I feel it has changed my insights in to the possibilities my studies might have and say to myself if this is how well my change of educational direction is treating me already then surely the possibilities for the future are great. Presently it has informed me about what style of art speaks to me and improved my awareness in a way that might have taken two years otherwise.
The placement helped concrete my decision to work within the arts. It has made me more confident in my abilities and my knowledge of the sector. I would not have had the opportunity to do something like this without the support of the Erasmus + programme. I feel that having this experience and the confidence and skills which I have acquired are a big plus when writing a C.V. Experiencing another culture and taking from it the elements which I believe inform my education allows me to hold a more rounded and educated view of the world in which I live and work.
For my work placement I was sent to Pekka Halonen academy which is one hour north of Helsinki. It was a beautiful location and to have a space to work as a artist in residence was a great experience for me. It was also a trip I would not have been able to undertake without the funding from the EU and the encouragement of my teacher at GTI. I am very thankful to everyone who made this trip possible and I definitely have found a renewed confidence to pursue opportunities as a travelling artist. I found the Finnish culture very similar to the Irish culture in many respect. Their is a shyness in many but with a gentle nudge you can open a smile in another. All in all it has concreted my belief there is a lot of lovely, positive people out there also looking to share positive experiences with others which is very exciting.