Future Focus

Not one to sit still for too long (having just recently completed my first Level 3 course with the OCA), I'm busily researching the focus for my final OCA Course (Photography 3: Advanced), which I intend to start in May 2010. I have a huge interest in Photography & International Conflict and have found a superb project being run through the University College of Dublin's (UCD) Clinton Institute for American Studies on this exact subject. My intention is to research into the area (from both a primary and secondary perspective), prior to undertaking a prolonged practical project that I intend to culminate in an exhibition (and, of course, the extended 'Learning Log' requirement for the course). I am still working on the fineties of the practical project, and will be discussing this with my tutor once I enrol in May. I am really looking forward to it - the completion of the course will (if everything goes well) award me with my degree in Creative Arts, something I've been working towards for a long time, and a qualification which I am not only extremely proud of, but one which I hope will lead me in new directions.

My current work is very demanding (but also equally rewarding) and this, along with a Masters degree in HRD & Performance Mgt (which I am currently studying with the Centre for Labour Market Studies in Leicester - due for completion in 2011) have made the job of studying for the Creative Arts degree a huge challenge, but it is going in the right direction (albeit with some late nights and early mornings). My long-term goal is to study for a PhD (hopefully with the UCD) in Photography and both work and lecture in the area of Photography and Social/International Conflict. I have a real focus (and passion) for this goal, and will keep on working hard until I achieve it.

The UCD site is superb as a research tool, and many of the links I have added to this Forum. The recorded interviews with Photo Editors and key photographers in the documentary field within the 'Imaging Famine' link are especially valuable and provide a great source for debate and thought. As I narrow my focus towards a 'solid' research topic, I will keep updating this forum with my ideas and thoughts (if nothing more than to keep a track of my 'developments').