Finally getting through it? *trigger*

[magie06]

Well done for studing while being sick. Good luck with the graduation.

[Pen]

It was a five year struggle. At first I really did not think I would make it through but I was fortunate to have a great tutor in Sim for the first two years and then the HE tutors were great as well (and I still had Sim to help with the Ceramics work which was his speciality). But what really helped me through was my College Mentor. She never did any of the work for me but was always there to help me get a grip when things were getting too much or talk to the tutors when I could not or just read through what I had written and reassure me that it was better than I thought.
I would keep a mantra in my head on bad days... "Get up, Dress up and turn up" and even when I thought I just could not carry on that was what I did. I think my average attendance through the course was 95% (there was a few days when it really was just too much to cope with!!).

I still cannot believe I got a first. It also seems really odd not to be going back to college. One of the campuses is just down the road and it feels odd when I am walking the dog to see kids wearing college passes and not be part of that.

[Pen]

7 this morning Ember woke me by the process of pressing her nose against mine and staring hard at me. I got up and went to the loo, when I went back in the bedroom to get my dressing gown the little madam was curled up fast asleep in the warm space I had left with no intention of getting up.....

[Paula]

clever little Ember

[S deleted]

and this is one of the reasons why Max is crate trained, lol

[Pen]

I'm not allowed to crate Ember, not that I would anyway.

[S deleted]

I used to have a staffie who made a great pillow when lay on the sofa, haha

[rose]

That sounds like something my cats would do. They wait next to me and as soon as I move, they are in the space I was sitting in.

I think its amazing you went back to college and changed career. How did you know you wanted to do art?

[Angie]

Storm has to be crated bit only at night and when we have to leave the room for her safety

[Pen]

I think its amazing you went back to college and changed career. How did you know you wanted to do art?

I have always had an interest in art, but when I did A level art for a year I was told that I had no talent and would never be any good at it so I dropped out and studied electronics instead.
I still did art but it was something I did at home and never shared with anyone. When I went into the MH ward I took art stuff with me and there was two fabulous people in there, one an OT and the other an art therapist. They encouraged me to do as much art as possible and I had lots of people in the ward admiring what I did so I started thinking maybe I am not as bad as I thought. Whilst I was in there I picked up a brochure for the local college covering degree courses so I applied, but I missed the deadline and they would not extend it as they said I did not have the formal skills needed for the course anyway.
Then a friend took me along to a college open day and I met Sim who was the tutor for the art and design foundation course and he persuaded me to apply for that course. I figured I would give it a go, that it would give my days some structure and hopefully help my MH.

The rest as they say is history.... After completing the foundation course I was welcomed into the degree course and throughout have been reassured that my art is fine and nothing to be ashamed of.