In my MA course, I was encouraged to pursue what I was most passionate about over what is most popular in industry. It was the best piece of advice I received, and it gave me a chance to specialise in a form of Graphics and Art I had not formally studied. Being able to deeply engage with animation, and map out its professional and academic opportunities, shaped a courage to chase animation further into research, and hopefully, into whatever lies beyond it.
Loughborough has a wealth of staff expertise regarding Graphic Design, Animation and Storytelling from which my project is grounded in. The encouragement of interdisciplinary interaction combined with the golden standards of facilities, opens the doors to novel discoveries and additions to researchers’ interests and their respective fields of knowledge. But all of that could be wasted without Loughborough’s positive and fostering culture that enables students to feel at ease with coming to grips with the new. But the cherry on top, was my pre-existing familiarity with the town, staff, and the university. Together, these elements construct the ideal environment to intimately analyse, interrogate, and remodel researchers approach to, and understanding of, animation.