Welcome to the Major Project!

Hey, and welcome back to my blog!

Summer break is over and excitement has hit; the final year of university is about to begin!

There are 3 modules to complete this year: the Major Project, Freelance and Industry Management and Photography. This blog will be focusing on the major project, however, skills learnt in other modules will be included if relevant.

So,

What is the major project?

The major project is a research project which focuses on a particular topic of interest chosen by each student. The major project will pay attention to key areas including:

- Independent learning

- Problem solving

- Project management

- Collaboration

- Team management

- Presentation of results

- Analysis and reflection

Figure 1: Major Project Brief (O'Connor, 2023).

The major project provides an opportunity to deepen knowledge in a particular area of interest in the media makeup industry, such as prosthetics, advanced makeup, or hair and wig design as a few examples. The student is to carry out primary and secondary research to gather information and will create four final industry standard images relating to the topic of choice.

What is needed in order to complete the major project?

The project requires two fundamental skillsets:

1- To be able to produce design outcomes, two and three dimensional or virtual, which reflect the topic being explored, whilst keeping within media makeup sector.

2- Networking and collaboration with others leading to effective team management in final design project production.

Reflective writing will support any development towards the aims of this project, through the major project blog. An in-depth evaluation and reflection relating to the final project piece will also be produced towards the end of the project in the style of a reflective journal.

Which skills could be developed?

As a makeup artist, it is important to stay up to date in the modern world meaning that developing skills and practise is crucial in order to stay relevant and keep up with current trends.

Developing personal skillset throughout the major project will be beneficial as it will amplify employment and career development opportunities when leaving university (Prasad, 2021). It is important when going out into industry that there is evidence of having the best possible knowledge of a wide range of skills, making an individual more likely to be hired.

The self-diagnostic tool applied to analyse skillset is named SWOT, which stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (Parsons, N. 2018). This tool is helpful when analysing skillset and allows an individual to clearly see their strengths and weaknesses, what threats that the weaknesses could be exposed to, and what opportunities could arise to improve any weaknesses. Sarsby (2016) says “SWOT has been around for decades and could lay claim to being the most widely used strategy tool in modern times”. Figure 2 (O'Connor, 2022. SWOT Analysis) has been produced to demonstrate acknowledgement of not only strengths, but weaknesses that need to be developed over this academic year.

As discovered in the SWOT chart, there are many strengths and weaknesses that can be developed further throughout the major project. Team work and problem solving skills has been highlighted as a strength due to the student being one of six children. Being able to work in a team has been a priority that has enabled the student to access excellent teamwork skills that are essential when managing a project/team, relating to the major project. The student is passionate about the media makeup industry and is friendly and approachable. Being approachable is crucial as it allows for building professional relationships and creating a strong team, which is important for the major project (Mindtools, 2022).

Lack of confidence and communication has been highlighted as a weakness in the SWOT chart. This could potentially be a threat to the major project as collaboration is part of the brief, meaning communication with others and managing a team is a requirement in order to achieve success. Morin (2022) suggests that one of the best ways to gain confidence is to 'face your fears head-on' and even if there is doubt or worry, try anyway. Evidence that the student has put themselves forward and out of their comfort zone includes becoming the student representative for their class. This will help to gain confidence as it includes group speaking, becoming the leader of the group and speaking to different people outside of the class.

What previous skills have I learnt that will be used again this year?

Skills learnt in previous years will be used again this year but will be improved and developed further in order to gain a better understanding of certain processes and to ensure the best results possible at the end of the project. Such skills include life casting, sculpting and mould making, running prosthetics, and applying prosthetics.

Thank you for reading this week’s blog and welcome to the Major Project!

Next time will be an exploration of different topic ideas and coming to a final decision on which topic that major project will be based off.

See you then:)

Alysha

Reference List

Mindtools. (2022) How Approachable Are You? [Online]. Available at https://www.mindtools.com/aeymxw4/how-approachable-are-you (Accessed 3 January 2023).

Morin, A. (2022) How to Build Self-Confidence [Online]. Available at https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-boost-your-self-confidence-4163098 (Accessed 3 January 2023).

O'Connor, A. (2022) SWOT Analysis [Chart].

O'Connor, A. (2023) Major Project Brief [Image].

Parsons, N. (2021) What Is a SWOT Analysis and How to Do It Right (With Examples) [Online]. Available at https://www.liveplan.com/blog/what-is-a-swot-analysis-and-how-to-do-it-right-with-examples/ (Accessed 3 January 2023).

Prasad, A. (2021) Why Is It Important To Develop One’s Skill Set [Online]. Available at https://unicreds.com/blog/important-to-develop-ones-skill-set (Accessed 3 January 2023).

Sarsby, A. (2016) SWOT Analysis, England, Leadership Library.