Inktober

ByJoseph Travis

Every October, artists all over the world take on the Inktober drawing challenge by doing one ink drawing a day the entire month. – Jake Parker So I decided yesterday that I would do Inktober again this year. Inktober is a challenge created by Jake Parker to try and improve drawing skills with a focus on doing an ink drawing every day in October. Last year I did a still life every day based with an improvised tool, including some dip pens I made out of clay that had varying success.  I really enjoyed making and finding different tools and…

Let’s Play Hungry Hungry Hippos

Let’s Play Hungry Hungry Hippos

ByJoseph Travis

“The waiting game sucks. Let’s play hungry hungry hippos” Homer J Simpson In January I submitted my dissertation for my Master’s research project. I am surprised by how long the process of writing up can take, but a lot of it is editing and re-editing to ensure I said the right things with the right tone. I am glad the writing process is over, but now we are on the worse part of the process, waiting.

Writing really does matter to me

ByJoseph Travis

I loved my time on the “Writing Matters” workshops that were provided by MIRIAD for researchers. There are some really skilled writers with distinct voices in the group. It has made me want to write more but not in a stiff academic way, but in a more human flowing voice. Talking to other members of the group about my writing and my research revealed to me that what I was actually interested in my work is actually communication. I had never thought about it this way but all my research and thinking seems to point towards looking at different ways…

How Making Ceramics and Web 2.0 taught me to speak out and gave me a voice.

ByJoseph Travis

This is an extract from a talk first given at the Material Matters Seminar at Manchester Metropolitan University on 10th December 2014.  It was presented with the following Svend Bayer YouTube video in the playing Background. It was originally published on my research blog.   In my early twenties I started searching for my own identity, I was stuck 200miles away from home studying the most hands on of all the classical science degrees, chemistry. Though as hands on as chemistry was there is something very hands-off about concentrated Hydrochloric acid that had a permanent place on my workbench. My…