We were very pleased to have a visit recently from aspiring talent, 2014 BA Textile Design graduate Yasmin Falahat from Ilford, Essex, Greater London. Yasmin’s just been selected for UK Young Artists Festival 2014 which will take place 7th-9th of November in Leicester. Here’s a little more about her time at Chelsea and views on living and studying in London.
Describe your Chelsea experience in 3 words? Intense, Challenging & Exciting
What did you enjoy most about studying at Chelsea? The atmosphere and being surrounded by other creatives who you can bounce ideas off whilst experimenting a lot. The wonderful academics and technicians who support you and always push you hard to do your very best. When you conceive an idea you can always try to make it a reality in the workshops and studio spaces.
How did you enjoy living in London? I’m from Greater London so I commuted to college from my family home. I feel at home in London. There are so many things and places to see and experience which inspires you on a daily basis for your creative studies.
Where do you live now? I continue to live in Ilford, with a view to international opportunities including future travel.
What was your greatest challenge on the course and how did you overcome it? Picking yourself up when things don’t work out exactly as you want them, especially when you are surrounded by so many talented people. You feel the pressure to create something new and original. If you keep working hard something will come from it, often you learn the most through your mistakes.
What has been your greatest challenge in your professional life since then and how have you overcome it? Since I graduated three months ago, my main challenge has been figuring out the direction I want to go in professionally. I’m continuing to be creative, keeping in touch with my classmates for potential collaboration and researching business opportunities including through UAL’s Student Enterprise and Employability.
Biro Drawing by Yasmin Falahat
What are your greatest achievements/awards/exhibitions? Taking part in the FloatArt exhibition with other Chelsea graduates at London Oxo Tower in late September this year and being selected for UK Young Artists Festival 2014 which will take place 7th-9th of November in Leicester. These are the first two shows I’ve been involved in outside of Chelsea College of Arts.
Are you still a practicing artist/designer? Yes.
And lastly, what would you say to anyone thinking of studying at Chelsea? Go for it! Because you learn so much, the people are lovely and the atmosphere is great!
Follow Yasmin on her website and tumblr blog
Images are from Yasmin’s final graduate collection: “6 mixed media pieces made from hand-sculpting wax with areas of stitched mono filament. This project was based on the change in mood people can have when walking at night, how the context of the journey and how the individual feels can be effected by the change in light”