“Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.” (Matsuo Basho)

This quote seems quite appropriate for me as it is how I perceive of my life, a life that has led me this moment to be a student of Publishing Studies at the University of Stirling.

The road to here perhaps Robert Frost himself would have thought twice about treading but it has offered me a wealth of opportunity (not always taken) and experience. Many years ago I played football, until injury ended for me the dream and when I look back I realise that it was the creativity I enjoyed, the communication respected by your peers that gave it meaning. So to college to study Sports Science and the recurrence of the said injury, but although sadly I had to leave the course something strange or wonderful or wonderfully strange happened, a poem came into my head fully formed and onto the paper in front of me.

This was the beginning of a new wave of expression; writing, illustration and playing music. I guess it had been there all the time but was being warded off by the footie monster. First of all the writing appeared very black and white but after a while it became more and more filled with colour, as did the illustrations, as did the music, as did my life. So moving along the road a little and waving to Robert who seems very content upon his chosen path, I complete a book and it is something I wish to share. Now a little further along the road and to Robert positively beaming I begin to ponder the possibilities of bringing the work to publication.

Remember the Publishing Studies? Well,  here I am feeling somewhat privileged to have this opportunity to study at the University of Stirling and hoping that  I may realise the vision which has been revealed to me upon my journey. So if I may, I present myself as an illustration – a pigment of my imagination; a colour-seed with so many possibilities.

The dissemination of knowledge, ideas and opinions which instigate debate and a form of community is my main interest with publishing.

My background is with Fine Art, which I studied as an undergraduate and postgraduate at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee. Since graduating in 2004 I have worked as an artist on various exhibitions and residencies held nationally and internationally.

I came to this course with the desire to learn about the publishing industry, to learn about the global and national context and the finer workings and processes involved. I am interested in the future developments of online published content and the development that print publications may take in response. I have submitted work which was subsequently published in the Dundee publication, Yuck ‘n Yum , and from the perspective of my background I have a strong interest in artist books, such as those you can find in the Visual Research Centre at Dundee Contemporary Arts. In a broader sense, I am interested in science fiction, architecture and design.  A few of my favourite titles are Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami,  Lanark by Alasdair Gray and The Gray Cloth by Paul Scheerbart.

The course so far has been fantastic, with a wealth of new information to take in and fast learning to be done. It’s certainly been a challenge to get back up to speed working in the academic context again. However I very much look forward to the year ahead and all the activity we will be involved in.

I’m an international student from Texas (U.S.A), which is always a fun thing to say because I feel a bit exotic. I came to the University of Stirling on a study abroad program in second year of undergrad, and I happened upon a great half module on British and American poetry from the 20th century. When I returned to Texas to finish my undergrad, I quickly changed my major from Psychology to English and decided to pursue a career in the only truly constant pleasure in my life – books. Since I don’t have the patience for teaching or the talent for writing anything other than my blog, I looked around for a way to get into the publishing field. Fortunately, I found out I could attend a postgraduate program here in Stirling and cheat my way back into Scotland.

Stirling’s program was exactly what I was looking for in postgraduate study. Part of the reason I returned to the University of Stirling was the wonderful experience I had here before, but the deciding factor was the course description for Publishing Studies. The course offers modules that will be practical for real-world application, and I know I will be leaving the program with a clear understanding of the market as a whole. This certainty after a few semesters of “‘Uh…what?” soothed me into making what I believe is an excellent choice. With any luck, I will snag a job in the production or editorial department of a publishing company somewhere. Anywhere would be great, I’m not picky. I promise.