I am currently a freshman in Fashion Design and Media Marketing at LCDF - Hanoi, or in other words, I’m taking a double degree. In terms of both disciplines, I have been going through 1 foundation course and 4 official semesters, with Distinction scores (calculated as the maximum) in all subjects.
I myself will try to always keep a stable spirit from beginning to end. Of course, in the learning process, there will be times when you stumble, or run out of ideas (art block), but what is important is the effort behind it. Today I will share the habits that I have maintained to achieve good results in this major!
(Note: The following are just personal experiences that I have found suitable for me and have worked. If you find it helpful, you can take it and give it a try! Everyone has a unique knowledge base. own knowledge and way of learning, as long as you are happy with it!).
1. Always submit assignments by the deadline every single time, especially in the early stages. This is a solid way to give your teachers a good impression of your work ethic and your integrity, something that will prove highly useful later on. When teachers start to think of you as a responsible student, they will be more lenient about your occasional mistakes. Maybe these teachers won’t have high ambitions for you, but they will always love students who are punctual. You should try to maintain this consistently, because once you give up after the first few days, it won’t be as effective!
=> Action: do your homework every day (right after the class ends you should start immediately), set goals for each day that under incompletion, you will feel a lingering dread and refuse to do anything else. If I make plans to hang with friends, or need to go outside to run errands, I will try to finish at least 50-70% before leaving. If not, I will accept staying up at night or sacrificing another time to make up for it.
2. As for fashion design in general, I'm not good at sewing and can't sew well even though I've tried a lot. In return, I will invest in the concept - idea and sketchbook array. If you are not good at this aspect, make your other strengths stand out. For sewing in particular, if the finished product is not professional, I make up for it with the detail, care and science in the technical file (the file that collects the theory, research and test samples of sewing).
3. For Fashion Marketing, reports and research should be presented with minimalistic, clean and scientific layouts (with symmetry in layout and expensive images). Simple does not mean boring, you still need to have a certain style in it, which I will share more thoroughly in the following article. You can refer to the magazine layout or graphic forms of Fashionary bookstore. I'm not too familiar with graphics, so you can rest assured that it's nothing fancy! It just takes a while to get used to, practice the perspective and know how to handle composition with economy.
4. Do a lot more than what your teachers expect of you and “think outside of the box”. Research in as much detail as you can, contact relevant sources of inspiration and keep digging; seek to develop every idea into the design in many different directions.With Marketing, I analyze ideas thoroughly and specifically and propose further strategies in that project. I often overdo the specified number of pages (sometimes doubled).
Note: The more you do, the more you should try to stay on topic because ultimately: quality over quantity. If you double your work but it misses its marks, it will be sure to backfire!
5. Read books and find books about your major. I have a part-time job, but there was a time, almost all my salary was only used for Fashion books. I had to cut many other expenses, but I have never regretted it. I buy both domestic and international books, so I can expand my knowledge and have more skills. This website will be my place to share and review books for those of you who want to study fashion but don't know where to start.
6. Maintain good relationships with relatives, friends and colleagues. Mentality is the factor that greatly affects your effectiveness. For me, good friends who are always ready to help and stay by my side are the motivation for me to continue to live better and improve myself. No matter how immersed I am in work, I always balance my time for groups and socializing. The consequences of studying too much and lack of social interaction will be very unpredictable.
7. Try to maintain calm and comfort in most situations, sometimes the best way to look at things is to look at it simply or break it down to its roots. One thing I've found is that people who often keep uncomfortable feelings inside will not be able to work really effectively, even though their abilities can achieve more than that. I want to maintain this mindset to perfect my workload and immediate goals.
8. Using notes and planners:
With a large amount of work, I often stick sticky notes in front of my desk (where I can see them most clearly). I list an overview of the tasks/projects that need to be done that week.
Specifically, I use the planner to break down those tasks by day. I will try to divide it reasonably so that each day can be completed and does not have to transfer to the next.
I usually do my homework for a few hours at a time, then eat, rest, and then work again. Limit studying while looking at your phone because that will make your workflow stagnant.
9. Use the law of attraction to self-motivate your inner strength: I've been doing this method unknowingly for years without even realizing it. Think about the moment you get there, think about how happy and happy you will be, what you will get in the end….Don't be afraid to think of big plans in the distant future. Thanks to those thoughts, I am always motivated to continue to be stronger.
Note: this method only works when you put your all into it. Be positive, but not too much!
10. In your academic journeys, have your own opinions along with the willingness to absorb the teachers' contributions. If you have new developments in your assignments, do more than what the criteria asks for and learn how to explain them to your teacher. You may be on the right track, but with art, with all those different perspectives, people may not understand your creative intentions. Let them see that everything you put out has an intentional and beneficial purpose for the project. There are many unfortunate cases when students do not know how to express their intentions, so their work is not fully appreciated.
Well, this lengthy explanation of mine has come to an end! In the upcoming days, if I discover more effective methods I will be sure to update them on the website. Please share your methods as well, your opinion is most valued!
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