Student Stories: Hilary Lawler

"Hello, I'm Hilary Lawler, a BA Illustration Stage 3 student.

I'm a mixed media artist and love sequential art and I'm studying with OCA as a part-time student while I work full time."

What is your previous educational experiences and what drew you to OCA?

While working, I wanted to return to college and study something that was always of interest to me. In my spare time I would draw, create zines and I was part of a great collective creating comics for a period of time. However, I always felt that I had a gap in my skills so that drew me to OCA as it was flexible, online and I could do it part-time

Can you describe your OCA journey?

It has taken me a long time to get through each unit, simply because I've had to work and I've had moments when I had to pause study. As a recently diagnosed ADHD woman, I'm able to see how study has been a challenge for me in so many different ways. With this awareness, I'm able to approach my studies differently.

What was the Tutor and/or Peer Support like on your course?

Unfortunately I've had some tutors that were not a good fit but when I've requested a change, OCA accommodated and matched me with a good fit. More recently, with the move to OU, the support for students feels more consistent and the support for neurodiverse students feels genuine. That has definitely improved my experience greatly.

What does studying with OCA mean to you?

Studying with OCA has meant that I have control over the way I choose to engage with study. Yes, there are deadlines for each section, but it feels much more flexible than other colleges. It can be hard to find peers at the same stage that you're at, and that can make you feel quite isolated at times. However, the recent workshops and talks has definitely helped to make me feel like I'm part of a community.

What's next?

For now, my main goal is to finish my BA Illustration in a timely manner. I'm working on projects that I would like to see realised within a reasonable time frame too. My ideal future would involve working as an illustrator and producing comics regularly. My experience with OCA is helping with that.

Any advice?

As an ADHD student, the biggest issue I had and still have, is getting started! I know what to do, but find it difficult to get started. A playlist and good earphones help, and it creates this routine that once you hit play on that list, you start your study. Transitioning between tasks also tripped me up, and still does...but I try to link it in as a stepping stone moment. So when a task is finished or I have to switch gears from research to doing, I'll try and break it up by going for a walk, tidying or watching Netflix, just to let myself know that we are now finished one thing and will be moving to another soon. That time to process allows the transition to be a little less bumpy. If I don't do this, I'll go into 'stuck' mode and can middle distance for a long time. It can know your confidence a lot! I hope that helps!! Also, body doubling! If you are really stuck, go find someone who is doing something or call someone, and then let them help you to get started (it happens naturally). This is my experience - everyone will be different and these might not work for you...but I hope some of them do.

You can find Hilary at:

Instagram: @therealsuperhilbo