Student Stories: OCA MA Fine Art, David Crawford

OCA Student Association
1 day ago
2 min read

Presenting the student story from our MA Fine Art student - David Crawford. Find our more about David below and join and our Meet the Artist event in September celebrating David and his fellow students in their final show. Sign up here.

Tell us a bit about you?

I am an established visual artist based in the Northeast of England.

I work with a range of materials including photography.

The majority of my previous post graduate professional education was classroom based. I was interested in exploring online learning with the OCA as it offered a good fit for my current lifestyle.

Tell us about your previous educational experiences and what drew you to OCA?

My previous educational experience was varied. After graduating from a Fine Art degree, I went on to work as a Full time Photographer. After moving from Hull to Sheffield in the UK, I then embarked upon a professional career that involved working across the private and public sectors, including university lecturing on a sessional basis.

Can you describe your OCA journey?

Committing to a 2 year MA Fine Art programme was a significant obligation.

The course modules necessitated considerable creative experimentation and personal commitment to regular academic practice. Tutor and peer support were key components in maintaining enthusiasm and determination towards completing course requirements.

Can you describe the tutor and/or peer support at the OCA?

As I was fortunate enough to be amongst the last cohort of the MA Fine Art programme I feel it is warranted that tutors Caroline Wright and Hayley Lock are given particular acknowledgement: both individuals were extremely attentive and supportive during the final months of the programme. The other unnamed, occasional course tutors, are themselves of course, also worthy of praise for their contribution towards learning.

What does studying with OCA mean to you?

Studying Fine Art at master’s level felt like the right thing to do, to deepen my own knowledge base about the theoretical underpinnings to artistic practice. An MA Fine Art award is only a milestone along the path of continued lifelong learning and ultimately, when compared to all the human suffering in the world, is fairly unimportant. Its significance is perhaps best viewed as a mirror for the ‘ego’: as a reminder of how fortunate we really are.

What's next?

I plan to continue with my creative practice. My experience with the OCA has assisted me in becoming a more reflective and ambitious practitioner, who is now willing to take more creative risks.

Any advice?

The advice I would give to someone considering their own ‘creative journey’ is there will never be a ‘perfect time’ to commence study, you just have to keep on following your own destiny. Embrace the episodic creative suffering as that’s essential for change. If it gets really bad then let others know. Life is precious.

Where can we find you?

My website is : https://www.photographerlight.com

My Instagram is : https://www.instagram.com/dcphotographerlight/