Reflective practice, a short summary...

“Reflective practice is a way of studying your own experiences to improve the way you work. It is very useful for health professionals who want to carry on learning throughout their lives.”

Christopher Johns designed a structured mode of reflection that provides a practitioner with a guide to gain greater understanding of his or her practice, it is designed to be carried out through the act of sharing with a colleague or mentor, which enables the experience to become learnt knowledge at a faster rate than reflection alone

Johns highlights the importance of experienced knowledge and the ability of a practitioner to access, understand and put into practice information that has been acquired through empirical means. Reflection occurs though "looking in" on one's thoughts and emotions and "looking out" at the situation experienced.



How will reflective practice help me throughout my time on my degree?



By reflecting on my own work, it will help me to evaluate my work and increase my confidence therefore making me more inclined to be proactive and more professional in the way I work. Reflection is a great way to help improve your quality of work and close the gap between theory and practice.









1. Johns, Christopher; Burnie, Sally (2013) [2000]. Becoming a reflective practitioner (4th ed.). Chichester, UK; Ames, Iowa: Wiley-Blackwell.ISBN 9780470674260. OCLC 823139850.

Nike London, Shop Report

@NikeLab  #1948LDN

                                   

“This isn’t the place for purchasing your

  gym kit, but to buy fashion disguised

as sportswear”

Main target audience: Young to middle age men & women

What they sell: Sportswear & a variety of trainers

“Freshly kitted out with locally-sourced and recycled materials, the re-opened NikeLab is (literally) the only place to see the company's new products.”

The NikeLab in Shoreditch is now the 6^th to open around the world and has recently opened its doors to the public in June this year. Discreetly tucked away under the railway arches on Bateman Street, Shoreditch, it was formerly a 1948 Nike store. The stylish "stealth black" re-design of the classic modern football boot fuses sports science with style, but that's not the only reason to get on your running shoes and head down there at the earliest opportunity. After all, it's the coolest sports shop in Shoreditch.

SWOT analysis:

Strengths: High end Brand Well known Layout of the store was clean & modern Quality of products All staff were friendly and helpful Innovative	Weaknesses: Expensive brand/products in store Empty – no one was in there Security was intimidating Isolated location
Opportunities: Clearance store	Threats: Brands such as Adidas High street competition

Why Social Media can help your career...

Your Online presence:

Your online presence consists of all the information about you on the internet - this usually comes from your social network profiles (like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+), photographs that you, your friends or family have posted online (and tagged), anything you have written or that has been written about you.

It’s quite likely that you are already using social media for socialising, keeping in touch, making new friends, finding and sharing information. However, the function of social media is not just 'social'. Having social networking profiles and regularly engaging with others through social media is generally seen by employers as a good thing. It shows you can use new web technologies and also gives employers an idea of what you are like beyond your CV, and it can be an invaluable tool for making contacts.

So how can this help you professionally?

Here are some examples, also click here to read more:

Twitter

While Facebook stills reigns supreme as marketing professionals’ social media channel of choice, Twitter is not far behind, especially amongst experienced marketing professionals who are convinced the site’s dynamic ability to interact with individual customers is key to helping establish traffic and customers. Twitter is also one of the more difficult social media channels to market with successfully because there is such a fine line between acceptable promotion and spammy nuisances.

• You need to maintain constant activity on the site. You can’t tweet once per week and expect those tweets to drive traffic, because they won’t. The more opportunities you can take to connect with potential fans, buyers, or other artists the more effective your Twitter marketing and networking will become.

• Twitter is not just a place for you to send your thoughts out into the nether regions of the Internet. Be a good Twitter citizen and make your feed about more than just your thoughts and work. This may not improve your traffic, but it will let other artists know that you are a good person to connect with and collaborate with.

• Don’t treat your Twitter account as a chance to spam your followers with promotions of your own work. If you have a piece of artwork you are particularly proud of, it is okay to tweet it out more than once per day for a few days, but make sure to talk about other things as well. You really don’t want people thinking that you are treating them like mindless visitors, you want them to connect with you and your work on a higher level.

LinkedIn

The medium that is on the verge of rendering your paper resume obsolete doesn’t seem like it lends itself to people looking to market their business, yet it is still the third-most popular social media channel amongst marketers and you don’t have to look too hard to see why. LinkedIn has made a concerted effort to court daily returning by adding groups, potential jobs, and a news feed where you can read updates about people as well as interesting news and stories from around the web. Anytime you are able to get that much daily activity on a social media platform, there are marketing opportunities to capitalize on.

• Make sure your profile is complete as possible. LinkedIn is your digital resume and the information you are presenting needs to be up to date and also complete and accurate. People may not know you on LinkedIn, but if your profile is comprehensive, they will still be able to get a sense of how talented and dedicated you are.

• You should use your LinkedIn news feed freely to promote your work, your public appearances, and shows or events. LinkedIn’s newsfeed has similar functionality but half the ambient noise, which means your posts will receive more attention and won’t get lost in the shuffle.

• When it comes to making connections, LinkedIn is in a class by itself, so recognize that and take advantage of it. Join groups of like-minded artists and don’t be afraid to connect with people who you think could help make you a better artist. While some connections may be superficial and the e-mails do get annoying, making a few connections and getting your name out there is more than worth it in the end.

Personality Assessment...

5 Influential Bloggers/Youtubers...

So..how do you make a successful blog?

Do you have to be attached to your computer uploading photos and notings of everything of your daily life, put together with an Instagram filter and a few hashtags? Have you got to stalk all friends and family members to send and share your Instagram, Blog spot and Tumblr name?

Or is it the opportune way of getting yourself out their in the industry, in a world where social media is fast taking over? A great way to make contacts, meet some amazing people and also build your career?

Building followers from what I read is like building friends, just keeping in contact by having a good internet connection and to post often on things that really inspire you or interest you, and which you think others will want to read about! A lot of bloggers are nowing moving onto Youtube as soon as they reach the right point in their confidence and also the right amount of followers that will support them! People who like the same things as you will be easy to find and will follow what you have to say – its those who don’t particularly like everything like you do, you have to reach those people!

These bloggers/vloggers below are people I follow and inspire me to write my blog – by finding others who inspire you, you can get ideas and work on what you write to make it more enjoyable for your followers!

Claire Marshall (HeyClaire)

LA based Makeup Artist turned Beauty & Lifestyle Vlogger with a cat named Bruce Lee, rather known as just Bruce.

I came across Claire on Youtube a few years ago and have actually only come across her blog more recently. Although many of the channels I watch on Youtube are quite similar in featuring videos such as makeup tutorials/hair tutorials and styling outfits etc, I feel that I can relate more with Claire. Her style is more grunge/urban which is more to my taste than vloggers like Zoella or Becca Rose.

Through her videos and blog you are met by a tattoo covered, fashion and also cat loving genius who’s style is to die for and also whos advice on makeup and hair is expert – trust me I have tried and tested many of her methods.

Unlike other vloggers/bloggers Claire hasn’t let it take over her life, she keeps a lid on her personal life and although sometimes she does give us viewers an update, I like the way she still keeps everything on the low and doesn’t make a fuss.

Zoe Sugg (Zoella)

A legend in the blogging/vlogging world - 6,409,751 subcribes adore her and support her through every anxiety attack (which plays quite a big part in her life) and also with her career building. The sheer amount of fans is what has got this young lady where she is today.

Zoe or mostly known as Zoella is a 24 year old writer/ vlogger/cosmetic collection owner/model and blogger of all things "Beauty, Fashion & Life" related.

“In February 2009, after indulging in various other Beauty Blogs as a way to read up on the latest goings on in the Beauty world, I decided to join in on one very boring evening, and "Zoella" was born.”

She started small with things such as makeup tutorials and hair tutorials and began to build her fan base over time this grew to a million and now as she hit over the 6 million mark, while bringing out her own cosmetic bath collection for Superdrug and also writing a book “Girl Online” which is sold out even before its out in stores at the end of this month.

Helen Anderson (Melonlady)

Helen Anderson, or mainly known as Melon Lady or just Melon, studied film and moving image at university, which prompted her to fall into the world of blogging. “Starting with an interest in hair tutorials and styling videos as a hobby, my youtube career expanded and now is my life.” She is pretty iconic though her bright pinky purple hair, tattoos, and also the fact she promotes that being a slightly curvier girl is a great thing!

“I like to focus on alternative fashion and personal style, more so the latter as I like to express individuality and creativity. My influences include the 80s and 90s, rock n roll, vintage and trashy hollywood glamour.”

 Helen promotes positivity and body confidence, and offers support and her opinion on the way many young girls now feel pressured under the current stigma about weight and their body image. She does divuldge in modeling, and brings her wacky style along with her. She has worked with a number of brands, photographers and causes. 

  

She give us an insight into her life, whether it be living and playing with her band called Box of Light, taking Lola her adorable sausage dog for walks, or meeting her boyfriend Matty for dinner. It feels real and she is always very honest in both her blogs and vlogs, and many girls can relate to her as much as I can.

“I have a lust for life and along with fashion, beauty and my music, I love to document my life through daily vlogs to show the world my outlook of it. I am extremely inquisitive and strive to learn, I want to experience the world and take my viewers with me.”

Sammi Maria (Beautycrush)

Sammi is a 25 year old Fashion styling graduate from London. Her blog and Youtube channel ‘Beautycrush’ was started while studying at uni, while she thought she had only started this as part of her course and for a bit of fun, since then she has become sucked into the amazing world of blogging, fashion, beauty and personal style.

Quote from Sammi about her blog and You tube “I dabble in a few different areas with what I talk about, be it my outfit of the day, a little review of a much loved product, where I went for lunch today or a personal heart-to-heart.”

What is made clear through her blogging/vlogging and youtube tutorials and videos is that she is an ‘honest blogger’ and she uses her knowledge in fashion and everything else to encourage and help her viewers, whether it be how to achieve the perfect smokey eye or after a very controversial admission through her youtube channel about domestic abuse, to help her viewers seek guidance and help from others through life. She encourages her viewers to be strong and beautiful and love themselves as they are. Personally I love watching and reading her styling, tattoo and also her food posts.

Hope you enjoyed reading this

P x