OCA Photography student Allan O'Neill is on the final stage of his degree, he shares his learning journey with us below.
"How I see myself has really changed over the last 10 years. If I’m not working on my photography, I try to develop my Butoh practice, which is a Japanese dance form. I’m 57 with an adult son, 25 years ago I set up a recruitment company for the education and healthcare sectors, but I decided to retire from full-time work. I was brought up in a working-class environment in Burnley, now living in Worcestershire. I am British Chinese and mixed-race, mum and dad met in Hong Kong where my dad was a soldier. After marrying they came back to live in Lancashire in 1955."
What is your previous educational experiences and what drew you to OCA?
I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would go to Art School, I’d graduated with a BA in Sociology in 1988 but never felt that I did myself justice. I thought I’d done well as the first person in my family to even get to university. When I decided I wanted to try to do something more creative with my life, OCA were really welcoming and offered the perfect blend of practice and academia with a friendly supportive culture - after 10 years with OCA, I’m still very grateful for this.
Can you describe your OCA journey?
For me, it has been a very long and slowly winding pathway requiring lots of hard work, and ultimately, resilience to just keep pushing through the deeply difficult periods and learning to trust the process and believe in myself. Also, during this period, I have come to terms with my diagnosis of ADHD which helped me to properly understand myself and how my brain / body works. This enabled me to develop new ways of working and studying which are really beginning to pay off. Studying with the OCA has also helped me to explore and learn to love and accept my mixed-race heritage, which again, has been extremely challenging but ultimately a hugely rewarding experience.
What was the Tutor and/or Peer Support like on your course?
I’ve had great tutor and peer support throughout, and this is why OCA is such a special place. I must personally thank Joanne Mulvihill Allen who revitalised the OCA Student Association (OCASA) and contributes to the OCA / OU in so many ways. Four years ago, when OCASA was relaunched, Joanne asked me to get involved in setting up some of the Equality Diversity and Inclusion tasks and activities. This experience allowed me to gain an insight and knowledge of the structural inequalities in our society, and this has been invaluable on a personal, creative and academic level.
What does studying with OCA mean to you?
This has been life changing and has influenced my entire approach. I have found a sense of peace and fulfilment in pursuing my creative endeavors, looking after my physical and mental health and just trying to be a better person. I have a sense of wholeness now, probably for the first time since I was at Primary school, which I don’t think I could have ever imagined 10 years ago. I do things now, such as the Butoh which I would never have had the curiosity or the courage to try before.
What's next?
As I’m approaching the critical stages of my course, I’m just trying to work as I mean to go on and then I plan to just keep going. I'm hoping to continue with my practice in 'representation of mixed-race identities' - which is the subject of my dissertation. This could be through further study in photography / visual culture, or perhaps I’ll begin to move my practice a little closer to my interest in dance and movement. I will always make work and pursue a creative life now, I feel like I’ve only just started.
Any advice?
Don’t put yourself through the unproductive stress of creating expectations about grades, (this includes the grades that you may feel ‘you deserve or expect’), just trust the process and learn to believe in yourself. Keep going and you will find the inspirations to make your work when you least expect it. Enjoy it, it’s a gift.
You can find Allan at:
Instagram @allan.oneill2081
Great to read this Allan and good luck with the final straight x