Student Stories: Kay Flockhart

Kay is currently studying stage 1 Drawing.

"I am a mother of two young girls and we live in a small village in the Swiss Alps. I am originally from the UK."

Find out more about her experience as a student of OCA below.

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

I struggled in formal education due to mental health conditions. I wanted to apply myself to traditional learning and benefit from the guidance and challenge it provides, but I have never been able to maintain attendance in a physical school.

Working from home was appealing, but I knew I was looking for an in depth course rather than a short term taster. I wanted to pursue a course that was going to push me out of my comfort zone and give me time to develop a full body of work.

Can you describe your OCA journey?

Initially, I had some unforeseen personal problems when I enrolled on the course. And they snowballed into bigger problems as I dropped further behind with my studies. I communicated with my tutor Helen Rousseau and learner support. They guided me through the process of applying for extensions and helped me formulate a plan of action to continue studying. They also gave me advice as how to deal with any other unforeseen events in the future. This has taken all the anxiety of studying and allowed me put my energy and focus into the work.

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

Helen is very supportive with her feedback. She always has great direction, and offers up many interesting artists to study. Being so open and kind in manner, she has encouraged me to try new things as I don't have the fear that I might be doing something wrong. So I am trying techniques and style I would have turned away from previously.

This makes the course excellent value to me personally.

I am also on a group chat with my fellow students. We started by sharing resources and course information, but very quickly became friends and talk about the informal aspects of the course. Sharing the ups and downs is very uplifting and elevates the whole experience.

What does studying with OCA mean to you?

I tried to undertake a degree at University but had to leave after only a few weeks under the request of the teaching staff due to my issues. I face daily challenges, but studying at home I can navigate issues without additional stress. This is much more sustainable and I feel confident, which I feel shows in my work.

Having a degree qualification to work towards gives me a sense of purpose. I am a busy Mother and face the irony of putting my family first, yet wanting my daughters to see me being interested in something. As it were, teaching them by example.

What's next?

I would like to work as an artist and sell my work. I'm using the course to find my niche. I gravitate towards painting, but I knew I needed to put myself into an environment that I could explore a variety of techniques, ideas, and materials in order to inform my work and give it substance. The Drawing degree really dissects and rebuilds artistic practice, both mentally and practically.

Any advice?

It can be overwhelming at first. There is a lot of content and it can appear quite prescriptive. However there is great scope for experimentation, and communicating with your tutor about what exercises to focus on, or pull back on really helps the time management.

I also recommend connecting with your fellow students. It's both resourceful, and uplifting. Having people to chat to on an informal level, and share happy and stressful times with makes the process much lighter and positive.

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This work was completed by Kay for her project - Installing a Drawing. 

"I went to the Corbrasierre Glacier to install my work. It was super interesting."

Thanks for sharing Kay and best of luck with your continuing studies!