Unit 1 Assessment: Study Statement

Study StatementCentral Saint MartinsArt PracticeIdentityResearch
Written By Daniella M

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Unit 1 Learning Outcomes

This page will demonstrate how I have fully met the Level 7 Assessment criteria.

My art practice is currently centred around the idea of discovery through activity. After 15 years of professional activity, I am forging a new identity that will encapsulate past, present and future, through creative professional activity. My art practice also focuses, on a deeper level, on turning fracture into form, and pain into power. At the end of my official Central Saint Martins journey, I will have forged the right silhouette into which I can step - A new “me” that will create art that represents a new view on the female surrealist movement, art that will rewrite reality, art that will remix weakness into winning, and events that will continue to help underrepresented voices to tell their stories.

My Study Statement provides a proposed explanation of my art practice theme, the intertwining forces between all of my ideas and activities, and why it all drives me so strongly and deeply. My Study Statement also includes a 60 week work plan that will help me to stay accountable, build new habits to become an independent artist, remain on task, as well as a short and mid-term calendar of events, activities and aspirations that help to drive my work forward and upward.

I would love to have specific feedback on these 2 things:

  1. I would love to know if direction I am taking is clear you can see what I am trying to achieve, by creating opportunity for myself - and other underrepresented voices - to express themselves and be part of the international art scene.

  2. I would also love to know if you think that my experiments and challenges are the way to go - in order to broaden my horizons, deepen my knowledge, and elevate my experiences. What can I do better to be the best I can be, for my challenges in Units 2 and 3?

STUDY STATEMENT - DOWNLOADABLE PDF HERE

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Learning Outcome 1

Formulate, describe and implement a challenging and self-directed programme of study, relating to your Study Statement. (Assessment Criteria: Enquiry)

Enquiry - “Engagement in practice informed by comprehensive analysis and evaluation of diverse complex practices, concepts and theories”

  • Building upon my professional experience of R&D (research & development), NPD (new product development), and all sorts of acronyms, I translate these skills over into my Study Statement by starting the process based on analysis and evaluation of the past and present, before engaging with the future. The variety of practices I am studying - art history movements - is wide and in flux, just as the concepts and theories are rich and sometimes paradoxical. Also, as I am freshly obsessed with the Central Saint Martins library and must absolutely sit in my favourite chair with all the books surrounding me again, I hope that my enthusiasm comes across during class but also through my Study Statement, and I hope that my engagement is as clear to see, as it feels to me.

  • I believe that my scope of work is clear, and I believe that the analysis I have undertaken so far - albeit it quite general to start with - already shows signs of a deeper specificity, self-directed sense of direction, and clear autonomous drive for truth.

    • One-on-One Tutorial #1 - Here, a deep analysis and subsequent evaluation of my current status, leading to where I should go, happened during this first one-on-one. Deeply questioning how to do better, while keeping the best practices already running. Creating a new status quo for the years to come.

    • Hello Term 2 - New directions, new commitments, new promises to myself. This was a pivotal blog post about how term 1 transformed into term 2, and how my vision is clarifying with every day that passes. What will happen by term 3? Year 2 term 1? Even year 2 term 3? My 60 week work plan involves several “Challenges” which I will use as guidance throughout to keep improving and evolving.

  • I certainly have more than one, if we just take the key movements in Art such as Surrealism, Dada, and so on, that is already a large range. In addition to the Art movements, I add my love of Ancient Greek Philosophy, Contemporary Philosophy, and Psychology in general. To that mix, I add my 15 years of International Business & Marketing Experience, and finally on top of all of that, I also add my teaching practices, concepts and theories, all of which are thoroughly relevant as I know turn my judgement upon myself, to do better.

    • The CSM Library - One blog post to represent much more than a single idea. This also represents all the research I was doing over the holidays, into a variety of complex practices that go beyond my current experiences, fascinating concepts and reality-warping theories. My time at the CSM library also involved research into online articles, footnotes, and parts of leading literature that go beyond books. This should come across in my Study Statement, in the bibliography but also in the contents and theories. This was my first visit to the CSM library but most definitely not my last. Hopefully there will be some down-time during Low Residency as well.

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Learning Outcome 2

Implement appropriate working methods for building an independent and effective self-organisation that enables the critical engagement with practice-based research. (Assessment Criteria: Process)

Process - “Experiment and critically evaluate methods, results and their implications in a range of complex and emergent situations”

  • That I am definitely doing, not just in my art practice (stop-motion film, editing the film, finalising the film) but also with my art curation practice (standing my ground vis-à-vis my collaborators, aiming even higher with institutions like the British Embassy - looking forward to seeing what’s next)

    • Photography - A Nocturnal Study - The first of a series of experiments, or “Challenges” as I call them in my Study Statement, which will embody my new creative adventures throughout the next few months, with the purpose of trying as many new techniques and mediums as possible, to evolve my art practice. Many more blog posts to come on the series of experiments. The stop-motion film for Milano Pride House is also part of this Learning Outcome, as is the new Surrealist series.

    • Photography - A Feline Study - Trinity is my Muse, that is all. What a fantastic subject for my creative challenges. What a ray of light in my darkest moments.

    • Photography - An Abstract Study - This was a pivotal moment in my experimentation, as my work is so figurative that it made sense to start testing making more abstract pieces. Disconnecting in order to better reconnect. Like Picasso mastering illustration and anatomy before then moving onto Cubism.

    • Photography - A Red Study - This experiment was a focus into colour as well as form, both of which are the opposite of the black and white illustrations I specialised in, before coming to Central Saint Martins. I wish to master the entire spectrum, and not just stay within my comfort zone.

    • Photography - A Blue Winter Study - On the other side of the colour spectrum from red - blue. Photography is one of my first “Challenges” but I intend to do many more. As detailed in my Study Statement, my enthusiasm and engagement in activities that will push me far outside of my comfort zone will be the driving forces for my next few months.

  • There are so many things I can do better, but I am very happy with all the little wins. Even mediums I master could be mastered better - drawing, illustration, painting, everything can be seen with a more critical eye. Perhaps the Artist Prism-Vision is the same critical eye I have for my students, or clients, but turned upon myself, and not just being satisfied with any old drawing, or painting, but really making it technically perfect, Mastering the Masters, and then aiming to do better.

    • Reflective Questions - The first of a series of reflective questions following the growth “loop” upwards, as part of my improvement and evolution. I will also be testing other evaluation methods, measuring their results, and critically assessing if their implications have the desired effect on my art practice.

    • Week 8 - The Big One - Another pivotal moment for self-reflection and self-assessment.

    • Developing Purpose & Improving Technique in Geneva - I have consistently continued to keep my blog and also to maintain my art practice despite travelling a lot for work.

    • D’être à Paris, d’être Parisienne - This was another key moment where I questioned my status as a Swiss Army Knife, and how I can see myself as an Artist throughout. For now, the decision is to continue everything and see how to balance it all, without losing any activities. Everything feeds into everything, and I will continue to critically evaluate what the next pathway should be for my art practice.

  • Every test encourages something unexpected to emerge. Saying yes to Milano Pride House’s collaboration proposal, despite not being a Digital Artist, led to teaching myself Adobe Premiere Pro and some fort of stop-motion animation, in a few days. Knowing that this film would be shown on the main screen of Meet Digital Cultural Center in Milano was somewhat terrifying, but also motivating, and made this situation simultaneously complex and emergent.

    • Olympics 2026 - Milano Pride House - The range of complex and emergent situations that I am exhibiting so far is beyond anything I could have even expected or planned, if I had been asked a year ago how this whole experience would play out. So, starting the year with a casual digital art show and speech in Milano for the Olympics, I truly believe that these activities meet certain expectations with regards to Learning Objective 2.

    • Projection #1 - 07.02.26 - This experience was fantastic. Truly beyond my comfort zone. Just the beginning of a new series of even bigger shows that I would love to organise in the months to come (while obviously creating new art works).

    • Projection #2 and my onstage speech - 14.02.26 - Going even further out of my comfort zone by also representing the University of the Arts London: Central Saint Martins onstage, giving a speech about the origins of my initiative with Paris 2024, Milano 2026, and what will come in LA 2028. This blog post with the official recordings and photographs will come soon.

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Learning Outcome 3

Communicate a critical understanding of your developing practice. (Assessment Criteria: Knowledge, Communication)

Knowledge - “Critical analysis and synthesis of a range of practical, conceptual and technical knowledge(s)”

  • Overthinking is a bad habit of mine, but it has its purpose to a certain extent. The seed of overthinking is the intention to do your best, or do better, and it is the balance between accepting that you have done your best, and refusing to accept that the best has been done, that overthinking jumps in, and rumination kicks off. Turning this perfectionism into critical analysis to improve and move on, is key. I believe I have shown evidence of this, and will continue to focus on this.

    • The first rule is… you ARE an Artist - Taking my future into my own hands, this blog post shows critical analysis of my current position, and how I should get to where I need to go next. I am not going to be an Artist, I AM an Artist, now. This is the first step to change.

    • New year, new art, NEW CREATIONS - This blog post also illustrates the way I am clearly conducting a great deal of critical analysis on a daily basis, while I know that I must create more, I am also finding the time to get started, despite my (quite literally) insane schedule between Paris - Geneva - London, teaching in 8 different business schools, working with clients, and organising so many shows. But I love it.

  • Having lots of ideas is great, but being able to summarise them is also very important. I believe that my Study Statement reflects this capacity, and that I am narrowing down my key activities in the right way, and in the right direction. It feels right, and it shall soon show in the new body of works.

    • The Artist Identity Prism - As featured in my Study Statement, one of the ways (tools/techniques) that I have employed as part of my Synthesis of ideas is the Prism - the “glasses” through which I want to see the world as an Artist - which is the Brand Identity Prism by Kapferer.

    • Visiting my sold artworks - Another way I have exhibited Synthesis in my practice so far as been through the visiting and revisiting of sold artworks, and this is something I will continue doing, to look back on all of the fantastic sales that have been made, and to keep an eye on the target - to make more.

  • The variety of mastered mediums, in addition to the variety of studied literature, and the variety of professional skills that I bring to the table, should give a clear range of practical, conceptual and technical knowledge, and while I believe that I can always improve (my technique) and develop (my purpose), the first steps are there.

    • Testing, Testing - From term 1 onwards, I have already been focusing on practical, conceptual and technical knowledge through testing, taking risks, growth hacking myself, improving, and continuing to expand and elevate the range of knowledge I get into my art practice.

    • The New Surrealist Collection - Through the continued creation of new pieces, surrealist or otherwise, I am continuing to explore as many practical, conceptual and technical concepts as possible, through the Female Surrealists, these Masters, I am activitely testing new practical skills, new existential concepts, new technical processes. The full bibliography is at the end of my Study Statement.

    • Preparing Leonora Carrington - I continue to create and to learn, to add to my knowledge, and I aim to keep levelling up, as I prepare to visit another new show that will boost my

    • Visiting Leonora Carrington - Fantastic show, perfectly aligned with what I am exploring right now in Surrealism, Female Surrealists, and much more, and really opened up the Pandora’s Box of my sketches and illustrations which I need to start doing again, as they are the portal between my dream and real worlds, and come to me much easier than the planning involved in painting and other mediums. The practical, conceptual and technical knowledge gained every time I visit a new artist, is invaluable. Today, to pick 3 key facts, it was the learnings that Leonora Carrington rejected the idea of being a male artist’s muse, that she worked with décalcomanie, and that had created her own tarot deck, like many other Surrealists, but I bought her books, and have started reading and absorbing them all:

      • 2021 : L’Œuvre écrit I, Contes, Lyon, Fage éditions, préface de Marc Kober, 208 p.

      • 2022 :

        • L’Œuvre écrit II, Récits, Lyon, Fage éditions, préface de Jacqueline Chénieux-Gendron, 432 p.

        • L’Œuvre écrit III, Théâtre, Lyon, Fage éditions, préface de Karla Segura Pantoja, 432 p.

    • In Her Room - The latest new pieces, continuing to test as many new facets of art practice knowledge as possible.


Communication - “Articulation of criticality, clarity and depth. Communicating a diverse range of intentions, contexts, sources and arguments appropriate to your audiences”

  • I debated for weeks on end whether or not I should create a presentation, a document, a video or even a game embedded on my website. Perhaps a Miro board will encapsulate all of these as next steps, but for now, the articulation I found clearest for the Study Statement was the document, and the content reflects my ideas with clarity and depth.

    • What Is Identity?- This page highlighted a small piece of research I did into the subject of Identity, Duality, Gender, and several other of my keywords. I chose to go through an interview that Tilda Swinton once gave, questioning our societal norms around the concept of an individual’s identity, and how this “label” is much more limiting than freeing, a point of view I share. As my own identity is in flux, and my art practice explores the fluidity of reality, sexuality, and many other traditionally “rigid” subjects, I felt that this first short piece of research was helpful in helping me to start articulating how I was starting to (re)define myself as an Artist, what I was doing and why, and starting to formulate a new way of looking at life: My new “prism”.

    • The Good Rice Gallery ghost, or, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde & The Good Rice Gallery - These two blog posts highlight the super exciting first group art show we did at The Good Rice Gallery. The wide-ranging diversity of our art practices, coupled with the very, very tight deadline we were working to (one weekend), made this exercise an excellent first aventure as a class, and I am proud of myself for engineering part of it. I engaged with the global challenge, Olga and I engaged with the Class Rep challenge, and the students who wished to take part, all engaged with the art show theme challenge of finding or producing art pieces that fitted perfectly into a Freudian Id-Ego-Superego framework of thought.

    • Calling Pierre Peyrolle & Visiting Pierre Peyrolle - These two posts were about preparing a visit to surrealist artist Pierre Peyrolle’s self-made Italian Baroque castle, and the visit itself. These two posts clearly demonstrates how I am fully throwing myself into a pathway of artistic enquiry by formulating and implementing a challenging and self-directed programme of study. Thanks to the opening of my conversation with Pierre Peyrolle, I am honing down on the areas of importance that I wish to discuss with him, and in doing so, highlighting and shaping the direction of my own work. The profoundly inspirational, mind-blowing and thought-provoking visit that we then enjoyed was simply the cherry atop the cake of curiosity that was already a beautiful route of enquiry all by itself, as I felt myself getting closer and closer to my favourite surrealist artists and the soul of the movement itself, questioning reality, redefining the future.

  • I have proven a diverse range not only of interests, but of activities, throughout the first term and second term so far. My main concern is actually narrowing the diverse range down, as I am so curious and interested in everything, as it is all new to me, as a self-taught Artist.

    • AI in Art - A post that illustrates the experimentation and open-mindedness that I aim to always promote.

    • Purpose & Technique - This was a key pivotal moment as well, showing how much I am aiming to increase my skillset, in order to become an even better practicing Artist.

  • My Study Statement reads in First Person, and therefore should be pretty clear on intentions. The sources and arguments should also be clear, thanks to the way each quote or idea is presented, alongside the Harvard-style bibliography of literature and exhibitions at the end.

    • Studio Saint Ouen - There are several posts that illustrate my intentions, contexts, sources and arguments, but the best one is probably the Study Statement itself, or the CSM Library list of books. The Studio Saint Ouen blog post also illustrates a series of my intentions, testing new things, trying new experiences, understanding the minimum and maximum of my new art practice.

    • Brave New World - This blog posts then illustrates how - despite a setback - my intentions clarify, and all of the contexts / sources / arguments continue to drive my art practice in the right direction, as per my Study Statement.

  • There may be the odd joke, but I sincerely believe (hope) that this is relevant to you, my audience. I am really looking forward to your feedback as I am truly grateful to be here, with you. I would especially love to have feedback on whether I should be making more “finished” art works at the moment, of if creating for creation’s sake is correct right now. I would also love to know if my love of creating opportunities can (and should) continue throughout the Masters, or of this is something that I will have to deprioritise at some point. I would love to be able to keep it all up at the same time, as I supposed there will always be a part of me that loves being a Swiss Army Knight, but if it is between Art and Curation, and that can make me money, then I think that would be the perfect blend, and much less of a mix than all of my other time-consuming activities!

    • Trinity has landed at CSM! - I shall conclude with the final piece of evidence, which is that despite how respectful I would like my blog and Study Statement to be, there will always be my little tone of voice, and the little moments with Trinity, which I believe bring a lightness and smile to faces of my audience - you - and I hope that this is well-received, as it is intended.

    • Trinity has taken off from CSM! - Same, to wrap things up well, as I like to do - this blog post also illustrates the fact that I want to structure even the light-hearted parts of my art practice, for you.

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Blog Navigation

A few pointers for navigating my blog. Firstly, there are categories that you can click on, above the title of each post, like “Identity”, “London”, and so on. These will automatically open category pages that include all of the posts that are in that category, such as:

Secondly, there is the search bar to search as well, and also the tags at the bottom of every post, which actually behave like the categories (don’t ask). I am just trying both functionalities, that way you all have as many options to navigate my blog as possible.

Last but definitely not least, I have put all the posts together in the accordion menu - It is the first thing you see when arrival at https://www.daniellamcnulty.com/the-journey, and they are called “Year 1 Term 1” and “Year 1 Term 2”. Hopefully that is all clear!

Thank you for this amazing opportunity to become who I have always dreamt of becoming.

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  • The Study Statement.

    60 weeks of reflection,

    ready, to go, now???

    Let there be more time,

    A flow of ideas through space,

    As I am defined.

    The Artist, I watch,

    The Artist, I steal to live,

    The Artist, I am.

  • To define learning,

    One must define not knowing,

    Then build on from there.

    No light without dark,

    No learning without failing,

    No way to cheat life.

    You know who you are,

    Those who truly seek knowledge,

    Shortcuts, you seek not.

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Daniella M
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British Embassy in Paris