Week One – Skills

This week I learnt four skills. The skills were Characterisation, Descriptive writing, Interviewing and Effective Questioning and Researching.

Characterisation:

Characterisation is the act of describing distinctive characteristics or essential features.  I learnt the skill of characterisation by describing Greg, the teacher, based on his visual appearance, we were told nothing about him and had to base our characterisation purely on his appearance. I also looked at a professional piece from Twilight by Stephanie Meyer; in this extract Bella is describing the three boys in the canteen based purely on visual appearance.

Twilight, By Stephanie Meyer.

“They didn’t look anything alike. Of the three boys, one was big – muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark, curly hair. Another was taller, leaner, but still muscular, and honey blond. The last was lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze-colored hair. He was more boyish than the others, who looked like they could be in college, or even teachers here rather than students.”

Meyer, S.(2005) Twilight. New York, USA: Little, Brown.

My Characterisation of Greg.

Greg sat lightly perched against the side of a nearby desk, his beige trouser and jacket ensemble suggesting him as a sophisticated, everyday business man. His glasses sat perfectly perched on the rim of his nose; he looked like he worked in London, an accountant maybe. He was married, a ring sat tightly clasped around the finger on his left hand and I presumed he had children by the way he acted.

Once reviewing professional extracts I realised that my description of Greg needed more descriptive language rather than informative language. I realised that rather than describing what Greg looked like I had instead written an informative piece focused around what it looked like he did as a profession rather than a piece based solely around visual appearance. For future reference I knew I had too focus purely around describing someone’s visual features.

Descriptive Writing:

Descriptive writing is a literary device in which an author paints a picture with their words. I learnt the skill of descriptive writing by writing a piece called Why I Write. In class we researched different versions of Why I Write based on George Orwells original Why I Write piece which was published in the summer of 1946. We also had a class discussion about why we wrote and then we brainstormed ideas.

I looked at a professional piece called Why I Write by Jeff Goins.

Why I Write, By Jeff Goins 

“The other day, I was feeling depressed and didn’t know why. My emotions were all out of whack, and my thoughts were all over the place. So I turned to the only activity that makes sense when all seems lost. Writing.The sun began to set, and the darkness of twilight crept in, but I continued to write, oblivious of my surroundings. Scribbling and scratching until I could no longer see the notebook in front of me, I journaled for over an hour. Which reminded of why I write at all.

The reasons I write

I write to express. I feel like myself when I’m writing. I write not for the purpose of being published or the intention of being read, but for the thrill of putting pen to paper. I write for love of the craft, for the sake of writing itself.

I write to understand. I don’t write because all the answers are in my possession. I write for the same reason Flannery O’Connor did — because I don’t know what I think until it is written. Because by writing, I am able to see things more clearly.
I write to remember. Writing lets me grasp life in ways that would otherwise escape me. It helps me connect with God and the universe and reminds that I’m still breathing and there’s a reason why.
So today, I am grateful for this gift of expression that helps me better understand my thoughts and remember that I am alive.

I write because I can’t imagine not doing so. Because in writing, I become a little bit more of myself.”

Goins, J. (2013) Goins Writer. Available at:http://goinswriter.com/why-i-write/ (Accessed: 21 September 2016)

After researching professional piecing and brainstorming ideas I wrote my own piece called Why I Write.

My piece: 

Why I Write

When first asked why I write I was unsure of the answer. I knew I wanted to write and I knew I enjoyed it but I didn’t have a clear understanding in my head of exactly why I wrote. However as I began to pull apart the question in my head I realised I write for many different reasons not just the simple fact that I enjoy it.

I write to aspire; I write in order to fulfil my aspirations. My aspiration is to write in the fashion industry as a fashion journalist therefore I write in hope of achieving this. I know in order to achieve this I need to write and in a way this hope of achieving my dream acts as motivation. Its not that I struggle to write and need motivating – I love writing, its more the fact that this aspiration acts as fuel to my writing, it excites me and makes me want to write more and more.

I also find myself writing to create. I love how when I write I find that I create something that can be interpreted by different people in such distant ways. I love that when I write, something as little as one sentence can be pulled apart to create so many different perceptions in each readers mind. I love how something as simple as words can create a picture that can be so different to every set of eyes that read them. And finally I like how I have control over what I am creating through writing, how I can create something the way I want it to be and the way I want it to be perceived or pictured without having to follow guidelines or rules.

I also tend to write as a way to connect with my interests. I find myself connecting to my interests not just through writing itself but also from all the background work of writing such as researching, questioning and so on. I’m really interested in fashion and I love that through writing I can add to this interest by finding out new things through researching or by interpreting new prospects of the fashion industry within my writing. I also find that writing connects me to my interest of the fashion industry by simply giving me a topic I enjoy and allowing me to approach it in so many different writing styles and formats.

Another reason I find myself writing is by using it as a form of communication. Writing almost acts as a way of expressing my opinions or ideas, I love how I can share my thoughts through writing and how writing allows them to be portrayed in such a varied sense. I like that if I’m writing the people reading what I’ve written are actually interested in what I am saying because they have chosen to read it; I’m not just talking about something to someone that just isn’t interested by anything I am saying. In a way I also find that writing connects people, it links opinions and topics and allows people to connect with people that share similar opinions or share similar interests.

Finally, I write as a way to learn. I find that through writing I learn so many new things. I find that I learn these things from the aspects behind writing as well as writing itself. I learn a wider range of vocabulary and terminology through writing as well as learning new writing styles or formats of writing. I find that I also learn through researching, I’m always learning new things from researching; from reading other peoples work or by looking something up on the internet. I just seem to really enjoy how writing can lead me to learn so many new things and how learning new things can also inspire me to write more because I like how it can broaden my knowledge so significantly.

 

Soon after finishing my piece I came to the conclusion that I should have approached the piece in a more diverse way. Rather than simply writing why I feel I have to write, I would have rather written in a way that oozes passion for writing and portrays a more heartening style. I also found that when I compare my piece to professional pieces it lacks emotion; Why I Write pieces that are written by professional writers tend to portray a more emotional and compelling piece of writing full of touching and heart-warming vocabulary and language. This style of writing means that the writer builds a stronger connection with the reader, allowing the reader to feel closer to them. In the future i would like to approach a piece like Why I Write in this way. I will use a more emotive style of writing and through this style of writing build a stronger connection with the reader through both vocabulary and writing tone.

I also learnt the skill of descriptive writing through a written task in which I was given a picture and I had to write a piece to go with it. The picture I used pictured a woman sat on a bed staring through a window and smoking a cigarette.

I looked at a professional piece from The Great Gatsby, by F.Scott Fitzgerald. In this extract Fitzgerald is describing Nick Carraways view of Gatsby’s House from the lawn. In this extract Fitzgerald uses a wide range of vocabulary in order to describe the view in the most effective way.

The Great Gatsby, By F.Scott Fitzgerald

The caterwauling horns had reached a crescendo and I turned away and cut across the lawn toward home. I glanced back once. A wafer of a moon was shining over Gatsby’s house, making the night fine as before, and surviving the laughter and the sound of his still glowing garden. A sudden emptiness seemed to flow now from the windows and the great doors, endowing with complete isolation the figure of the host, who stood on the porch, his hand up in a formal gesture of farewell.

Fitzgerald,S.F.(2010) The Great Gatsby.  London: Vintage Books

Pictured above is Gatsby’s Long Island mansion.

Warner Bros.Pictures (2013) The Houses That Inspired The Great Gatsby – “All Jazzed Up” Available at:https://aflippenlife.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/the-houses-that-inspired-great-gatsby.html (Downloaded:22 September 2016)

My Piece- The Girl

She sat elegantly poised in an upright position, her delicate head tilted to the side and resting softly against her palm as she started effortlessly out onto the city through the large window before her. A cloud of smoke surrounded her as she exhaled the tobacco from her cigarette. The smoke around her consumes her as she falls backwards onto the soft cashmere pillows that sat propped upright against the headboard. As she lays, a feeling of betrayal immobilizes her. How could he do this she thought as she watched the bustling city in motion as tears slowly ran from her eyes and down her small petite face. Her sharp cheekbones acting like bumps as the tears move down her face before falling onto the pillow beside her.

Unfortunately i was unable to find the exact picture I used in class.

After evaluating my piece I came to the conclusion that it does not flow as well as I had first hoped it would. I almost feel that I need to connect the sentences to one another and truly make them link so they mould together into one solid story. I think that the way the sentences are sat that they could be pulled apart and used separately; I do not want my writing style to be like this. Therefore in future I will try to connect my sentences to one another and make them fit together like a puzzle.

I also think in future I will extended the use of my devices in the piece, I would use more similes, metaphors and so on in order to describe the girl and the setting as well as I can. The professional piece by Fitzgerald includes a wide range of writing devices and a wide range of vocabulary that describes the scene incredibly, I hope to take pointers from professional pieces like Fitzgerald’s description I order to improve my writing.

Interviewing and Effective Questioning:

Interviewing is when you ask someone something in order to find out things about them.

I learnt the skill of Interviewing by asking a classmate questions about themselves. I asked Rachel Boswell questions about her life in order to put together a piece of writing about her. We were given ten minutes to interview our chosen classmate and then another ten minutes to write the piece following the interview.

My piece on Rachel Boswell-

Rachel is a 17 year old Girl from the village of Platseve near Lenham. Previously she lived in her Bearstead home; Rachel revealed she was born at home in her Bearstead home on the Fourteenth of September Nineteen-Ninety-Nine. Rachel hopes one day to be a Radio Presenter.

After comparing my piece to a professional interview I realised that my interviewing technique needed practising, I decided that I did not ask effective enough questions. The questions I asked Rachel came across as boring, there was no really interesting information found out, instead I only found out simple information such as Rachel’s age, birth place and home. In the future I will instead ask questions that will allow me to find out details that are interesting and answers that will allow me to create a more exciting written piece rather than a boring factual piece like I previously produced.

The professional interview I looked as was a video from an American Interviewer called Barbra Walters. The interview is with Taylor Swift. I found that the interview showed a good interviewing technique and skipped the boring everyday questions therefore getting straight to the point and finding out the more interesting things about Taylor Swift. I also found that the questions asked were more intellectual than the questions I asked Rachel. In the future, I would like to approach interviews in the same way Barbara Walters did in this interview.

Barbara Walters interview with Taylor Swift

ABC News (2014) Taylor Swift Barbra Walters Interview | Barbra Walters Most Facinating People | ABC News. Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-TFhUq3otQ (Accessed: 22 September 2016)

Effective Questioning:

Effective Questioning is when you ask questions that get interesting and exciting responses. I learnt the skill of effective questioning during an in lesson debate. Greg split the room in two by sticking a piece of tape along the floor. Greg then got the whole class to stand at the front and asked four questions. The questions asked were simple but they were effective enough to start an intellectual debate within the class. These four simple questions led to debates about religion, conflict, mental heath, disabilities and laws.

Here are the questions asked and my answers:

1. What’s best Dogs or Cats? – I answered the question with dogs; I said dogs because I believe they are more loyal and helpful than cats, dogs help people with disabilities and also help the police whereas cats do not. A majority of the class answered dogs. The debate led to a discussion about mental health and how animals can help as well as a debate on many other points such as loyalty, helpfulness and how difficult animals are to care for.

2.  What’s best Boys or Girls? – I said Girls because they stick by eachother but after the debate had concluded I had swayed to the idea of boys being the better choice. This question led to debates about loyalties in relationships, affairs, conflict and also the government; some people said women should not be in charge of the government or a country because they overthink things.

3. What’s best Books or Films? – I said films were better because they are more emotional and allow you to relax more when watching them because with a book you have to be completely focused in order to understand what is going on. This question led to debates on copyright from films and books, the depth of films and how they are produced and also how time consuming books or films can be. This question also linked back to conflict and religion.

4. Is it better to be a good person or someone that follows the rules? – I said it was better to be someone who followed the rules because everyone’s definition of being a good person is different, some people murder or commit crimes and continue to refer to themselves as a good person even though they have broken the law. This question led to discussions on how different people can have different perceptions of a good person as well as debates on murder, theft, terrorism, the government, laws and mental health.

I watched a video of a professional debate. The video was a debate between Bill Nye and Ken Ham about Religion and Science. The debate includes discussions about both scientific and religious points such as Noah’s Ark and Observational Science.

Bill Nye vs Ken Ham – The Short Version

 

Mashable (2014) Bill Nye vs. Ken Ham – The Short Version. Available at: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HA3E8wpBO_I  (Accessed: 22 September 2016)

After watching this professional debate I decided that I need to be more passionate about what I am saying when asking effective questions or responding to a debate. During the class debate I was worried to say all the points that came to mind incase they were wrong or invalided but I have learnt from watching a professional debate that all points are valid and that I should say whatever comes to mind. In future debates I will make sure to raise more points and speak whatever comes to mind about the topic.

 

Researching:

Researching is when you look at many different sources in order to find things out. These sources can be the internet, books, magazines, journals and so on. I learnt the skill of researching by completing a task set by Greg. I was asked to research breaking the rules and then write up an article discussing this.

 My piece;

Breaking the Rules – The Fashion Industry

Fashion Law is a fast growing section of Law and some American Law schools have even created specialised programs in Fashion Law. The laws behind the Fashion Industry are so complex that it is a field where judges and lawyers are still trying to determine and test the limits of the laws today. There are many laws that have been put in place by the fashion industry including copyright laws, trademark laws, employment and labour laws as well as many others such as commercial transactions.

Copyright is the exclusive right to control the reproduction and commercial exploitation of work. Normally copyright laws are simple and mean something cannot be copied by another brand but throughout the fashion industry the copyright law struggles to be eligible for brands or labels designs and clothing. The copyright law struggles to be eligible in the fashion industry because every brand tends to follow ‘Haute Coture’ (Hot Fashion) this means that most of the time brands or labels are simply just all adapting the same look or design just in different ways. Usually the Copyright law sets a minimum fine of $750 and a maximum fine of $150,000 however in the fashion industry it is legal to make a direct or similar copy of clothing in most circumstances because clothing is never normally protected by a copyright law therefore it is unlikely for copyright fines to be carried out in the fashion industry. On the other hand, fabric prints are allowed to be copyrighted as long as they meet three field requirements; Fixation, Expression and Originality.

Trademark Laws is the right to control the reproduction of names, logos and slogans. Trademark Laws tend to be more common throughout the fashion industry because brands seem to trademark their name, logo or slogan. Although a lot of research has to have been done before a trademark law can be provided to a brand, this is to ensure there is no possibility that there is anything similar (in the name, slogan, logo etc.)  to any other label or brand. The brand or label must be completely eligible for a Trademark Law.

Child Labour Laws are put in place to prevent minors from working in factories to produce garments or textiles however the child labour law is regularly bypassed in the fashion industry. The child labour law tend to be bypassed throughout the industry due to fast fashion. Fast fashion is the high demand for products this results in companies turning to cheap sources of labour in order to produce enough copies of products. Most brands or labels usually get out of breaking the child labour law because they claim that the stages of production are so complex they are not aware of where production takes place nor able to control where production occurs. According to the National Labouring Organisation there are 170 million children involved in the production of garments and textiles throughout the fashion industry.  The main areas for child labour within the fashion industry are overseas in India, China and Thailand.

In conclusion, there are many so called ‘rules’ within the fashion industry itself but most of them are hard to determine because designers and brands work so similarly. Whereas where it is clear that the ‘rules’ are being broken, it is usually hard to prove a brand or labels association with the issue.

I used the following websites to conduct the research for my article:

http://www.hg.org/fashion-law.html

HG.org Legal Resources (1995) Avaliable at:http://www.hg.org/fashion-law.html (Accessed: 22 September 2016)

http://www.aiga.org/copyright-basics-for-graphic-designers/

AGIA (2007) Avaliable at: http://www.aiga.org/copyright-basics-for-graphic-designers/ (Accessed 22 September 2016)

http://labs.theguardian.com/unicef-child-labour/

Moulds, J. (no date) The Guardian Unicef Child Labour. Available at:http://www.aiga.org/copyright-basics-for-graphic-designers/ (Accessed: 22 September 2016)

http://www.yourdictionary.com/trademark-law

Schell, B and Martin, C. (no date) Your Dictionary. Available at: http://www.aiga.org/copyright-basics-for-graphic-designers/ (Accessed: 22 September 2016)

I also looked at a professional piece on Fashion Law. The piece was written by Sally Kane from The Balance Online.

Fashion Law

Practice Overview Of Fashion and Apparel Law, By Sally Kane

Fashion law (also known as apparel law) is an emerging legal specialty that encompasses the legal issues surrounding the life of a garment, from conception to brand protection.

Fashion lawyers advise clients on legal issues facing the fashion, textile, apparel, luxury, footwear, jewelry and cosmetics industries. These issues run the gamut from licensing, merchandising, distribution and franchising agreements to intellectual property, employment and labor relation issues to safety, sustainability and consumer protection issues.

Various aspects of corporate, real estate, tax and business law also come into play.

Fashion lawyers perform a broad range of duties from drafting and negotiating contracts; addressing and litigating trademark, copyright and other intellectual property issues; forming and dissolving business entities; advising on branding development and protection; and consulting on design protection, import-export, licensing and other issues.

Fashion law clients include designers, fashion houses, distributors, manufacturers, modeling agencies, retailers and photographers.

Education

Although few and far between, education programs exclusively dedicated to fashion law are growing in number. In late 2010, Fordham Law School launched the world’s first Fashion Law Institute which offers J.D. and LL.M. students the opportunity to study fashion-related legal issues and provides pro bono legal counseling for designers in need.

 

Specialty courses include topics such as Fashion Law & Finance; Fashion Ethics, Sustainability & Development; Fashion Retail Law; and the Fashion Law Practicum. The Institute also offers public seminar series for design and legal professionals, as well as a Summer Intensive course open to degree and non-degree students.

Other schools are launching curriculums and coursework in the area of fashion law.

Why Fashion Law is Growing

Fashion law is an emerging area of law that is just beginning to be recognized as a distinct practice specialty. The Internet age has exacerbated many of the legal issues that designers and fashion companies encounter, fueling the necessity for fashion-specific legal advice and protection. For example, design piracy and copycat litigation have grown in recent years, prompting new legislation that provides legal protection for fashion designs. In August 2010, New York Senator Charles Schumer introduced the Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Protection Act which aims to protect designs deemed to be “unique” and “original”, and, if passed, will apply to apparel, footwear, and accessories.

How to Break In

Although it is growing, fashion law is a unique and rare specialty and few law firms specialize in this area. Taking courses in fashion law, intellectual property, business and finance, international trade, government regulation, and consumer culture can provide a foundation that may boost your chances of employment in this specialty.

Volunteering to assist in providing pro bono legal services to the fashion community is another way to gain contacts and related experience. Alternatively, you can intern with a law firm that specializes in fashion law or works with fashion clients.

Networking, getting to know the players in the fashion law area (it’s a small circle) and finding a mentor can also help you break into the field of fashion law.

Kane,S. (2016) The balance. Available at: https://www.thebalance.com/fashion-law-2164606 (Accessed: 22 September 2016)

To begin I was happy with my article I felt I had included well researched facts and figures as well as maintaining a good style of writing however when reading the professional piece against my own piece I know that I can improve my article by having a clearer understanding of the topic I am discussing. I can improve my article by using a wider range Fashion Law terminology as well as by using a more formal writing style. I could also improve my article by structuring my article in to sub-sections like the professional article.

 

Refrences: 

TWILIGHT BY STEPHANIE MEYER- Meyer, S.(2005) Twilight. New York, USA: Little, Brown.

WHY I WRITE BY JEFF GOINS- Goins, J. (2013) Goins Writer. Available at:http://goinswriter.com/why-i-write/ (Accessed: 21 September 2016)

THE GREAT GATSBY BY F.SCOTT FITZGERALD- Fitzgerald,S.F.(2010) The Great Gatsby. London: Vintage Books

PICTURE OF GATSBYS MANSION- Warner Bros.Pictures (2013) The Houses That Inspired The Great Gatsby – “All Jazzed Up” Available at:https://aflippenlife.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/the-houses-that-inspired-great-gatsby.html (Downloaded:22 September 2016)

BARBARA WALTERS INTERVIEW WITH TAYLOR SWIFT- ABC News (2014) Taylor Swift Barbra Walters Interview | Barbra Walters Most Facinating People | ABC News. Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-TFhUq3otQ (Accessed: 22 September 2016)

BILL NYE VS KEN HAM DEBATE- Mashable (2014) Bill Nye vs. Ken Ham – The Short Version. Available at: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HA3E8wpBO_I (Accessed: 22 September 2016)

RESEARCH SOURCES- 

HG.org Legal Resources (1995) Avaliable at:http://www.hg.org/fashion-law.html (Accessed: 22 September 2016) 

AGIA (2007) Avaliable at: http://www.aiga.org/copyright-basics-for-graphic-designers/ (Accessed 22 September 2016)

Moulds, J. (no date) The Guardian Unicef Child Labour. Available at:http://www.aiga.org/copyright-basics-for-graphic-designers/ (Accessed: 22 September 2016)

Schell, B and Martin, C. (no date) Your Dictionary. Available at: http://www.aiga.org/copyright-basics-for-graphic-designers/ (Accessed: 22 September 2016)

THE BALANCE, FASHION LAW ARTICLE- Kane,S. (2016) The balance. Available at: https://www.thebalance.com/fashion-law-2164606 (Accessed: 22 September 2016)