New Blood student heads to creative bootcamp

Published On Thu 26 Jul 2018 by Christina Miller

A recent University of Dundee graduate has been awarded a ‘wildcard’ place at a creative bootcamp in London after her work stood out at a major exhibition.

Lauren Morsley, 21, from Kirkcaldy, graduated in June from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design with a degree in Illustration. After graduating, Lauren was invited to exhibit at New Blood, a festival held in London which brings together industry professionals and new talent, while showcasing up-and-coming creatives from around the world.

Lauren’s exhibition earned her both a Wildcard to attend New Blood’s two-week creative bootcamp which is currently taking place in London, and was named as ‘one to watch’ by a panel of experts who assess and evaluate the range of work on display. The New Blood website describes such winners as ‘individuals whose work well and truly stands out above the crowd’.

She said, “I come from a creative background and I've always been surrounded by work by artists and illustrators like Ralph Steadman. However, I haven't always wanted to be an illustrator. I wanted to be to be a forensic scientist for a while before I fell in love with creating things myself.”

“Dundee had such a good reputation for courses and student life. Dundee wasn't too far from home, and it had the foundation year entry programme which really helped me make sure that illustration was what I wanted to pursue.”

When told she should be attending the New Blood Academy, Lauren added, “It was an amazing surprise, I definitely wasn't expecting anything like that. There's such a huge variety of talent throughout the festival so to be recognised for my work is a huge honour. Like most creatives, I don't really think of my work as being good enough - so I am still taking a while to process it!”