Part 7 life after art college

At the moment the art students of Belfast are putting up their end of year exhibitions. Filled with doubt, dispare, confusion, excitment ,love hate and every other emotion they are putting their work for open examination. For many of them it will be the last time they actively pursue their artistic goals. For others they will continue at this point it's HARD to figure out which ones will be which.

Back to me, I left the story in New York being oferd a job at Calvin Klien.I did'nt take up the offer I could have stayed for another year and 6 months but the old elastic band of Northern Ireland kept tugging on me. So there I found myself back in Strangford, lots of talent a desire to contribute to Northern Ireland in some way but no obvious way of doing it.For many people who have been brought up in Northern ireland and go away to study or live, the feeling on coming back is >"what on earth is going on here?" you know that there are different ways of living and being because you have experienced them. So on arrival back I personally think it takes a good two years before you get over the shock of rentering the NI system.

Those of you that have not had this experince are surprised when I talk about it, trying to figure out why I've come to realise it's because many people are not aware that there are different ways of living, society can be structured in different ways cultures are different, schools are different,Not all are as inward looking as NI. So it's hard to renter NI society orbit.You look for where you fit and although you fit in some respects you dont in others. You have a common past but there are pieces of experince and thinking that you have had that many cannot even imagine.So you are identified as "other".Not quite fitting.

What struck me at first was just how beautiful Northern Ireland is around where i was brought up the nature is so unspoilt. In one way we have benifited from the troubles because it has meant that tourism has not developed in the same way that has happened in the South. People have been scared to come so life has gone on as before, less development,less neon signs, less of everything.But without opportunities there are less reasons for people to stay. To begin with it was just so nice to be home where people could understand your sense of humour, your accent, your past, your understanding of the wind,rain and weather. But how long was that going to last?