Jessamy-leigh McKay

Why did you choose Chester?

I came to an open day, and I liked the campus, then I came again for my interview with one of the senior members of academic staff and got really positive vibes from the discussions I was having with him about my portfolio. He made the experience easier, and he talked to me about my approaches and the context behind my images. His genuine interest in my work has given me the confidence I needed, and the staff have continued to do that ever since.

My choice to move from Huddersfield to Chester came from wanting to change aspects of my life and wanting to work on myself independently. I fell in love with the historical background of the city as well, and as a photographer, it was also the aesthetics that Chester had to offer that in part attracted me.

What did you enjoy most about your course?

I have enjoyed the lectures the most, in particular the guest lecturers that we have had over the last three years. They haven’t always talked about my area of photography, but I have always found their opinions and discussion of their work interesting. I enjoyed my time on the Experiential Learning module in the second year because I got the opportunity to work at FACT in Liverpool for five weeks and I found this really enriching for my career progression.

What would you like to do in the future?

Through coming to the University of Chester and doing this programme I’ve decided that I want to work in curation as well as to become a professional Fine Art Photographer. The lecturers have been extremely supportive in my decision to do this and have supported me in relating my work to this decision, particularly an essay I’m currently starting in which I investigate different curatorial practices.

Do you have any advice for someone who is thinking of studying photography?

If there is one piece of advice I would give to an applicant, it would be to first and foremost produce work for yourself and consider the opinions of others only in light of this. Especially in Art & Design, you’re always going to have someone that will have an opinion on your work, or even your choices and like myself, it made it really difficult when I started in first year. If you just focus on yourself and what you need to do, the rest will fall into place. There is a lot of hard work, but a lot of enjoyment as well that you can get from studying a course at the University of Chester and regardless of how hard it has been for me, I know I came to the right place in order to be the person I am now.