(“Fantasia”, by Raelene Kwong: detail)
(“Starry Splendour”, by Kim Bradley)
(“Four Inch Splendour”, by Brigitte Giblin)
I didn’t expect to make the Convention this time around, as I had planned to spend Friday looking into leads from a careers counsellor appointment. Since it was a total wash, I got to play with fabric instead!
So, why was I going to see a counsellor? It’s not that I’m thinking of changing my path — I love what I do too much to give it away. I went because I was hoping to gather a few different ideas on how I could use my PhD.
Cue me and counsellor, in counsellor’s office.
Counsellor is rushed and reminds me that we only have half an hour, five minutes of which she’s already wasted getting her last client to fill in a feedback form.
Me: “Ok, so to keep it short, I’d like to finish my PhD but I’d also like to know what I can do with it. For instance, what other Literature PhD graduates have gone on to do.”
Counsellor: “Well, there are many ways of getting around the stigma attached to a PhD. When you’re writing your CV, for example, you can highlight the work you’ve done outside your doctorate. I’m happy to see that you have a great work history.”
Me: “Yes, I know, but I’m not really interested in talking about what I can’t do with a PhD. I was hoping to come up with some ideas on how to use the work history and my PhD together…”
Counsellor: “And of course if you’re thinking of going part time you can get even more relevant experience. So you can get around that stigma even more easily.”
Me: (breathes) … (explains a third time, with smaller words.)
Counsellor: “Yes. With sales experience of course you can sell yourself at interview. Really you could make it look almost as if you didn’t do the PhD.”
Me: “Oh, will you look at that. Time’s up. Pity.”
She does not try to get me to fill in a feedback form.
I was going to try and get her to help me with my CV, since they’re clearly what she lives and breathes, but for that you have to pay extra. So I went to blow off some thinking-steam at the Quilt Convention.
And I went shopping! Yes, I am a cliche, it seems. Retail therapy helped me think.
I’m not usually one for buying other people’s designs, and this is a very work intensive one, but I fell in love and there was nothing for it. Much like a discipline, or a writing project, sometimes patterns choose you! This is by Margaret Rolfe and is called ‘Peace Quilt’.
Each block is one perfect little ‘origami’ crane, made in a Japanese fabric.
Below are my first very rough test cranes. I don’t think I can use them in the final quilt (if indeed I make the whole thing) as I accidentally cut the seam allowance on the small side. But they’ll make a lovely addition to a scrap quilt in the future.
Now, off to think about careers and quilts. Happy sewing, and happy writing, everybody. Here’s my thought for now, NOT care of Dipstick McDork the careers advisor. Do what you love, forget about how long it takes and who’s watching, and somehow it’ll come out in the wash. At least that’s my plan, for now.
March 3, 2009 at 7:12 pm
nooooooooooooooooooo!
stigma? we work like mad for three to four years and turn our brains inside out and the main result is we need to escape the stigma and pretend it didn’t happen?
no first hand experience yet but i’m sure this is rubbish. (i’m hoping not to repeat my post-honours experience of applying for care-work jobs and sitting in interviews while they looked bemusedly at my cv…) there’s got to be millions of things…
have you seen the ‘beyond the phd’ website?
http://www.beyondthephd.co.uk/
there’s some interesting stories about what people ended up doing with humanities phds on there. i like the guy who works for a train company.
better stop taking over your comment box. all those quilts are absolutely stunning, btw, and i can see why you fell for the cranes!
March 4, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Oh, those cranes! Just beautiful.
March 4, 2009 at 5:17 pm
With my same-but-different break/return to study, I tried not to worry too much about what other people were doing or what they would think about what I decided. I know our studies are different kettles of fishies, but maybe some of my ramble will help..
One thing that kept playing on my mind when I was taking a break was that I wouldn’t be happy if I didn’t try to finish what I’d started, this something that had been a goal since a long time ago (this may or may not be true for you). I’m hoping when I finish I will use it (and maybe combine my previous degree too!), but if it turns out that I don’t, that is ok too because I think the inherent value of learning new concepts/skills makes it worthwhile. So I’m trying not to worry about what happens after, just focus on getting through the now, but trying to achieve a better balance with other things that make me happy.
If this is something that you want to achieve, and if you think that it is worth the hard work and the heartache, then what you do at the other end doesn’t matter right now, and is not worth worrying about.
Essentially your final thought. 🙂
Btw, my parents (+dog) met your parents (+dog/s?) at the Q’cliffe dog beach the other weekend. Mum tells me they’ve never met before (really?!) but that she recognised them from your blog photo of them dancing on the grass, so she asked if they were yours and introduced themselves. 🙂 (Dogs enjoyed the meeting also, I understand).
March 21, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Wow! Raelene Kwong’s quilt is amazing. It looks very different to the other two from the convention. Good luck with the crane quilt (looks gorgeous)!
May 7, 2013 at 3:30 am
Quite an ordeal, that meeting with the ‘counsellor’. I agree with you, about not wanting to use someone else’s designs–but really liked this, enough to take time to write a few words. The fabric itself lends itself really nicely to the overall effect. Could very old solids, from beautiful kiminos, work? Still thinking…