Class of 2021: Embroidery Graduate

Higher education always has been something I knew I would pursue. Growing up my mom always reminded me of the importance of education and lead by example finishing her Bachelors's 17 years later after starting it following up with Masters shortly. Being at the age of 18 and seeing how important it was for my mother absolutely solidified my path after Bachelors. 

My journey with the Royal School of Needlework began in 2018 when I was in my last year of the Riga School of Design and Art and I was applying for the Central Saint Martins Fashion history course. I got denied quite early and remember seeing on Instagram a post of a student studying embroidery for their degree and I remember thinking - why didn’t I apply for more programs, I was so focused on CSM. Somehow I applied shortly for RSN knowing I had very slim chances and got lucky with an offer for an interview. It was a phone interview from Hampton court directly to my kitchen in Mežciems (blockhouse neighborhood in Riga) apartment, and the rest is history. I have always said, RSN was a dream I never dared to dream; it was too good to be true. The moment when I believed that I am a student there was on my first day at the palace, suddenly all the videos and photos of the premises made sense. I remember my course leader Angie Wyman saying to us first years “from this day forward, embroidery is not a hobby anymore, it is a profession” and I felt goosebumps on my arms, the only place I have seen that employ embroiderers as professionals was Haute Couture houses in Paris from my favorite movie Dior and I. 

So now, 3 years later, I am a graduate. Still has not set in, I feel like. These years were filled with so much, half of my degree has been spent in a pandemic and that is no small detail; I got the luxury to finish my last year of the degree from home. I definitely feel that it was a luxury, I was close to the subject I was studying, closer to stories about home and how it was decades ago, and most important - I had full authority to curate my project, time, and workload all by myself. The opulence of Hampton Court Palace was the contrast I needed from Mežciems to actually start appreciating what I have at home. It has extended to extremely high levels of love towards Soviet architecture and the level further - our typical Summer home phenomenon that was an answer to dwelling in block buildings. On that first day of university, this would not have been what I picture myself doing for Major Project and I do have to say that it is the beauty of it. 

What now? Where to go?

I don’t know. I have accumulated a list of small dreams I would love to transform into plans. I really enjoy teaching so staying in education would be ideal for a while. I have done Erasmus + workshop this spring about tradition and contemporary embroidery and I have another one coming up this September. I want to keep my practice going and my needles warm; translating designs into embroidery through various materials gives me a great challenge to look forward to. I would love to go for Masters's one day, I have two programs in mind - Contemporary art or Visual communication. I feel that would add to my practice and my career a more broad area to work in. But to juxtapose I want to go to Paris and learn more about Luneville, just so I can say I have learned embroidery in London and Paris :) I hope to participate in exhibitions, I suppose my biggest dream is to exhibit in the Latvian National Museum of Art and to go above that, to be chosen as a finalist for the Purvīša prize. I guess the main takeaway is, I want to still enjoy my job, my art, and the creation process years down the line, that is the most important thing. To be open for my creative practice to change and adapt, to respond and keep a voice. 

Cheers to the Class of 2021!