So there I was, at the earlier stages of my project. I had a lot of work but something was missing. This is a short post on the things I did wrong and how you can avoid them.

1. I didn’t eat. I was petrified! Why would I eat? It’s a tip in the ebook that gets under-rated. Always eat healthily before your crits no matter how scared you are.

2. I didn’t sleep. I had enough work, yet I overworked myself trying to get more and more done. A more logical approach would be to save your last few days before the crit organising and printing work. Tutors won’t notice the hatch you forgot to fill. Nor will they notice the shadow you forgot to put in your render.

3. Layout and presentation. I had somewhat of a scattered style of presenting my work. Setting up a grid and putting my work 2cm apart just wasn’t me so I didn’t do it. With that said, it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have control of the flow of my project. The physical presentation may be scattered but my verbal description of the project should be as clear as glass. In this case it wasn’t.

4. I was nervous… So how do you overcome nerves? Put simply you can’t. But you can minimise the nerves by being prepared. We get nervous because we are unsure. If you are prepared for every question that may be asked, and if you are prepared for how you will present your project. The nerves will take care of themselves.

5. Sweat like a pig. Everyone is different, and everyone shows their nerves in a different way. For me I have dreadlocks so my head overheats in sticky situations. Some people turn red, some people stutter, some people twiddle their hands and some people speak at 200mph. What ever your sign of nerves is, be aware of it. That’s the first step to overcoming it.

Goodluck in your next crit!