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CASE STUDY: COMMERCIAL SUCCESS FOR CREATIVE ARTS ALUM

Published on February 28, 2022

At North Hertfordshire College, we’re proud of the opportunities that are available to our students through our Foundation Art and Design Diploma. The course provides space for you to experiment with techniques and art styles, as well as support from our expert Creative Arts team, to help you break into the creative industries for a successful career. There’s no better example of the success you could achieve in a creative career than NHC alum Ashton Attzs!

During their time at NHC, Ashton experimented with a range of different artistic mediums, from digital art with software such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to more traditional mediums such as painting and sculpture. Ashton was ambitious on the course, and applied and was successfully selected by the Tate to run a workshop in the gallery above students who were studying at a higher level.

Throughout this process of experimentation, Ashton also had space to explore themes that were relevant to them, such as representation and gender identity. By completing assignments on the course, Ashton crafted an artistic portfolio that helped them secure a place on the prestigious BA Fine Arts course at Central St Martins.

In 2018, Ashton won the Evening Standard Art Prize with their painting Don’t Stay in Ya Lane. Ashton’s work was selected from over 1000 entries and led to the piece being displayed in the National Gallery. They were also awarded £10,000 in prize money – not bad for someone fresh out of college!

Since then, Ashton’s career continues to climb to new heights. Their work has been commissioned by some big names, from Disney to Instagram, Ralph Lauren to Red Nose Day, and even the 2020 Brit Awards!

NHC’s Creative Arts department is immensely proud of everything that Ashton has achieved in their career so far, especially in such a short time. Roger Healey-Dilke, Course Team Leader for the Foundation Art and Design Diploma, said: “When Ashton spoke to our Foundation students recently, I was so impressed by the confidence and sense of purpose in what they said and showed. Ashton has had great commercial success through work that deals with issues that celebrate diversity and is such an inspiration for anyone taking their first steps into art & design.”

Are you ready to take the next step in your creative career? Find out more about NHC’s Foundation Diploma in Art and Design and find who you want to be!