I. Show us an activity you enjoy doing. Tell us how you think it contributes to your personal and professional development.

Me: Jennifer Bouwer (in the middle), with my brother and sister. My favourite activity of choice is art and design.

How I came to love art and design?

Well I was born with a passion to express myself in a more artistic way, my visions and emotions are constantly being translated into my own projects. I do so by using a combination of my hands and various mediums. I’ve always had a knack for creativity and will always find a way to incorporate it in my life.

I have done art classes for as long as I can remember, and sadly with my current studies it has become a hobby.My mother was my muse of inspiration, she did many

art projects herself. She always encouraged me to do art activities as a child and to look at things in a more detailed perspective.

Mom and me!

My Other Sources of inspiration:

1) Visiting all types of museums

Picture: Me visiting the Stellenbosch university museum with my sister.

2) Being in nature

Picture: Me on a family hike in the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens.

4) Experimenting and research:

5) Studying art at school and high school as an extra subject6) Other artists work7) Object in my environment eg. Political environment, technological environment.8) Media exposure eg. Adverts and commercials.9) Product exposures eg. How products in shops are designed, and displayed10) Life undertakings and personal experiences eg. Family holidays.

Picture: Me and my family, on our holiday trip to Washington DC. In 2014!

Some of my personal art and design projects:

Picture: Canvas self portrait paintings, picture of myself in different shades of colour.

Picture of door canvas: Mix medium art peace surrounding an everyday object.

Picture : Canvas of three dimensional hearts. Representing three dimensional shapes and shadowing.

Picture: Water colour painting of a sea crab.

Picture: Giraffe painting

Picture(S): Some of my sketches.

Picture: Sketch of king protea.

Picture: Khoi fish I drew and is on my pin board.

How Art and Design contributes to my personal

and professional development:

Contribution to my personal development:

Art and Design has allowed me to express my feelings and emotions throughout my life in such a way, that without art I wouldn’t know how ells to convey them. It is a means of relaxing for myself, it brings me to my present state. Art and design has personally allowed me to view my world around me in a unique. A way in which I always observe every detail intensely and a manner where I question aspects.This activity has allowed me to set personal goals and achieve them, it has thus been a catalyst to the development of my personality, self-worth and self-esteem. Ultimately it is an instrument for my introspection.

My hobby of choice, has allowed me to link a common interest to other members of society. Thus it has aided my social development.

Art has been a tool that allows me to communicate with others, without using verbal communication. when outsiders view my work it allows them to gain insight to my thought pattern. Art and design has prepared me to deal with others conflicting options, and criticisms of my personal efforts and work. It has allowed me to value and respect other peoples work and efforts of any sort.

Challenges and failed desired outcomes are elements that art and design offer. Thus I have had the chance to develop a positive perspective towards these elements and rather see them as opportunities.

This hobby has been a means for me to excel and be acknowledged by others. Art and design is an area where I can track my personal skill development and growth. This hobby is a passage of continues growth for me and will always be apart of my being.

Contribution to my professional development:

From a professional point of view a constructive hobby or activity one enjoys and has put effort into, only adds to ones learned abilities.

I have learned how to do the following, through the exercising of art and design:Procure resource, plan and schedule tasks, time manage, set objectives, manage setbacks, deliver on deadlines and many more skills. These acquired skill have contributed to my professional development and will assist me in my future professional career.

Art has installed diligence in me, as there have been many times in the past where I have wanted to give up on certain projects but managed to preserver the originally accepted task. Thus I have developed a good constant work ethic.

Picture: Photo taken of Hong Kong on our 2012 trip.

Professionally I always find a means of being creative with anything I do. This has allowed me to devolve a competitive edge in the corporate world, as I see aspects from different angels and I can contribute unique methods of executing a plan.

My activity I have enjoyed over the years has helped me devolve a entrepreneurial nature. As it has installed the value of making things happen for yourself . The ability to creating an opportunity and delivering according to others needs and demands.

Art and design have trained me to personally practice and devolve the skills I need to operate efficiently. My activity as made me aware that you do not have to be formally learned an academia to obtain knowledge.

Art has allowed me to grasp and interrupt others thoughts and emotions and how to generate the appropriate response/reaction towards society. Art has allowed me to mature on a social level that I wouldn’t have been able to comprehend.

Photo: picture of a flower taken by me.

Overall I can now implement and execute processes development and management on a higher level.

My hobby has taught me to comprehend items from various time periods of history and place them in the correct time era. I have gained a considerably vast general knowledge thanks to art and design.

All of these areas/aspects mentioned above, are but merely some of the thinkable manners in which art and design have individually accommodated me in the development of my professional development.

Picture: Photo of Architecture in Singapore near Sentosa, on our family trip 2010.

To conclude, the main reason why I engage and devote my time to this activity is because it brings me great joy. Creativity is something I can incorporate in everything I undertake and it is a hobby I can turn to at any period of time.

Art allows me to shed light on, how I experience and view things and in turn to generate an output.

This created output allows others to interpret it according to their own means. In my opinion, I see this is such a gift.

Picture: Art work and design of African women.

This slide show:

Author and publisher: Jennifer BouwerImages, Art work and Pictures: all personal of Jennifer Bower.Date : 09 April 2015