Life at City of Oxford College

Elin Weresch studied Art and Design at City of Oxford College from 2016 to 2018. She has since become a published illustrator for a series of children’s books, Willy and Wally the Windscreen Wipers. 

“I loved my experience at college and really miss it. There was so much variety in my course. One week we could be doing metal work, and then we could go onto ceramic or print, and we had access to so many resources,” Elin said. 

“I’ve always been quite multidisciplinary, so having all of this at my fingertips really helped me figure out my skillset. 

“The people also made it what it was. I’m still in contact with many of my friends from college today. I love that I’ve built lifelong relationships from my time there.” 

Life since college

After college, Elin took a gap year to get some work experience before applying to university. She worked in one of the local pubs and was promoted to pub manager before going to Birmingham School of Art to study Art and Design. 

The pandemic had a big effect on Elin’s experience at university, but it also allowed her to discover her love for illustration. 

“Covid hit when I went into my second year. We were isolating and all of the teaching was online, so I taught myself a lot at home, and this is where my illustration style grew. I was thinking back to my favourite childhood stories and started doing illustrations based on that,” she said. 

“I then made the decision to drop out, which is a shame as I most likely would have been able to finish my degree if the pandemic hadn’t happened, but it wasn’t sustainable for me to stay on, so it was the right decision for me. 

“I then went back to my work in the pub, where they greeted me with open arms. I came across my illustration job through one of the regulars at the pub, who had just won a children’s book competition and needed an illustrator, so I kind of fell into it.” 

Next steps

“The Willy and Wally books will be a series, and I’ve signed on to illustrate all of them in the series which is really exciting,” Elin shared. 

“While I don’t want to be a pub manager for the rest of my life, I do really love it, and it’s allowed me to make a lot of connections with my art. The customers all know me and really appreciate that I’m an artist, which has allowed me to do some freelance work, doing illustrations for people. 

“I’m still figuring out where I want to go with my career, but I don’t think I need to decide right now what I want to do. I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket. 

“There’s so much I enjoy doing. I knit, I crochet, I paint, I make jewellery, I illustrate, I sculpt, I’ve even tried tattooing and have considered a business in that. But I love doing freelance work as it lets me take charge of what I do,” she added. 

Advice for Art and Design students finishing college

After her experience with university, and entering the world of freelance, Elin has some words of advice to share with those seeking a career in the creative industries. 

“University is great, but you don’t always need a degree to get where you want in life. My experience taught me that university isn’t the only option,” she said. 

“As long as you keep doing what you enjoy, keep learning, keep reading, and keep creating, you’re on the right track. 

“I also would advise people to not get too stressed about their career straight away. College is a really great way to start off on the outside world, but you can always go back and keep studying. 

“You’re never too old to learn. Whether you do that by yourself, or whether you go back to do another course at college, or go to university later in life, there are endless possibilities, even after you’ve left college.”