Keivan Sarafan
Keivan Sarafan studied the HNC Fine Art course at Kensington and Chelsea College and has now been accepted for an MA in Fine Art at the University of the Arts' Wimbledon College of Art
Keivan, a Management Consultant in the IT sector by profession, swapped his computer for a canvas after enrolling on a career changing art course at Kensington and Chelsea College.
After more than 20 years in the business world Keivan decided to have a career break two years ago, initially spending his time on several art courses at Kensington and Chelsea College which served as a foundation for the HNC which he completed in June 2010. Although fine art courses were initially a hobby, he soon discovered that he had the passion and drive to pursue art as a new career.
Keivan, 48, said: 'I had no previous experience of art and the sector I worked in couldn't have been more different to what I'm pursuing now. When I left my role as a management consultant I decided I wanted to try something different. About two years a go I signed up to my first art class at Kensington and Chelsea College and through the staff's encouragement and support managed to progress up to the HNC level.'
'The art classes were meant to be a relaxing hobby but now I'm hoping to develop myself as far as I can and establish myself as a professional artist. I want to be able to produce original pieces of work which addresses some contemporary issues which I feel passionate about.'
'Although I appreciate it can be a challenge to start an entirely new career in art as a mature student, the whole process of transition facilitated by KCC felt natural felt for me. With a course like HNC Fine Art you can leverage your life experiences as raw materials to create your work, so having had an entirely different career was actually a great source of inspiration in my work.'
Speaking about his HNC Fine Art course, Keivan said: 'I really enjoyed my course. In many ways it's far better than some of the other courses run in bigger universities where you end up being just another number in a big class. At KCC there is a good student tutor ratio which meant we regularly received one-to-one tutorials in our studio practice, as well as the normal group discussions and exhibitions.'
'The tutors are brilliant and as they're all still practising artists, they provide different perspective on your work which I found very stimulating. On top of that there is great studio space for students and plenty of opportunities to diversify in your work through photography, video, installation, printmaking, painting and sculpture.'
'The course really teaches you to experiment with your creativity without constraints whilst providing you with the technical skills and business knowledge you need to establish yourself in the art industry. I learnt a great deal about exploring my creativity as well as how to present myself as an artist and sell my work. I'd thoroughly recommend this course to anyone interested in pursuing art whether as a personal passion or a professional career.'
