{"id":7528,"date":"2021-03-26T12:20:06","date_gmt":"2021-03-26T12:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?p=7528"},"modified":"2021-03-29T11:43:17","modified_gmt":"2021-03-29T11:43:17","slug":"the-next-big-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/03\/26\/the-next-big-thing\/","title":{"rendered":"The Next Big Thing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When aspiring artist, Tanya Harrison, discovered she was set for her first significant brush with fame, the Reading graduate wanted her former tutors to be the first to know of her breakthrough.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Tanya, who studied primary education and art<\/a> at the University of Reading, is currently starring on Next Big Thing<\/em> \u2013 a six-part series on London Live<\/em> showcasing some of the capital\u2019s creative prospects \u2013 having secured her place on the show by beating hundreds of entrants to claim its People\u2019s Choice award.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as I found out I had won, I couldn\u2019t wait to tell my mentors \u2013 Suzy Tutchell and Gill Hopper \u2013 from Reading,\u201d she told CONNECTED.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe staff at Reading were amazing; every step of the way they were supportive and nurturing. They always told me never to give up on my art and are a big reason that I didn\u2019t. I ended up getting a first-class degree which wouldn\u2019t have happened without their mentoring.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The course at Reading enabled Tanya to qualify as a teacher and pursue her childhood passion for art and, after graduating in 2017, Tanya began work at George Carey Primary School in Barking.<\/p>\n

The people\u2019s choice<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Although Tanya heeded her lecturers\u2019 advice \u2013 to persevere with her ambition of painting and drawing professionally \u2013 she had, until recently, shied away from entering her endeavours in competitions out of a fear of rejection.<\/p>\n

Explaining her transition from the classroom to being on camera, she said: \u201cI saw a post on Instagram advertising the Next Big Thing<\/em> competition and thought I had nothing to lose. You had to submit three pieces of your work with a description on each, simply explaining your medium.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tanya found success in the People\u2019s Choice category which attracted more than 40,000 votes: \u201cI didn\u2019t realise how big the competition was when I entered,\u201d she reflected.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing because my first dream was to be an artist, and this has hopefully given me a chance to start down that career path. It was very rewarding that not only did the judges like my work, but that it moved the general public enough for them to support me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Each of the young artists appearing on the Next Big Thing<\/em>, which is hosted by art critic James Nicholls, is being guided through the series by a professional mentor and Tanya once again believes she has been blessed with an exceptional tutor.<\/p>\n

Assigned Miriam Escofet<\/a>, who was commissioned to paint the Queen\u2019s portrait in 2020, Tanya is relishing working alongside the experienced artist: \u201cGetting to film with someone as talented as her is something I never thought I would do. I have been to her studio and we have had a lot of conversations about my work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Most of Miriam\u2019s advice has been centred on the contribution Tanya will make to an exhibition at the end of filming; a piece Tanya says will combine her artistic styles.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cI have got two sides to my work. There are abstract pieces I do, and then my detailed, intricate pen drawings. At the moment, I am working on bringing those different types of work together for the show.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe inspiration for this piece is my grandma, and the story about how she came to the UK from Turkey. My culturally diverse background \u2013 which also includes the Czech and Indian influences of my step-parents \u2013 has always guided my artistic projects and I wanted that to come across in the series. I am immensely proud of my heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaping the artists of tomorrow<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Tanya is hoping her artistic future will be as rich in experiences as her family\u2019s past, so that she can help create a lasting legacy.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cIt is so hard to get into the world of art and this show is my door to get there. I am so grateful for the opportunity.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI want to exhibit my work around the world, but my biggest goal is to get the UK Government to change the National Curriculum for art.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cMaths and English have hundreds of pages of information, but when it comes to art there is very little guidance. I feel children can really find themselves with the subject, especially those who aren\u2019t very academic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would also love to create some government-funded workshops for children. These visions won’t happen until I get to a certain level with my own work, so that is my main driving force.\u201d<\/p>\n

The plans Tanya has sketched for her future continue to blend the skills she honed during her three years at Reading, and Tanya is eager to express her gratitude for her experiences at university.<\/p>\n

She concluded: “I am at a stage where I have a secure job and I\u2019m following my ambition simultaneously, and I am in that position thanks to Reading.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cGoing to university isn\u2019t just about studying but the whole experience. It changes your life massively. I gained independence and became more comfortable in myself. It made me who I am, shaped my adult personality and gave me the boost I needed to pursue my professional career.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Visit Tanya\u2019s Instagram account<\/a> to see more of her artwork, or find out more about the Next Big Thing <\/a><\/em>competition and TV show<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When aspiring artist, Tanya Harrison, discovered she was set for her first significant brush with fame, the Reading graduate wanted her former tutors to be the first to know of her breakthrough. Tanya, who studied primary education and art at the University of Reading, is currently starring on Next Big Thing \u2013 a six-part series […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":170,"featured_media":7548,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[6],"tags":[54,14,66,21,34,124,68],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Next Big Thing - Connected<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When artist, Tanya Harrison, discovered she was set for her first brush with fame, the Reading graduate wanted her former tutors to be the first to know.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/03\/26\/the-next-big-thing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Next Big Thing - 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