DMC Futures: A Reflection, by Callai Watson
As part of DMC’s yearly mentoring programme DMC FUTURES, Callai Watson, a Fashion Communication student from Dumfries, undertook the ‘Music Journalism’ Mentorship with Tom Johnson, founder of music journal, Gold Flake Paint.
Callai’s mentorship has now come to an end and she has shared some of her thoughts on what it was like to take part in the DMC Futures programme - how she was able to undertake the mentorship alongside her university course, how it helped her to approach her final university project and what advice she’d give to anyone considering applying for a DMC Mentorship in the future.
Read Callai’s reflection below!
DMC Futures: A Reflection, by Callai Watson
I’m Callai, 20 years old and from Dumfries. I currently study Fashion Communication at Heriot-Watt University. Music has always been a big part of my life and I’m looking to make this my main source of inspiration in future projects. My most recent project was ‘MON THE LADIES’ - a mini 40-page zine about women in the Scottish music scene featuring conversations with musicians, DJ’s and graphic designers based in Glasgow. As well as this, I’ve also explored the underground music scene influenced from black culture; looking into styling and collage to create a narrative.
This DMC mentorship came at a perfect time. I’ve only recently started to mix fashion and music together, and wanted to get more experience on the music side. DMC is such a great platform and I’ve always wanted to get involved. While doing the mentorship I was studying fashion writing, styling and commercial context, and all my projects were based around music. Having this mentorship alongside university helped me feed the two together from a professional and educational perspective.
I really wanted to gain insight into how a publication is made. It feels very daunting knowing I’m approaching my final year at university and I was looking for some guidance on the technical aspects. My final project will consist of a publication, and after this mentorship all my queries have been answered - I feel prepared and I’m so excited for it!
Callai’s Instagram story designs for Gold Flake Paint.
Working with Tom was super chill and it was so easy to get advice. This experience was my first time working outside of uni in the field I want to go into and I can see how much I’ve grown in confidence. I was tasked with designing graphics for their socials, discovering stockists for the magazine and finding new album releases for 2021. As well as this I was constantly observing the process of putting together a publication. As I was doing this mentorship I was creating a publication alone for uni. Having Tom there for guidance and advice was really helpful for my growth in my course and as a creative.
The mentorship was nothing like I’d done before and I couldn’t recommend it enough! If you’re trying to get experience in the field or want some guidance in finding what you love doing, these opportunities are so beneficial.
The front cover for Callai’s zine ‘MON THE LADIES’ - read it here.
If you’re passionate about something, it’s so exciting talking to fellow creatives, making connections and seeing the opportunities that are out there. I’ve taken so many ideas away from this mentorship that will last me throughout my studies and beyond. This experience has given me connections that will last, and the opportunity to make more, and as a young creative this is the most important factor. I would definitely do another mentorship in the future, especially in a new area of the industry.
FOLLOW CALLAI ON INSTAGRAM AND DOWNLOAD HER PUBLICATION ‘MON THE LADIES’ HERE.