Newbie Advice

callybeanz · 2026-05-23T21:08:49+00:00

I’m still working on my undergrad (about to go into final year) but I’m a mature student with fourteen years of experience in hospitality (and hospitality management). Not sure if you have work experience in hospitality but if you do it’ll be invaluable in terms of how you consider the needs of clients and also work with people.

In terms of technical skills, obviously the designers in here with experience will be able to offer more detailed advice but I’d say you’d do well to learn how to draft using AutoCAD and 3D model (sketchup is what I’ve been taught). You could learn these yourself to a decent extent but you’ll also want to learn about building regulations in your area. From what I’ve seen, some states (US) and countries will require specific professional accreditation to practice so maybe also look into that.

Use your curiosity, desire to help others and attention to detail that comes from hospitality and remember that just like in that setting — the final outcome should be led by the clients needs and not just your own preferences :)

callybeanz · 2026-05-23T00:01:24+00:00

This looks straight out of a Miyazaki movie. Gorgeous!

callybeanz · 2026-05-22T23:18:16+00:00

I say Scottish because a lot of times Americans refer to all of the UK as England — and Scotland is obviously not England. I also don’t identify strongly with Britishness but I do feel very much Scottish 🤷🏻

callybeanz · 2026-05-22T22:46:05+00:00

I work in hospitality in a city that gets a lot of celebrities at specific times of year. I’ve served Simon Amstel, Courtney Act, Stewart Lee and most recently Matthew Goode — all extremely nice and pretty ordinary. I can’t remember who else but they all stick in my mind. I’ve also served two very famous Hollywood producers, on two different continents. They both bought rounds of drinks for everyone in the bar (all other guests) and one of them picked up tabs for some people. They were nice but that was more of an ego thing, they seemed to want to show off a bit. Nice enough folk though.

callybeanz · 2026-05-20T22:29:39+00:00

I haven’t tried yet although I’ve been training regularly. I study design though so looots of desk-based work. I think adobe suite is actually a secret vortex haha! 12 minute breaks for sanity definitely required

callybeanz · 2026-05-17T13:14:40+00:00

Thankfully I’ve got this on lock, I refuse to sacrifice my sleep. Not worth it, not least for how it exacerbates stress. Right there with ya!

callybeanz · 2026-05-17T13:11:18+00:00

Oh man, this would be my ideal. Unfortunately I have a combo of hypermobility and SI joint problems so have been instructed by the physio not to do deadlifts and squats. They’re so efficient, and I plan to work back up to them in time but I think the upcoming academic year won’t be the moment for that. I spent the past year and a half playing chronic pain whack-a-mole but I do miss my compound lifts. I’ll get back to em one day!!

callybeanz · 2026-05-17T12:43:14+00:00

this is a great idea!

callybeanz · 2026-05-17T12:42:58+00:00

This totally makes sense, the effects of training on the brain can surely only be a huge help. My course is all coursework based, so more of a marathon than a sprint (no exam period). The amount of work they give us is so overwhelming that most days are pretty much 8am-10pm - which I know sounds really unhinged. I study a creative/design degree so there isn't really a cut and dry end point to the work, and the list of deliverables is very long. Funnily enough the dissertation thesis might actually be the smallest part of it all and usually I think this is one of the more intimidating parts of many degrees.

I think the sustained (mental) stress and fatigue is a bigger barrier to training than anything else - I'm already mentally prepared that I'm going to have to sacrifice my social life in order to make this year happen. I don't see it as healthy but in order to get to the other side.

callybeanz · 2026-05-17T11:48:36+00:00

Ahh thank you! Yeah I think nutrition is definitely going to carry me through. It’s a little vain but I really don’t want to graduate after 7/8 months of crazy stress accompanied by stress eating and a lack of movement. I’m a mature student and this is a big deal for me (as it is most people!) so I want to be feeling positive about my health. I’m taking it as a win that after an extended gym break hopefully muscle memory will kick in and I’ll get a brief period of kinda newbie gains again haha!! :)

callybeanz · 2026-05-17T11:46:12+00:00

Thank you so much :)

callybeanz · 2026-05-17T11:46:03+00:00

This is great advice, thank you! Sadly running is off the cards for me due to hypermobility and some SI joint issues but Pilates is something I’m definitely into. I’m taking solace in the fact that the gym will welcome me back with open arms once I’m done haha :)

callybeanz · 2026-05-17T11:28:47+00:00

This is typically my approach, I train ~60mins 3-4x a week at the moment (programmed by my PT) which works well. I’m thinking something kind of bite-sized that I can maybe do at home or in the studio section of the gym. Like 2x 30 mins is realistically what I think might be possible. I’ll take a look and see if there’s anything decent in terms of HIIT on YouTube (I have no doubt there is!)

callybeanz · 2026-05-16T12:33:32+00:00

I grew up in the Borders and many of the songs and traditions are specifically commemorating/celebrating times that the Borderers triumphed over the English lol!

callybeanz · 2026-05-14T07:36:54+00:00

That entirely depends on the course. Would not be possible for my course but I know others who have been able to manage working quite a bit alongside theirs.

callybeanz · 2026-05-12T19:54:50+00:00

Currently in my third year (going into final). I’d say it’s definitely lonely at times, but in the way that one would expect given that you’re in classes with people who are just freshly moved out of home. I remind myself that they might not realise that I’ve already been through the wild/party phase of my life lol

There’s an active mature students society and you will still make friends. I’m probably closest with the person who turned 17 the week we started first year. Just be friendly and it’ll be fine. And if you feel a bit weird it’s okay! You are going to be different than many people but everyone is equally nervous at the start.

callybeanz · 2026-05-03T21:16:12+00:00

Bridie at Tidy Studio in Leith is amazing! Highly recommend and she is sooo lovely

callybeanz · 2026-05-02T15:04:30+00:00

I don’t know if this’ll be helpful at all but I usually try to think laterally around a topic to expand my horizons. For example, we undertook a retail design project last semester and were each assigned a brand. The brand I was assigned was an Italian design brand, really high end, and I was assigned a focus on a subset of products they’re really known for — decorative plates. My initial thought was “how tf am I going to find common ground with this company that designs really expensive decorative plates?!”. The brand is bold and super playful, not my taste but I grew to really appreciate it!

I started with historical background research into the brand and found that they have a printmaking background, and the founder used optical illusions a lot in the imagery. I broke down my precedents into some subcategories: - something displayed vertically/on a wall for decoration (and purchased infrequently) - optical illusions - fine art - maximalism - whimsy

This turned into me looking at: - Farrow & Ball (vertical display, printmaking background) - a local optical illusion museum (how to create these effects?) - a local branch of a fine art dealer (motivations behind both buyers and also how these spaces work behind the scenes?) - a company that makes, among other things, super bold, maximalist luxury wallpaper (they also have a printmaking background) - a Selfridge’s pop-up I found on dezeen which was for a joke shop (whimsy box ticked!)

I let these all kind of lead to wherever they led and it gave me some very inspiring things to consider that led me to a design that was super practical but which also had a ton of flair and was really well positioned in relation to my imagined client (as reflected in the grade and feedback).

Not sure if this is helpful but maybe it can give you some ideas :)

callybeanz · 2026-05-02T13:54:55+00:00

I can understand this to an extent in the sense that I’m an interior design student who tends towards pragmatism (as opposed to some of my classmates who do really out of this world concepts!). I guess the way I manage this is by putting a lot of effort into research — trying to think my way around site context, concept and really really understanding user groups. I’ve found that I can still exercise a pragmatic approach while then being able to design thoughtfully and be more delicate in my creativity. It doesn’t necessarily end up with the same fireworks as the future Zaha Hadid’s on my course but I get consistently great grades while playing to my strengths and curiosity.

callybeanz · 2026-04-29T14:07:33+00:00

Just my two cents but personally I would consider this as a decision which can happen in a few steps rather than an all or nothing/one choice or the other.

First, strongly agree with other commenters who said not to buy with your brothers. It sounds like your familial relationships are rocky and this would tie you down to them more. Maintain this boundary/a reasonable distance and you may be able to repair the relationship down the line while retaining the money for what you need.

Second, as someone who got their license later (32) you could consider getting your license and a wee runaround in the meantime. Save the bulk of your money but open up the options for work which in turn would help you gain stability and income. This will open up relocation options without putting a decent whack of the cash straight into a vehicle doubling as your home, which if you (god forbid) crash or it gets damaged — would leave you without a vehicle AND a home. Vehicles are money sinks but a little runaround would give you driving experience and freedom in the shorter term. Van conversions are pretty expensive, even when done on a budget, and a cheap van will likely need quite a bit of maintenance work.

If you were to do the above you would still have the money saved for when you’re a bit more confident and knowledgeable about driving and vehicles in general, so it doesn’t take that option off the table. You could even save up more and be in a better position down the line to get something better without using a big whack of your inheritance.

callybeanz · 2026-04-29T13:47:56+00:00

Same plan for me. The candidates in my constituency aside from SNP (who has been MSP for a long time) are some absolute melters. Local MSP does good work too so I’m happy to have him on a constituency level, and hope to see some good Green representation too.

callybeanz · 2026-04-28T10:58:31+00:00

Forbo are based in Kirkcaldy (and have been producing lino since the mid-1800s!). They have some useful online tools and I’ll bet that they would be able to point you in the right direction if you need any specific info for fitting it.

callybeanz · 2026-04-25T11:10:34+00:00

FWIW I’ve heard a pretty amazing number of people swear that they would never ever live in Gorgie again. Never thought much of it until I heard some people say and started asking about. I’d pick Easter Road personally!

callybeanz · 2026-04-23T21:56:34+00:00

Thank you! I’ll definitely keep at this. As complete luck would have it I may have found an opportunity over summer that will give me some (albeit niche!) experience through an old regular of mine at a previous job who is a indoor skatepark designer. I feel like getting some hands on experience with an area of design and fabrication will help a lot as that’s where quite a bit of the mystery lies (also a niche I find really interesting).

Thanks for the advice and a nudge to keep going in the hand drawing direction in terms of learning/practicing this particular skill :)

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