BYU Illustration Grad Shares Details About a Collaborative Project Focused on Jane Austen

What’s more ideal than traveling abroad, electively studying one of your favorite subjects, all while being funded by your university? Brigham Young University illustration graduate Lexi Nilson, English graduate Nicole Jacobsen and advertising graduate Devynn MacLennan Dayton did just that for a student-led collaborative project focused on the author Jane Austen. Their book and project, “Jane Was Here,” started as an Instagram profile maintained by the all female team. The premise of their venture was to travel to places significant to Jane Austen’s literature and document the scenery through illustration and writing so their followers, or those interested in the book, would feel a connection to them. The student team documented their findings via Instagram, on their profile @JaneAustenWasHere. In addition to the Austen focused illustrations and quotes, the team explored past and present English fashion and food and engaged with their followers and fellow Austen enthusiasts through giveaways or polls. Their page now has an audience of over 3,000 followers and they continue to post despite returning from Austen’s English homeland. A popular Instagram page was not the initial aspiration for this venture. The student team has since compiled their work into a small travel guide that will be published in the United Kingdom in May and in the United States during June 2020 by the Hardie Grant Publishing House. This travel book has been their ultimate goal since initially getting approved for a grant. “We wanted to introduce places to people who might not be able to visit in person but, because of the personal travel notes and

illustrations, they can now connect with it as if they are on an adventure,” said Nilson, group lead on this project. “This book was a wonderful way of combining my love for travel and my love for illustration in one place, combining them in a way where they have a deeper voice in communicating and connecting worlds.” Getting to England to explore people and locations as college students was a huge learning experience. Nilson was initially encouraged by Bethanne Anderson, an illustration professor in the Department of Design, to apply and propose a project to receive funding through the Laycock Center for Creative Collaboration. Students applying for this grant have the opportunity to develop a project proposal that could earn anywhere from $1,000 to $30,000 for specified project funding. This allows students to foster collaborative opportunities and to grow as creative leaders, problem solvers and innovators of art and communicative contexts. This can be a wonderful experience for students to have before graduating, especially when your project could have the possibility of getting published. “ reached out to me and she said, ‘you should apply for this grant…you come up with a project and there’s a significant amount of money that the board can give you if they want to invest in your project,’ and that got my wheels spinning, like where would I want to go, what would I want to do, and if I’m going big what would I do?” said Nilson. Lexi had a huge love for Jane Austen, England and Pride & Prejudice. This sentiment was shared with others including her team and a large fan base. This ultimately led them to assemble an organized trip to England to help them create illustrations and to become inspired by the many Jane Austen locations using the funding they received. “The experience is such a surreal feeling because you’re standing in the place that Mr. Darcy proposed and so much emotion is attached to the location,” said Nilson. “So, while you are there you feel her books coming to life. It was really cool to think, “Oh my goodness this is the place where they filmed it and Jane Austen lived here,” and traveling through the streets thinking she was inspired by all of this around her.”

Nilson dove right into using school funding efficiently, successfully implementing a project that is to be published summer 2020 and now offers tips for others who hope to do similar projects. If you are looking into applying for funds to expound on a project idea, ensure that you do your research effectively and show why your experience or ideas would make a contribution to the public. The Laycock Center for Creative Collaboration looks specifically for proposals that endorse innovative learning environments, works of collaboration, mentorships and projects that ultimately make a meaningful impact on students. This grant opportunity is sponsored through the College of Fine Arts and Communications. Additionally, the Department of Design also offers Experiential Learning funds; a similar grant for individual student projects, but particularly for students who have been accepted into the illustration, graphic design, animation, photography or design BA program. MacLennen, team marketer, remarked “Take opportunities and don’t pass them up. This book was just a cool opportunity and it would have been silly not to do it. At first was to have it in Anthropologie or Urban Outfitters. I am hoping for greater opportunities and we’ve talked about maybe doing a Marie Antoinette or King Louie Travel Guide in the future. There is just so much more we could do, and I don’t think it has to stop here but it just goes to show you get really ambitious and we can do whatever we put our minds to if we dream big enough.”