My Erasmus+ Mobility for studies at ESADA: Jovana Mališić, University of Arts in Belgrade

Jovana Mališić, Product Design student at UNIVERSITY OF ARTS IN BELGRADE (Serbia)

Erasmus+ Mobility for studies at ESADA from September 2023 to January 2024.

I had the privilege of spending the first semester of my fourth year of studies at Escuela Superior de Arte y Diseño de Andalucía in Granada as part of an Erasmus+ Mobility project. Besides the amazingly warm weather and longer days, Granada as a city had much more to offer than meets the eye. It is a city full of international students, with several student organizations that organize activities, day trips, and vacations throughout the semester. The nature and architecture present in the city and the surrounding mountains and cities are something very memorable and different from the Balkans. It was a refreshing and eye-opening experience to live in a place so different from my home and be immersed in a different lifestyle while speaking a different language.

Although Spanish classes were provided by ESADA, I chose to replace that class with another elective subject. While I do regret not having the opportunity to learn more Spanish, I am more than grateful that I got to have classes with Professor Oscar de la Visitación in Photography, Art Direction, and Visual Merchandising. The projects we undertook in that class and the people I collaborated with were amazing and exactly what I needed at this point in my creative development. They all taught me to let go, improvise, experiment more, and trust my instincts, but above all, I had so much fun working on them.

I did encounter some difficulties following all the classes due to my limited knowledge of the language. However, Professors Álvaro Fernández and Samuel Funes did everything they could to overcome the language barrier with me and were always there to assist with the projects. I was also fortunate to have very supportive classmates who helped me keep track of everything that needed to be done and even assisted me in printing out some prototypes in times of need. The projects we worked on during the semester were very different from those I am accustomed to in Belgrade, requiring a whole different approach to design and project management. The entire concept of teaching and scheduling was different as well; instead of having different projects for different subjects, all subjects (except the elective ones) focused on developing one project at a time. Our first project lasted a month and focused on future product scenarios in the olive industry. After completing the dossier and presentations, we had the opportunity to visit a prestigious porcelain company, Lladro, in Valencia. Upon returning to Granada, we designed a lamp for Lladro, to be reviewed by their Creative Director. The majority of the semester was dedicated to the second project, which focused on creating a food experience design. It was very beneficial for my future career to work on these projects, and it was refreshing to be included in the project-based system of teaching, which allowed me to focus on the projects and explore more within those themes, working on ideas that genuinely interested me. It broadened my views on design and taught me how to design with a broader perspective in mind.

I am truly grateful for the opportunity to experience something like this and believe it has shaped me into a different, more mature, and creatively liberated person. It showed me a whole different perspective on life, and I cannot recommend it enough to any student considering joining the Erasmus mobility program.