Ildikó Sealey

Biography

I was born in Hungary in 1974 and moved to England in 1995, aged 21, by taking an unexpected opportunity. After learning English and obtaining a Secretarial Diploma, I embarked on a 14-year ‘career detour’ and worked in social housing.

I was ‘classically trained’ in the arts and crafts in Hungary. From a young age my sole interest was in creating, I only loved the technical and art classes. This led to extracurricular activities: I joined a ceramic course, then later took still life and life drawing lessons. All this supported my successful entry to one of Hungary’s four art colleges, where I studied drawing, modelling, art history and leather craft.

I always felt incomplete without a design degree, and this long-awaited opportunity came along in 2013, when, after a spell of unemployment, completion of a business course and setting up a leather craft business designing and making pet accessories, I enrolled onto a BA (Hons) Textiles course at Plymouth College of Art. Under the guidance of Programme Leader Paul Singleton and his teaching team, I obtained my long-desired Textiles degree and bagged two awards along the way.

Through a recent review of my creative side of life, three keywords jumped out at me that, I now realise, have been following me through my life: interest, determination and wanting to learn. I’ve always been interested in creating, making, materials and techniques. My inquisitive nature has led me to learn and study continuously, from work related training to a BA degree, GCSEs and a PGCE degree. Now, in my 40s, I can allow myself to do what I want, and I am determined to be a renowned Designer.