Having completed his BA in Sculpture in 2004, Augustus had no hesitations about returning to do an MFA in 2011. In addition to being a practising artist and teacher in Athens, Augustus founded the Snehta residency which aims to promote and facilitate local and international artists.

Tell us about your time at ECA

I was back in Greece when I decided to return to ECA to study MFA Sculpture - having completed a BA in Sculpture in 2004. Knowing the college, the facilities, the spaces and the tutors was a good reason for me to re-apply; I knew what I was going to get.

I will never forget the generous space each one of us had in the studios, the proximity to a very good library and the different people in the course coming from various professional and cultural backgrounds.

Tell us about your experiences since leaving ECA

After graduating, I founded the Snehta residency in Athens. Snehta is the first art residency in Athens and aims to promote and facilitate local and international artists through its residency and exhibitions programme.

Since completing the MFA, I have been teaching sculpture and drawing for adults and young professionals, I teach casting and fabrication in wood and other materials and I am in the processes of implementing workshops into the Snehta residency programme.

In addition to teaching and running the residency, I am a practising artist and recently had a solo exhibition ‘Station Retrograde’ at Elika gallery in Athens and I am planning to show this recent body of work in several group exhibitions after the summer. Earlier this year I was awarded the ARTWORKS Fellowship in visual arts, this fellowship is the first young artist award for Greek nationals.

Many of the technical skills I am using in both teaching and in my own practice are directly linked to my time at ECA. We always had excellent technicians in wood, metal and casting. I also benefited greatly from opportunities like talks about professional development, and from talks from invited artists.

Alumni wisdom

I believe the most important thing the college has cultivated in me was the “do it yourself” or figure it out yourself. Being responsible for your work and coming up with creative ideas about how to survive as a creative individual.

When someone leaves art school, I suggest they are honest with themselves and take some time off to consider what they want to do next in their lives. I believe you need to take with you the most valuable essence, which for me was to be creative and shift things around to create unique ideas and to think outside the box.

Be honest and stick to your guns - every artist is different and there are millions of ways to get there. Just choose the most suitable path for you. Respect yourself in whatever you do and try to expel any fear and doubt you may have.