My experience of being an artist has felt very different since losing my studio. Keeping It Together this past week has been all about coming to terms with some of the uncomfortable feelings associated with not always getting what you want.
The process of looking for an alternative space is ongoing and I’m hoping it won’t be too long now before I’m able to get back to what I now recognise was a pretty established studio routine. I miss having a studio and without it, I have at times felt a little bereft; because for me, having no studio space equates with not being surrounded by the familiar objects with which I normally work.
During this past month I have been quite literally stripped of all I know as a creative practitioner – deprived of the space and the vast lifelong collection of possessions I habitually surround myself with. Hardly surprising then that the recent upheaval has felt so unsettling – family holidays and other commitments aside, there haven’t been many days over the past five years or so when I haven’t been in at the studio. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that I’ve felt like I’ve been in a state of mourning. Now I simply can’t wait to be reunited with my belongings, unpack and reacquaint myself with them – and get back to work.
Being without a studio has at the same time created space for letting in other positive experiences and alternative ways of seeing. I’m aware that I haven’t produced any art this week, but in terms of thinking about my work, there has been a great deal of creative activity. Perhaps being away from the clutter of material possessions has freed me up to focus on what’s important to me at this particular moment. I feel I’m about to enter into a fresh and exciting period of creative output in the foreseeable future and I need to be focused.
New beginnings can be wonderfully productive and I’ve had space to think about how important being with like-minded people is to me, both on a personal level and in terms of the ongoing development of my art – people I can identify with and relate to, with a view to building a community of which I feel a part. And, having once been a public sector worker myself, Wednesday’s rally against pension cuts was a timely reminder of my fundamental belief in the importance of community and the need for continued social cohesion and a shared value system amongst fellow workers. I suppose you could call it Keeping It Together…
