Quite a productive day today. Picked up my nuts and bolts from town which will be used to bind a paper project together. ( tomorrow’s job)
Headed off to Leasowe in the afternoon. Had a meeting to discuss a workshop we will be running there of Friday, then just as I was about to settle down to do some work, a couple turned up to look at my ‘boats’.
They’d seen my work advertised somewhere or other and decided to take the long trek out to visit me. Wish I’d known where they’d see the work, as I’m trying to keep track of what sort of publicity works best, so that I can use it again.
They had a huge interest in Vikings and had some amazing stories about places they had visited to catch up on Viking history. I asked them to email me their stories, as it would be fantastic to use them in future works. I really am quite thrilled that people are now visiting as it took such a long time to break down that barrier, as it were.
I’m in that weird transitionary period between one block of my life and another, that I can’t just jump across to without taking a breather. I’m sure everyone else who spend periods of their lives doing ‘something else’ knows that feeling. Yes – I’ve got a whole week off at last! The last month seems to have gone on forever with the repetitiveness of commuting day in day out, writing reports, going to meetings…blah blah blah…
Now it will take me at least a couple of days to adjust and to be able to create again.
I went for a long walk this morning and picked some blackberries while I was out to give me a sense of normality. Walking helps me unwind and to unblock my thought processes again.
Settling down for the evening, I started to read through a few of the ‘artists talking’ blogs, but then had to stop because I felt so guilty. Everyone seems to be busy working on something…and I’m not. Do people seriously work for hours on end every single day?
Even though I haven’t physically produced anything in the last week… I’ve bombarded myself with ideas. I have a strange way of working I suppose. I don’t keep a notebook, or use a sketchbook ( not very often anyway) but if an idea or a way of solving a problem pops into my head, I send myself an email. These are usually entitled ‘to do’ or ‘Try….’
Now I have to wade through all of those that I’ve sent in the last few weeks. I do know though, that before I had off to Leasowe tomorrow to put in a day’s work there – I must first head into town for some nuts and bolts. These come under the ‘To Try..’ heading.
I’m hoping by next weekend at least, I will have something to show for my time off.
I had my a-n subscription renewal reminder sent to me the other day and I was shocked that a year had gone by already. I always used to be one of those people who subscribe… then leave it for a bit…. pick up the odd magazine from the shop etc…. then leave it a bit longer….
Last year though, I needed Public Liability insurance for one of the exhibitions I was in, so I paid out for a year’s subscription. It was the best buy I’d ever made.
This I will renew and keep, but I’ve now knocked the ‘paying out for exhibitions’ on the head. It makes me cringe how much I paid out last year alone. Setting aside the entry feeing competitions spread throughout the year, I also rented two gallery spaces over the Liverpool Biennial period. Not only did this cost a fair bit but I gave up two weeks of my leave so that I could invigilate.
Why do we do this?
Keeping my budget to the absolute minimum, I’ve done quite well with my ‘virtual’ presence. Actually, I think I’ve reached a wider audience this way than I’d ever done.
Today, I had another mention – this time in the Creative Boom online magazine: http://www.creativeboom.co.uk/north-west/lookbook/wendy-williams/
Two extremes of my job today……. a.m. replenish all posters in basement public toilets ( because they had all been pinched) p.m. organise a Jon Snow event.
Amount of artwork done in the last 4 days – Zero.
I’ve been itching to respond to this in all night : http://www.artselector.com/forum/good-gallery-experiences-bad-gallery-experiences ( Thank you Emily Speed) There are so many places out there that need a mention – but who has got the guts to be the first one to write something?
I’ve thought about it…even going as far as almost setting up an account in a false name…then wimped out. It’s on my mind so much because of a recent discussion with someone who had an awful experience in a place that I also thought was utterly dire. Really, it doesn’t matter what this venue thinks of me as I will never show there again….but there’s always that little niggle that you think you will be ‘blacklisted’ from the whole gallery circuit. Stupid. God I wish I wasn’t such a gutless wonder.
