I’m going to be doing something exciting on my website from 1st July!
If you’re an artist who is a little embarrassed about the standard of their drawing skills, or someone who just wants to learn or grow, you might want to be in on this.
My “30 Days of Drawing” challenge begins on 1st July. I’m enouraging my readers to spend an allotted time drawing every day, perhaps with a specific goal in mind. For example, to improve fluency of line, to experiment wildly with ink, to get better at observational work, to let go of all preconceived notions of good/bad/acceptable drawing. Etc, etc.
I’ll be posting drawing-related content all month: images of my own drawing efforts, interviews with successful artists, illustrators and designers about their views on drawing; tasks and challenges to try out to get yourself back into the flow of drawing; art history and theory notes on drawing; and lots and lots of inspiration and encouragement to keep on drawing!
Am just starting to write the content and am really thrilled with how it’s going.
i’m also looking for artists, curators and writers to be interviewed on my site, or to write/draw guest posts, during the month of July. Please get in touch via becky @ beckyhunter.co.uk if you’re interested.
Twitter hashtag: #30DaysDrawing
This weekend was pretty relaxing…
I deliberately didn’t do any school work or freelance work, but instead did some introductory research into the existing gallery scene in Philadelphia and the types of businesses in existence in the specific area of the city that I’m interested in. I also started looking up studio and commerical space rental prices, as well as writing out my clearly my vision for the studios and gallery.
Today I worked on some book reviews and interviews with artists and designers for my blog and for White Hot Magazine.
Ok, that’s it for now… 2 weeks and 2 days til Philadelphia!
Gorgeous sunny day here in York. I have turned my pink gerbera so it’s facing out of the open window while I type.
Writing an article today and doing some drawing. Still struggling with concentration on academic stuff. Hoping that a semi-academic article will boost my confidence.
I’ve been commissioned to write another short ‘Rant’ for Axis. I find these really fun to write as well as being a challenge, to fit a coherant and witty argument into a 300 word text. My next one is going to be on the class divide in the creative industries. Thanks Axis.
My month off university is almost over. I feel I have made real progress when it comes to defining what I want in my future, remembering what is important to me, and making steps to get there.
I’m also really glad that I’ve started to focus on my own well-being, rather than being an art history essay machine!
Yesterday I made a pact with my hyper-critical self to be quiet for a while. I’m sick of preventing myself from getting on with stuff because I’m feeling exhausted from too much pressure.
On that note, I’ll let light, creative Becky take over a little… Bleaching a whole bunch of sheeting today. I love swooshing bubbles and textiles around in a big bucket of water. Looking forward to seeing how they come out.
I’m excited about how quickly my blog is growing but I want to make it work for me and not just be an online popularity contest. Reading ‘Blogging for the Artist‘ woke me up a little this morning. Less time on Twitter, more time on paper.
I’ve been singing and playing my guitar.
Today I’m going to think about my priorities.
Less than 3 weeks to Philadelphia summer!
GALLERY/STUDIOS: Yesterday I read through the whole of Jackie Berridge’s a-n studio blog (2007-2010) and was amazed at the hard slog she has been through to get the studios to where they are today. What an inspirational woman. And still there are legal disputes going on! She’s absolutely right that only a practicing artist would set up this type of business.
I’ve also been emailing with her about getting some advice on my own project. I’m certainly not put off yet! In fact, I’m constantly thrilled by the warmth and eagerness to give advice, assistance and encouragement by other a-n bloggers, as well as their openness about their own circumstances. Thanks to a-n for providing this forum.
PROCRASTINATION: I still have a book review to write and am struggling with energy and motivation. I’m a perfectionist, trying to learn to be an imperfectionist. At the moment that means I get things done well, but at what cost? My health has suffered in the past year. Trying to learn how to treat myself gently while still getting things done is my task of the year and is one of the hardest things I’ve attempted.
INTERVIEWS: Up on my website today is an interview with Katherine Faulkner, a PhD candidate at the Courtauld Institute, studying ‘The Sculpted Body: 18th C Dress’. It’s really useful reading for anyone considering a PhD in the humanities.
TWITTER: I officially am in love with Twitter. My interview with Katie, mentioned above, has been RT’d by two people with big followings in the time it took to write the above sentence. Looking forward to having some new readers. Must come up with a plan for organising my time better though! Blogging is one of my favourite things, but, as yet, it doesn’t bring in cash. (Do I sound horrifically mercenary for an artist?)
USA: Can. Not. Wait.
