Exploring new contexts

A month plus a day. That was my last contact. That was when I last coped it feels like.

My husband is now back from Mexico, and the children have broken up from school, and the festive domestic goddess role is beckoning….

Yesterday I spent the entire day for the first time in the month in the studio. Feel like me again, full of determination and resolve, the plan is slotting back into place, and the work is moving forward- both with regards to the research, and the Made to Measure exhibition.

The nervous energy and butterflies are back again. Wish I could feel calm and inspired, but it always seems to be like a coiled spring. . . think its a time thing.

Just need more.

Children in Need events and donations delayed me again in getting to studio, and holding me to a double wammy of guilt. The first that I’m running down the road with Archies donation instead of giving me the promised time of being in the studio at 9, and the second that I’m feeling annoyed with a charity, for goodness sake!

Still cruising after the Michael Brennand Wood talk last week in Birmingham, and meeting Kirsty E Smith- so many coincidences and connections Love it. She’s on www.frillipmoolog.co.uk

Right, now I’ve just (literally, just)discovered my husband is off to Mexico for 3 weeks! How does that fit into my planning?! Juggling Hattie(4) and Archie(6), my work, the house and me…. And Christmas!

I really have to start to talk more precisely about my work. Why do i find that difficult? I almost wonder if I’m being me, or trying to be someone else. I need to talk in single sentences about it, rather than a multitude of words jumbled together with no full stop.

I had the TaP (Textile and Paper group, of which I have just taken on the role of Exhibitions Officer. It consists of Barbara Fidoe, Jenny Fergusson, Jane Freear-Wyld, Diane Cooke, Lorna Syson, Deb Roberts, Julia O’Connell, Ermine Jackson-Miles) Group round for a meeting about an exhibition at The New Brewery Arts Centre next May, working title Made to Measure, which will be on at the same time as the Stroud International Textiles Event. After all the organising talk, and coffee and biscuits I took everyone into my workshop. I was so scared, and in a bizarre way proud. I love my space, it keeps me going, but explaining my ideas to the group I found excruciating! But the comments that came back were fab! And (Archie would really frown that I started a sentence with ‘and’) the observations that they all made either confirmed a direction I was thinking of, or offered up a positive suggestion about my next move. They were great.

I’m now going to just make and sample to my hearts content, and look over all the info I’ve been collecting. I’m looking at light, space, reflections, shadow, drawings in the air, kaleidoscopes, story telling, mirrors, detail, pattern, layers of ideas.

One thing this R and D has somehow achieved so far is that I’m open to using new materials and introducing, shock, horror, not pure textiles in my work. I really have put limits on my thinking in the past- why? Pigeon hole, pigeon hole.

Fantastic chat with Vikki from Northampton Uni yesterday. I’ve definately got to the point where I need a sounding block, but actually vocalising coherently and not as a babble is hard at the mo. I have so many ideas and avenues that I’m finding it hard to focus and work out what fits in, and works. She has suggested I write down my Values, for myself, my family, my community, the wider community, and the world, and then see what fits. Love this idea.

I’m playing with pattern and reflections- the accidental is always appealing. Away in Falmouth for a week, so not making for that time, research in my pocket though.

The Artsfest piece has generated a new community arts project- Story Hats. I’ll be working with a group of children and adults with learning difficulties, making individual hat and a walk-in hat (probably like a wigwam) , ace.

Yahoo! At last have been paid for the Artsfest Installation, got taxed , which they are going to repay, so not completely smooth, but going in the right direction.

Can’t believe I finally have this funding set in place, and am still fighting, but this time its against TIME.

I feel like I spent the entire last year writing, editing, re drafting, editing, writing about what I intended to do, what I needed, and why, and I’m really struggling to fit it all in.

The paperwork side of things was a huge mountain, which I have persevered at, and am on top of, for the next 5 minutes, but my constant time checking:school drop off, pick up, meeting planning, teaching, chase my tail, is unending….

Really, really wanted to enter a piece into the Rugby open, and Leicester open, as a guage for new work for me to see how I felt about them. I have two weeks… Not sure how my husband will feel about me taking boxes of materials to Falmouth on holiday next week. He’ll be fine. Not sure they will even fit in the car on top of the everything and the kitchen sink packing mentality usually in force. Need to get as much done this week as possible.