It is amazing when out of the blue some stranger or distant acquaintance shows a deep interest and acknowledgment of one’s work. This happened to me last Saturday and what a tonic it was!
Late last year I began to attend meetings run by the Newcastle Philosophical Society in an attempt to draw (excuse the pun) a different perspective on my practical work. It has been a somewhat uneven experience, but worthwhile I think. The encounter with the distant acquaintance occurred at the last meeting of the NPS, when another participant with whom I had a ‘nodding’ acknowledgement, struck up a conversation with me as we walked to grab a coffee after the meeting. He had looked at my website, watched my video work, listened to my music and read my poetry, all of which he was deeply interested in. He saw things in all of it that related to his own life, especially the poetry. This lead to a good hour of conversation, philosophical conversation, on all aspects of art and life. It is unbelievable how one positive conversation can propel you forward, give you the inspiration to be more creative and see there is true worth in the work you do.
So in the coming week give someone a morsel of positivity, it is well worth it, for you and whoever you encounter.
PS. The new series of work is progressing well, very excited about the visuals that are starting to appear. Also ‘The Unstitute’, and on line video portal has accepted two of my videos for their next event: ‘(dis)Corporate Bodies: Undermining the Institution’.
