In addition to adding admin days into my life, I have been thinking that a plan might be a good idea. This was also something that came out of the AIR event: Susan Jones said that in her mentoring she sometimes asks artists to make a plan of what they want to do and where they want to be in the future. The rule (and difficult part) is then not to do things that are not on the plan. This should prevent finding yourself saying yes to all manner of things.
Hmm, so, the only thing I did plan for myself last year was not to show in Liverpool for a while. Then I found myself putting in a proposal for the new Arena space and this month putting some work into DRAWN IN at the Lost Soul and Stranger Service Station. Whoops. I am very happy about DRAWN IN though, as it came up just when I am starting new drawings and seems serendipitous to say the least.
It is one thing to have a shifting, woolly idea of what might be good in your head, and something else entirely to actually write/draw a plan, akin to a business model I suppose, that you can refer back to and that will prove how far off track you have gone!
David Parrish pops into my head here too, reminding me to say NO!! NO, thank you very much, but I can't. No I'm afraid not, no really, it's not possible. Oh, didn't you hear me? I said NO. Also that I am my product, and to forget the archaic notion that it is acceptable to work for free when doing something because you love it. Why can't you can love it and still get paid?
So, I'm excited today – it is onwards to clear the dining table, get a big sheet of paper and perhaps some felt tips/stickers to make the plan a little more joyous…
Today is the first of my self-timetabled admin days. I cannot believe I haven't made time for this before. I did plan some in last month, but I ignored them and carried on in my usual path of misaligned priorities and bizarre feeling of duty to useless things and unhelpful people. I have always known I should do it, but something has snapped to make me actually act. I have also recognised how useful blogging has been and that, accordingly, it should be timetabled in. Just an hour a week or so, but same goes for updating profiles, emailing and the other things that make me feel guilt.
Bec Garland mentioned making time for your practice a few times at the AIR event on Monday night. I don't do it enough. I have hardly been to the studio in the last few weeks, except to sign cheques, meet people and show people round. I have been working from home, probably on an entirely unsuitable scale. I am beginning to resent this very much and recognise the need for a shift in my working habits. It may not be as simple as saying, monday for this, tuesday for that, as unexpected things do occur, but any kind of structure would improve things. This also points towards problems with my studio, and the fact that I have taken on too much responsibility for the place. I adore the building, but it seems it does not love me back.
So, admin down, studio to go.
This also came up last night: Empty shops as art venues..
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/apr/23…
It was the AIR Open Dialogue event last night at Castlefield Gallery. Very nice to finally meet Susan Jones after much emailing, and also great to discuss the very basics of practice with loads of new faces.
I thought about blogging last night when I got in, but partly I was tired and I also wanted to digest it a bit. The things that stayed with me are unexpected. I found myself sharing things that I hadn't expected to, some parts of my life/work that I probably have never vocalised before. One of these was finishing off my spiel by saying that I wanted to get my head down and work, and that I wanted rid of the organising. This was backed up at dinner afterwards when Susan was talking about the fact that people seem to have forgotten that good work and careers take time. There is an expectation of talent and genius to negate the need for long hard graft, whereas musicians and others (quoted, I believe from the article below or similar) need about 10,000 hours practice on average to become a professional.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article4969415.ece
I know that I have my first ever solo show, infact two of them, coming up in 2010, and obviously I want them to be great. This means starting now, no more agreeing to shows and flinging out the work. I want and need something different for my work to see a change and development. 10,000 hours is after all, well over a year, and that's without sleeping or doing anything else. Perhaps five years of full time work represents that statistic a little more meaningfully.
Giving some feedback about this blog to Andrew Bryant this morning also made me consider what a fantastic tool it has been in sharpening everything. Being determined to practice what I preach, I have suddenly become much better at valuing my work and time more highly, saying no and generally looking after my long-term self a bit more. In turn, I hope this is also looking after the industry by not getting involved in projects that rely on artists working for free or without in-kind support/trade. I hope I can keep it up…
I also realised I am still fairly terrible at negotiating and that must be the next area for improvement, especially when YSP starts….
This month has been one for talking it seems. I have been asked to do talks on several of the things I am involved with; me (!), Wolstenholme Projects and the book fair mostly.
On Saturday night I was at IMT gallery in London (a beautiful space) for a panel discussion about artists' books and their distribution. It was very interesting, but the slant on the questioning from the chair was so focused on distribution I was left (about 5 minutes in) wondering what I could contribute. As the other panelists were a publisher and a book-shop owner (and book artist) I felt quite low-fi in comparison. The huge disparity in our outlooks/ agendas meant that rather than having a broad ranging debate, it was difficult to discuss fludily as there was just no need for us to agree or disagree on many of the points.
This just demonstrates the massive range of work that is going on in the field. It may have also been because we were in London, in a gallery, where selling things matters. I cringed inside at one point where I had to pipe up and point out that discussion was getting very London-centric and esoteric. I felt alien to the discussion yet I think I am a good example of someone who makes artists' books, where it is not the whole of my practice, but just the best medium for some ideas and also something I make without considering its distribution and audience beforehand.
Books Fairs, which were hardly discussed in comparison to publishers, represent for me the first point of sale for most book artists. They have their own problems but do offer a fantastic opportunity to meet other artists, see work, touch work and maybe buy work too. I am quite unconcerned about getting my books into Waterstones, and as shops such as Tate and ICA also require distributors, I would be much more inclined to look elsewhere like the Book Art Book Shop or the Permanent Gallery to stock my work. Additionally, talking about Ed Rucha et al and their books is interesting and relevant in terms of the history of artists' books, but he and others who were published represent the very few. I suppose the problem for me ended up being that if there were any book artists' in the audience hoping for some insight into outlets for their work, they would have been disappointed.
Tonight is the AIR open dialogue event at Castlefield Gallery in Manchester. This is artists talking about their practice and how they approach it/manage life, the universe and everything. I am certainly looking forward to a more practical bent.
