today i’ve added the post to my annual blog.
it asks my future self many questions. i reflect it shows where i am, the impact of the pandemic and what’s on my mind too. i reflect i have some visioning to do.
from somewhere i will draw the energy to climb out of the situation, to begin to thrive again.
for the rest of the day i’ll watch the last hours of eddie izzard’s run for hope . watching and listening to her endeavour has helped me through this month.
one step at a time now.
it’ll be ok.
hello hello. feels good today as i’ve reached out to a local project to get involved. i’ve been brave and spoken about my evolving practice – i’m currently investigating if indeed i practice in a transdisciplinary way. i’ve linked this to socially engaged – something i do have previous in. i’ve also started to share more widely my preferred pronouns – they / them.
as the snow falls here in derbyshire i am feeling bouyant as i step outside of what i find comfortable and sit in that space.
its saturday morning, bright sulight streams through the dining room window. in the distance i can see trees and willow proudly motionless in the sun. i glance at the lit stove, it’s light sending heat into the living room. my partner and our dog are wrapped up on the sofa to my left. the cat is somewhere near too.
on this beautiful calm morning in january my thoughts extend out to those in the world whose saturday morning isn’t so calm. i send energy in the universe for them to receive, to feel comfort and hope.
since my lat post i’ve been sitting with an encouraging feeling. for the first time in a while when i’ve thought the words artist and facilitator i’ve felt excited. at an opticians appointment this week when asked what i did i was able to instantly say “artist and facilitator” and without any internal feeling of awkwardness or lack of authenticity.
in this last week i’ve begun to believe that i’m getting near to being able to feel i have defined a mental space well enough for me to properly start to develop and to lead others through that space with me.
in this past week i’ve experienced self cohesiveness of a magnitude i believe i’ve not experienced before.
from putting the previous post together i’ve been left considering the notion of taking the audience on the journey with me. this comes from me misquoting from somewhere within the references in the previous post.
i’ve become aware that the way i described myself for people / audience / curators is difficult for them to get an understanding and a way into my practice. something i urgently need to address is presenting a cohesive front for these important individuals.
part of this consideration is how to frame my dsylexia. up to now i’ve presented this as the disability it is. what i’ve begun to consider is neurodiversity and disability.
another aspect of myself i’ve been considering for a couple of months now are my personal pronouns. you’ll see over on twitter what i’ve opted for.
i like the feeling of progress i have at the moment.
in amongst all that’s currently going on, i’m sitting with a feeling of needing to update how i think and communicate about my practice. looking at my a-n bio it feels a little outdated now.
writing about myself doesn’t come particularly easy. i’m sure i’m not alone in this either.
when sitting down to consider my practice and my career to communicate about it – i have to confess to this triggering a sub routine in my mind orbiting around an inherited sense of disappointment, instilled in me as a child. i’m tipping my hat to it so i can acknowledge and move on from.
online research:
It is extremely important to not confuse an artist statement and an artist biography. Each contain different types and amounts of information, while serving different purposes. Although they are different, both should evolve and change with your career.
1 https://arts-spark.com/artist-statement-vs-artist-bio/
The artist biography should always be written in the “third person” (as an outsider looking in, and uses pronouns like “he”, “she”, “it”, or “they” in the biography).
However, an artist statement is different. Think of an artist statement as the artist communicating to the viewer about the art, in the artist’s absence. Therefore, an artist statement should be short, concise and well written in conversational language.
2 https://www.lightspacetime.art/comparing-an-artists-biography-to-an-artists-statement/
Your artist biography is a paragraph of many talents.
It weaves the story of your art career – instilling trust as it goes – allowing you to share your credentials and achievements without speaking a word. The importance and utility of this emissary cannot be stressed enough.
3 https://www.artworkarchive.com/blog/how-to-write-an-appealing-artist-biography
Who are you writing for and what is important to them? You may need a different bio for different events.
4 https://www.guelpharts.ca/about-us/news/238-how-to-write-your-artist-s-bio-in-5-easy-steps
your artist’s statement should compel the viewer to want to look again at your work.
5 https://fineartviews.com/blog/30872/the-artists-statement-vs-biography
in considering the process of arriving at an updated bio and statement i have two thoughts.
i fear it because i have an issue with comparing myself to other artists. it’s some sort of weird competitive thing i hold on to.
so beginning where i am at the moment seems to be a plan.
next is how to do what i need to do. writing isn’t my strong point so by what other means can i assemble the relevant information ?
indeed what is the relevant information i need ?
Choose the Right Information
Your artist biography should be a summary of significant facts about your art career written in third person. Begin by introducing yourself with your name, medium, and some background information. This can include where you were born, where you work, and when you first became interested in art. Next, discuss any art training or schooling you had and degrees earned. If none, state you’re self-taught.
Then move on to discuss your exhibitions, awards, and any other professional achievements. You can also mention if you’re featured in any important collections or prominent art publications. But, be sure not to overwhelm the reader with too much self-promotion – choose the best nuggets.
Then segue into any recent shows or important projects you’re working on such as a public art installation. End strong with any upcoming exhibitions, residencies, or projects.(3)
State the basics
The components of a bio are quite straight forward:
Of course some of these may not apply to you, and you may want to change the order if, say, the fact that you are local is important.(4)
i know that the process of arriving at a bio and statement is going to personally difficult because of what i hold in the baggage around personal self belief and importance. the basic :
presents me with a very difficult to resolve concept – that there is a limited amount of scope for work.
maybe an opportunity i need to search for is one of challenging my personal and professional perceptions of myself. this leads me to think about how when working with others as a facilitator i aim to define a boundary for them to work within. therefore is something i consider within what i do connected to boundary ?
i do wonder if somewhere down the line i missed the lecture about the themes that work gets made within ?
i ask a lot of questions to try to get to a deeper understanding. those questions aren’t always answerable.
something else i’m very aware of is how easily i’m influenced by others when they very quickly dismiss what i say to them. i’m up for my ideas to challenged and questioned – i can grow through being part of that process. what i don’t get much from is the immediate cutting across what i said.
when that happens i’m left internally processing what just happened and loose the opportunity to say “hey, hang on a minute, are you saying … ?”
and this is where my disability comes into play.
i quite often am in situations where i’m thinking something and nothing is coming out of my mouth. it’s like some sort of blindness of speech. i become stuck in an internalised loop with the moment passing.
i’ll leave these notes as this for now.
so here we are, 2021. the blog theme for the year is around how i’m going to hold my nerve as we exit the pandemic. in the weeks running up to 2021 beginning, the whole pandemic affecting me and my practice took hold. now as 2021 begins i challenge myself to hold my nerve in the coming months – to hold my own and to make progress again in my practice and personal life.
in considering the title of the blog i covered a lot of ground within my thinking. maybe for 2021 i can reign in the over thinking and demonstrate actual things i’ve done, made and involved with,
in the coming year i will be finishing the non linear project for the museum of making and researching the 50th year anniversary project for the renal unit of derby hospital. in november we’ll go to buxton to see grayson perry perform his show for normal people.
this year i’ll also return to facilitating sessions and begin something new and exciting.
within the 12 months of this year i will research and become more comfortable with my practice interests and processes after this was eroded within the year of 2020.
after completing the non linear project for the museum of making i would like another invitation to consider a socially engaged non linear project.
for my future self i write this:
i was optimistic at the beginning of the year recognising the work required to achieve the things i can image and those i cannot. at the time of writing i can only really imagine the first three months of the year. as this year develops it’ll be ok to add into the mix the aspirations for the year, as – lets face it – on new years day there’s a slight hang over from last year and all that is possible lays ahead to be discovered.
artist and facilitator with interests in holistic processes such as forest school. practice is transdisciplinary. concerns orbit around space, time and play - what it is to be a curious human being. http://www.andrewmartynsugars.me
