continued from post #33
I like the part of my work that responds spontaneously to other artists, new ideas and calls for exhibiting, just as I have in the past couple of days. I very much want to improve my access to my collections – the raw material of my creative practice – so that I’m able to continue to do so, more efficiently. The issue of time, in all of this is of course, the crucial factor and my current situation has made me recognise the benefits to be had from investing time now, in order to save time for the future. One of my first steps towards this, is to take a break from writing this blog. The entire premise of ‘Keeping It Going ‘ in any case, asked the questions:
Will I be able to maintain a blog at the same time as being creative in the studio? Will it help or hinder my practice as an artist?
Even if only temporarily, I will miss the discipline of writing here. But the time used for regularly maintaining this blog will be better placed for now, in sorting out my studio space and getting on with making work. Setting up ‘It’s The Little Things’ for the This ‘Me’ of Mine exhibition over the past few weeks has reminded me just how time consuming installation/assemblage work in itself can be – and that’s when I’m familiar with the work, know where things need to be placed and have already processed and emotionally let go of the items used in the installation.
I haven’t familiarised myself with a lot of my collections for some time – it’s that difficult to get to/access thing again! But I know it will be no small task to sort through it and I know that a considerable amount of time and patience will be required to do it thoroughly. There is a vast amount of ‘stuff’ – both the literal, physical objects and the emotional and psychological.
Letting go has never been easy for me; I’ve never been good at endings or goodbyes. But I do want to say goodbye to feeling in the dark, disorganised and a bit all over the place with regards to my knowledge about what is it is that exactly makes up my collections – the materials that stimulate new ideas and sustain my creative work. It’s time to rediscover, assess and know what I have.
I will at some point, I’m sure, want to report back. There are a lot of emotions and stories tied up in the boxes I’m preparing to unpack – I’m almost certain that I will want to share some of the associative narrative with you.
Thank you in the meantime to so many of you – to a-n who encouraged me to start this blog in the first place through organising the ‘Why Blog’ workshops; to the Artists Talking community for your commitment to reading what I have to say; and to those of you for taking the time to leave comments about what my posts have meant to you; it’s always been truly appreciated.
