professional development

as i near the completion of my second gfa application, i’ve begun to compare the process with that of a potential ma.

it’s my second gfa as the first was unsuccessful and looking back over it today i can really see why it was unsuccessful. the great thing was the feedback and the realisation of being able to fix what was wrong with the first attempt. i’m sitting with an application now that is way stronger.

on my lunchtime walk i considered the notion of ma verses gfa. i walked into a ma without very little bother, the interviewer didn’t even want to see the work i had taken to show him. i soon became aware of a kind of ultra right wing opinion of the staff that ran the institution and after a few weeks realised that attempting the ma part time was not going to work. i gracefully bowed out at the point that it all was not making sense for me.

and so to the gfa.

i began round one in October last year, heard about the outcome in January, started version two a week later and have worked near constantly on it since. i’ve failed once so the ogre of failure bears no relevance this time, i don’t fear it any longer.

and here’s the rub.

i think i’ve got more out of doing this gfa than i would have done by doing the ma. alright on the ma i would have had time to read and learn about what others have already done. i would have been imparted to by the academic right wingers, useful as that maybe, i doubt if i would have enjoyed it. the gf ahas been tough, however it’s all mine and it’s all in the real world, with real issues and real people threatened by real prospects of their world being different.

i would ague in favour of attempting a gfa application right now instead of doing an ma. the ma is fantastic and indulgent, however do we need fantastic indulgent creative people ? i see evidence to suggest that the role of the artist within publically funded domain is to be an instigator, a collaborator, someone to bring disparate worlds together and create something magical.

i will argue that attempting a gfa should be the first port of call for anyone aspiring to be an artist, before attempting any further higher study. there are fabulous opportunities to be had by those wishing to bring things together, to communicate, to be involved with worlds other than their own.

i’m days away from completing my second gfa, and i am not scared.

when playing rugby at senior school, i once attempted a quick lineout, by throwing it to myself. i was commended for my thought and inventiveness. however, in that moment of improvisation i forgot i key rule, the ball must travel 5 metres before being touched. the improvised lineout was ruled unlawful and my breakaway try was thawted.

i learnt a lesson i wouldn’t forget.

my sporting career never went beyond schoolboy rugby and football as my professional career at that early age took me into the theatre. reflecting about the theatrical process now, i see that the process nurtured a culture of success amongst the protagonists. no matter what the role, the success of the show was the goal of all working in the theatre.

i ran my culture of success theory past a friend who still works in professional theatre. he agreed. he also brought to the fore about expectations of colleagues. we discussed a monday load in of a tour. in his department he would be expected to do certain things and he expected certain things from his colleagues.

when a good team worked together, the load in would be easy and successful.

i left the theatre some years ago. an opportunity to learn a new process beckoned.

now i find myself in another phase of learning a new skill and a new working sphere.

using a recent you tube incident as a starting point, i expanded on my culture of success theory with my friend, as i am finding that there is also a culture of failure.

outside of the theatrical process, outside of a common goal, when attempting to do something, to achieve something, i am experiencing conditions that if not reversed will lead to failure of a venture. but how to reverse them ?

to explore the common goal.

my cpd is based on what do i need to do to succeed, what do i need to learn to succeed.

i’ve begun working with the full version of the interactive development tool. my interactive audio kinetic artwork’s interactive component has begun to be properly researched. i’m supported by a very positive online community, where it’s all about succeeding in one’s endeavour.