it feels so decadent writing during daylight hours. though windows both behind and in front of me the crisp warm sunshine of the day illuminates the static drawings on the horizon created by resting trees.
space to think !
space !
earlier today while spending time between sips of my moccha latte chi cappacino hot chocolate blended christmas warmer … on twitter a tweet caught my eye…
let me share it with you.
for me emily has always been one of the artists i perceive to be in the premier league – for want of a better analogy. it demonstrates for me that to be an artist one needs to install an entrepreneurial, adaptable, and open minded ness to one’s practice.
one of the projects i’m working on at derby museums is the royal academy / artists rooms funded reinterpretation of the joseph wright gallery. as we delve in to the life and times of this now iconic painter we learn how his contacts through his father allowed him to earn money while the large narrative paintings were things he did off his own back and took many risks in getting them displayed. many didn’t sell in his lifetime.
last saturday the project upped sticks and spent the day in london. we had to see the “an experiment on a bird in the air pump”
while in town we split into two groups – researching visitor experience and interpretation techniques at the london transport museum and the ica.
i was in the group at the ica. the current exhibition is by danish graphic design duo metahaven. embodying the ics’a anti establishment stance their work is loud and brash to the point of alienating. as a group we took advantage of the ica’s public adviser session. we struggled to hear what was said as we sat slap bang in front of version history.
in context of our project research the ica visit has been invaluable.
what my instagram post eludes to is how shortly after i took the photo we found out that our coach wasn’t going to pick us up. after a 3 and a half hour delay we eventually departed back to derbyshire. once the fallout of this has been resolved i’ll share what had happened to the coach.
returning to the tweet from emily – it resonated with me as recently i have been thinking about my own practice.
i’ve been writing about my involvement with derby museums for sometime now. the work is amazing and i’m learning lots. the however is how i find the time and head space for my own practice.
my link with emily’s tweet is that there’s a certain amount of what ever is happeneing there’s always a point where the critical emerges and in emily’s case spills out onto twitter.
for emily to be doing this it shows me that i have a good strategy following on from several years researching that my practice as a primary sustainable earner wasn’t working and as such needed to be adapted.
my note to myself here is to use the christmas break to connect with those processes and ideas you have made notes about – play, be playful, recharge, refresh and throw yourself into 2019.
emily, if you’re reading this, i trust that you’re feeling better now and good things once again come your way.
this week has seen the publication of a short video about the smart storey telling symposium in austrailia. i felt so proud to see shots of my presentation and q&a appearance within it. i was especially pleased with the inclusion of the shot mentioning the silk mill and derby museums.
i look out the window again. the light is beginning to fade, the contrast on the trees is more muted with the scene appearing flatter than earlier.
i feel so pleased to be at home on the sofa in the daylight, work for the week completed and set up for next monday. i think i have the friday feeling that gets talked about. its not a regular thing i feel, so i’m going to make sure i fully embrace it and enjoy it.
