In the interests of blog integrity I need to share a true fact. I can walk the walk, but find it very tricky to talk the talk.
Being a gemini you would think that I would have been blessed with the gift of the gab, (as my son, also gemini, and winner of olympic gold in rabbit, has). And on some occassions that this is true that I can talk. But unfortunately, I seem to find it almost impossible to talk about my work and ideas in a way that is beneficial to them. In a situation where I need to explain the intricacies of an idea, I instantly forget my own name let alone produce any pearls of wisdom or insight.
It is true that I could have designed a product to rival the I-phone but if I told you about it you would think I had invented a paper bag.
What to do? Practice interview techniques with the cat? Force myself into embarrassing on stage public speaking courses ? (tried that) Prompt cards? (looks proffessional) Get someone else to pretend to be me (a la Andy Warhol)? I have no idea.
Answers on a postcard please….
I’m working on my next Superhero costume. Here it is in the early stages looking like an explosion of morse code. As usual a few ‘technical issues’ have crept in. But although things aren’t quite working as they should, I have had a serendipitous surprise which actually works better than my intention. I LOVE it when that happens!
In order to explain my thinking (or rather my instinct) on the costumes I need to explain a piece of work that I made about six years ago. It is a chindogu – that is a work that by it’s definition negates it’s purpose. Look it up. Anyway, here is my Labour Saving Device – precounted worry beads, with distraction bell. Somehow they seem to link, in ethos anyway, to the costumes.
Saturday is not a day when I generally get anything meaningful done on account of earsplitting noise levels eminating from our house but on the pretext of collecting a parcel from the PO I got ten minutes of ‘car meditation’ time. At least a month’s worth of ideas all came tumbling out at once. How I have missed driving to my studio every day.
This afternoon I took 2 of my little darlings to a brilliant outdoor workshop run by Carole Miles and Jo Dacombe, in the great ‘Green Patch’ a community allotment/green space (with ducks and chickens too) in Kettering. It’s lovely to do someone elses workshop for a change.
This is what we made:
Here is my new Superhero Costume entitled:
Superhero Costume (belt).
My children think I am mad, but then begged me to make them one – really hard to explain to them it’s not really THAT kind of superhero costume – how does one explain this to a six year old?
Please note that what was supposed to be simple, does have a lovely labour intensive element to it. I really don’t think that I am capable of doing somthing that is quick.
Strangely I was discussing how this works with my collaborative partner a few days ago and it is bizarre how my mind jumps instantly to the most complicated, expensive and labour intensive solution possible to any problem going. I just can’t help myself. I think there must be some kind of medical diagnosis for this. My dear husband thinks that this is my excuse for wanting to shop at Waitrose, but I’m sure it is really a genetic mutation.
Superhero costumes coming together. Here is peak of my new one….
I’ve been spending so much time trying to get my new ‘big project’ off the ground that yet again the actual ‘making bit’ the bit that I enjoy has been relegated to late nights and early mornings. I picked up a tip from Oliver Burkeman’s column in The Guardian at the weekend, taking gems of information from successful people’s daily schedules and am trying the ‘how you start the day sets the tone’ philosophy to some good effect.
5.30 – get up
6 – 7 am: 5 mile run with running partner (note sneaky way of not getting out of it)
7 15- 8: finish off superhero costume from last night
8 – 8.15 yoga
8.30 – 9.45 prevent children from killing each other and attempt to get them into clothes/ eat breakfast
9.45 – take one child to drama course and other to neighbour’s leaving remaining child and calm atmosphere.
10.00 Proceed upon a day of great achievment
Easy peasy…..
