twelve in fourteen

a week to the first application deadline. how am i fixed? i feel good about where i am with the application. i’ve done some research, made conversations and taken time to write my concept. i have time to record myself reading the words and listen back. this is helping me to refine my words to better communicate my ideas and thinking. i feel that i am on track to make a strong submission and to be able to submit before the deadline.

something that has also been happening for me this week is the words to describe my idea for the second application have been falling out of myself. the deadline for this is some way off yet. the style required for my the second submission is somewhat more open than the first. this open ness is suiting me.

something else that suits me are relationships that can flourish in their own time. dare i say it ? flourish in a manner that is sustainable. there i’ve said it! this is happening for me at the moment with the developing collaboration with the artist in Canada. i’ve received an email today. it’s been about two weeks since the last. the contents of the email are really encouraging and there is a mutual interest in exploring how we can work together internationally and not travel.

i’m exploring non geographical specific working within another thread of my practice. this is in the form of online based mentoring. as most of my creative output is not for sale, i am interested in aspects of how i can utilise my time to generate an income to cover the essentials like food,shelter and clothing. i’ve been running trials since October and am finding that it’s something i am enjoying and the feedback is suggesting that it’s something i’m good at.

my style of mentoring is to place myself as the listener. i believe that the answers are within us, it’s a case of having the right questions asked to help unlock the answer. i’ve had some training with the mentoring and befriending foundation and with the trial have been putting into practice what i learnt. as well as helping people to achieve a goal or reach a better understanding of something, there is also the potential for the service to be useful for artists on residencies. in November i spoke with lucy stevans about her experiences on a residency in swedan. our conversation was at an event where residencies were the focus for the day. in her presentation she’d commented that at times she felt like she needed someone to talk to about how the residency was progressing. she responded very positively to the idea of there being someone available on line to talk to, someone who she could have the type of conversations she needed about her thoughts, experiences and how her work was developing.

i’m putting together a website to explain my style of mentoring and hopefully it will be a service that people can benefit from. i have a plan to ask for feedback about it from those i’ve trialled the service with. i’d also like some wider feedback so when the page is more refined i’ll post a link to it here for your feedback.

i’m enjoying the feelings of positive energy, of momentum and how this feeds into my work.

“oh i don’t reflect that often actually”

i’ve been out and about since my last post. meetings in pub, coffee shop, dining table and gallery. it’s good to talk.

the gallery was site in Sheffield. their artist proposes study day⁽¹⁾ was a perfect chance to do some research for one of the up coming opportunities. the day was about hearing from and talking to the artists of the five upcoming platform residencies. platform proposes that the residency happens in the gallery and as such the visitors to the gallery become part of the process through active dialogue with the artist in residence. it was interesting to note the range of ideas about how to do this.

all the artists in platform were interesting to listen and talk to. it’s difficult to pick a favourite, however some days on from the event the one who made the most impression of all the impressions was florain roithmayr. he spoke softly and knowledgeably. what he said was convincing and thought provoking. it’s made me realize it’s not very often one get’s to hear an artist speak, in context of who speaks in public. in what he said were things that connected to thinking that i have made and has added new words to those thoughts. is this how education works?

during the drinks reception at site i spoke with the chap i’d been in the group with for the afternoon. having been passive all day i enjoyed talking. i enjoyed learning about him and work that he’d made. his name is andy ingamells and i like what he does⁽²⁾ .

in this last week i’ve connected a little more to the value of my ideas. this has been made possible by conversations via email on the periphery of the main objective. i have much more a sense of the value of the artistic vision(s) that i have. the feeling is empowering and enlightening.

meditatively i see the vision as the most important thing. this came across within the platform discussions.

⁽¹⁾ http://www.sitegallery.org/archives/6697

⁽²⁾ http://andyingamells.com/

i furthered the answer to my question “can i be an international artist if i don’t travel?” this week.

i answered an opportunity to take part in an open source choreography project. the project presents in a browser window audio and video clips to be combined onto a timeline. the resultant remix is uploaded onto the project website. there’s a bonus for those whose remixes are liked, the remixed choreography will be performed at a festival in Vienna in February. the project is based in Vienna. i was particularly pleased to make it onto the “best of” page(1) with a comment of “Dramaturgically smart.”

inspired by this and a conversation with another artist i searched for participatory festivals. i found figment(2) based in the u.s and Canada. the festival has a very strong centre on interactivity in the artworks. i started an investigation into wether i can collaborate with an artist / artisan local to one of the locations. i have had an initial contact with a Toronto based artist.

it’s amazing what can be achieved from a sofa these days.

also this week the aa2a engage programme has begun. i had an aa2a residency in 11/12 and really enjoyed the process despite having personal issues to work through at the time. i’ve not updated my aa2a profile for sometime now. this week i’ve been consdering wether or not the profile on line is of sufficient interest to participating colleges to contact me to engage me with their students. if i were a college, my profile isn’t up to date and doesn’t really seem to have anything of relevence. that might be a little hard on myself. i think it’s time to pay my 10 pounds and spend time catching up with myself.

i’ve seen another opportunity to apply for(3). one of my weaknesses is the transference of skills thing to suit an application. maybe it comes down to the tricky question of how do you know if an opportunity is suitable for you?

on a personal note, i’ve been enjoying the bdo world darts this week. once again the simple game is being played at it’s highest standard and with that comes all the soul searching and sports psychology. i see parrallels between the top flight darts player and the artist. both are effectively competing against themselves to become successful at what they do. both are suseptable to moments of doubt that affect performance. both experience low lows and high highs. both do what they do because they love it and are good at it. both spend hours on their own practicing what they believe in. both work in a world where there is a huge range of ability and all comers are welcome. both experience predudice from those who “don’t get” what they do.

are there any differences?

yes. the artist is expressing something through their work. so is that the difference between art and sport? expression? can i get a darts player to collaborate with me to help answer / understand that more ?

another thing that seems to be different is the artist will make a statement about their work. i’ve revisted the topic this week after finding another version of how to write a statement(4). i like this version. my previous reference has been via an artist talking blogger and secured to my occasional personal blog(5). as i think i’ve already stated, part of undertaking the 12 in 14 is to become comforatable with myself and my own statement. i’m hopeful that between these two notions of statement, i can find a statement that works for me.

(1) http://feinsinn.org/choreomixer-en/best-of-en/

(2) http://www.figmentproject.org/principles

(3) http://www.bedfordcreativearts.org.uk/index.php/te…

(4) http://www.artbusiness.com/artstate.html

(5) http://andrewmartynsugars.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/a…

what do i want ?

a question i circularly bounce off of.

it’s been the question that i’ve been wrestling with in respect to what i propose for the first application. from a session this morning i’ve been able to write some notes pertaining to this.

something else i’ve done today is read the interview with steve mcqueen in the guardian(1). i’m so reassured to read that he doesn’t have a studio and his work happens where ever he is. i had been starting to feel a bit of a freak as i too don’t have a studio and i work where ever and when ever the mood / need takes me to do so.

another question that has materialised this weekend is one of do i pay for applying to an opportunity? i’ve seen an opportunity based in dubai and there’s a submission charge(2).

while considering attempting 12 in 14 i had briefly considered that i would not pay to submit to an application. this was singularly based on the first three opps i’d seen being free to apply to. in reading the dubai opp i was at first put off by the charge. on reflection, i now wonder if the opportunity is one that i want to apply to.

the really good thing is that in reading the dubai opportunity i’m reminded of those basic facets for being an artist at this time (contemporary artist).

in applying myself to the tasks, i first have work to do on myself and my method of mediating about what i do, what i’m interested in and what i want for the audience experiencing the work that i make.

with an existing structure for arts practice, why have i previously attempted to make it so difficult for myself?

(1) http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/04/steve-mcqueen-my-painful-childhood-shame

(2) http://www.fadwebsite.com/2014/01/03/artist-opportunity-open-call-for-emerging-artists-international-emerging-artist-award/