I feel like Brian from Spaced, but probably a little more stable. I feel like I need to lock myself away from distraction and get stuff done, get the ideas out of my head and focus, focus, focus on university and give everything to my last year.
Things i've learnt over summer:
- How to embroider, in my hodge podge way of making it up as I go along, I found I couldn't paint and whenever I tried it looked terrible, like my hand-eye coordination took the summer off. When this happened, instead of giving up, I took up sewing and found it so interesting, and found I liked the way my lines looked when tangible and made of thread. The next step for this is to keep developing it, would it begin to look completely different from my drawn work as I stop drawing with stitches and start branching out into different things? I've looked at Eleni Kalorkoti's embroidery to learn that this might be the case.
- I only write when I have things to write about.
That sounds really obvious now, but last year I spent a lot of time developing my writing to work alongside imagery, writing as William Burroughs, writing about my experience with introversion. Over summer nothing happened to me which made me feel the need to write, or paint for that matter. I think this is worrying as it makes me think my 'muses' or inspiration could so easily dry up. I've been reading a lot more articles and looking at blogs to try find different things that interest me to try combat this.
- A creative space is important. I'm lucky enough to have a space for a studio in my house, a little box room, but it's mine. I decided to make it better by gutting it and redecorating and reimagining how my creative space could look, with the intention of it being perfect for my return to third year. I realised now that everything is everywhere that I need somewhere to go, to be able to create, and not having that for however long it takes me to make it good is highlighting that.
- People like my work!
My friends over at Sister Said ran a stall at The Garden Party this year selling people's work, mine included, and lots of people bought my stuff! The only material I had was stuff from uni, and it made me realise what sells, what works, what people like at the minute, and people other than my mother think i'm good at what I do.
Personal and Professional Aims:
- Build a small collection of prints and various works to sell, I've already started this.
- Actually put them on Etsy or BigCartel and make it more professional rather than relying on people asking, putting out things on Instagram or Facebook.
- Become proud of my work, maybe have a little belief.
- Draw more, maybe even doodle, I believe this should always be an aim.
- Keep on top of my website, maybe link a blog to it so I can post more regularly, including sketches and things i've discovered. I always find this helpful when researching artists.
- Try work on a bigger scale, I feel that the Live Drawing that goes on around Leeds is amazing, but I can never figure out how to scale my work up, maybe I should buy some Posca's.
- Decide whether a Masters in Art Therapy would be a possibility.
