Right.
About to switch the computer off.
And not come back to it for a whole week. (apart from the one necessary EBay exploration!) Or the television for that matter....
Wish me luck, and see you on the other side, hopefully with lots of nice photos of all the creative things I have done in the week!
Sunday, 25 January 2009
Saturday, 24 January 2009
Studio Upstairs review...
...took place this Thursday.
I really loved it! It was amazing to see so much of my work on the wall all in one place, its not often that I get to examine everything (well, a large chunk of stuff anyways!) and see all the links, occasional differences, themes and the way it all slots together. It was quite a process sorting out what was going up and what didn't make it, and I needed help with this to make sure I didn't just put in polished, finished pieces but included some less finished and often, more interesting ones. At first, when I was putting the work up with the help of the other volunteer, we were being really particualr about placement of work..... after three hours of this, we soon got to the stage of just slapping things up where there was space!! And then I had to speak about my work. I felt surprisingly relaxed about this, not nervous at all really, which I think is testament to the supportiveness of the studio environment as much as anything else. I was worried nobody would engage with me or ask questions, but they did. Other peoples responses, reactions and questions at times made me view my work in a different light, and it was great to talk about it and feel really proud of what I do. I managed to speak for nearly an hour and a half with all the audience participaton that came my way, which really surprised me!
It was a great experience, and a fitting way to round off my time at the Studio.
One more week to go......
>
I really loved it! It was amazing to see so much of my work on the wall all in one place, its not often that I get to examine everything (well, a large chunk of stuff anyways!) and see all the links, occasional differences, themes and the way it all slots together. It was quite a process sorting out what was going up and what didn't make it, and I needed help with this to make sure I didn't just put in polished, finished pieces but included some less finished and often, more interesting ones. At first, when I was putting the work up with the help of the other volunteer, we were being really particualr about placement of work..... after three hours of this, we soon got to the stage of just slapping things up where there was space!! And then I had to speak about my work. I felt surprisingly relaxed about this, not nervous at all really, which I think is testament to the supportiveness of the studio environment as much as anything else. I was worried nobody would engage with me or ask questions, but they did. Other peoples responses, reactions and questions at times made me view my work in a different light, and it was great to talk about it and feel really proud of what I do. I managed to speak for nearly an hour and a half with all the audience participaton that came my way, which really surprised me!
It was a great experience, and a fitting way to round off my time at the Studio.
One more week to go......
>
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Making time
I often feel that I wish I had more time for things I enjoy, and not just work, chores etc. It feels like I never have enough time. However, when I really examine what I do with my spare time, a great deal of it is wasted. I have a bit of an internet addiction, but its never for anything exciting. I work mainly all day on a computer, then I get home and often spend half the evening on the internet, looking at Facebook, ebay and a chat forum I am part of. Its such a waste of time and I end up feeling guilty, but it has become an addiction, it is an easy way to fill up my hours and fill up my brain. But it is like fast food..... easy, instantly gratifying, but ultimately bad for you and fills you with bad stuff.
So, I am going to tackle this head on and do something I have been meaning to do for a while...... I am going to have a media fast.
THE RULES
For one week, starting from Monday 26th January....
1. I will not use the internet or the computer AT ALL when I return from work. (necessity means I HAVE to use a computer at work, but this period of my day does not count, only my spare time.)
2. I will not watch television of any kind, including DVD's.
3. I will make sure my mobile phone is on silent in the evening, and I will check it only once. (this will not prove hard, I am not really a mobile phone kind of girl, and I tend to do this anyway)
4. I will not read any magazines or newspapers.
5. I will visit the library at least once.
6. Books are allowed
7. Music is allowed
8. Talking on the telephone (not mobile though!) is allowed, as long as I am calling up old friends for a chat.
There will be one small concession to this which I will own up to, I will be checking my eBay account on Tuesday as I have a load of sales coming to an end! I did consider not starting the media fast until the week after because of this, but I feel if I don't do it while I am thinking about it, I will lose momentum again. (and it will be a nice surprise to see how much things sell for, rather than my usual thing of checking it half a dozen times every day!)
I am hoping to do this more often, maybe having one week a month with no media, or one night a week. We will see how it goes. I am already thinking about what I am going to do, and I am going to start with doing some of the creativity exercises from this book by Keri Smith. I love this book and always read it when I feel the need to be inspried. It has loads of creative exercises which I would love to do but then tell myself I have no time for. So next week, I will be making time.
Randomly, I also like the idea of setting up our small tent in the lounge and camping out in it one evening.
Wish me luck with all of this! Even more randomly, I am off to make an origami crane before I go to bed. Always wanted to learn how to do this, but never found the time.......
So, I am going to tackle this head on and do something I have been meaning to do for a while...... I am going to have a media fast.
THE RULES
For one week, starting from Monday 26th January....
1. I will not use the internet or the computer AT ALL when I return from work. (necessity means I HAVE to use a computer at work, but this period of my day does not count, only my spare time.)
2. I will not watch television of any kind, including DVD's.
3. I will make sure my mobile phone is on silent in the evening, and I will check it only once. (this will not prove hard, I am not really a mobile phone kind of girl, and I tend to do this anyway)
4. I will not read any magazines or newspapers.
5. I will visit the library at least once.
6. Books are allowed
7. Music is allowed
8. Talking on the telephone (not mobile though!) is allowed, as long as I am calling up old friends for a chat.
There will be one small concession to this which I will own up to, I will be checking my eBay account on Tuesday as I have a load of sales coming to an end! I did consider not starting the media fast until the week after because of this, but I feel if I don't do it while I am thinking about it, I will lose momentum again. (and it will be a nice surprise to see how much things sell for, rather than my usual thing of checking it half a dozen times every day!)
I am hoping to do this more often, maybe having one week a month with no media, or one night a week. We will see how it goes. I am already thinking about what I am going to do, and I am going to start with doing some of the creativity exercises from this book by Keri Smith. I love this book and always read it when I feel the need to be inspried. It has loads of creative exercises which I would love to do but then tell myself I have no time for. So next week, I will be making time.
Randomly, I also like the idea of setting up our small tent in the lounge and camping out in it one evening.
Wish me luck with all of this! Even more randomly, I am off to make an origami crane before I go to bed. Always wanted to learn how to do this, but never found the time.......
Sunday, 18 January 2009
End of an era
My thoughts at the moment are mainly focused on my last few weeks at Studio Upstairs, an artists community for people with mental health difficulties. I have been a volunteer artist at the studio now since October 2005, but my time there is coming to an end. I decided a while back that it was time to move on from the studio in order to devote more time and attention to my own studio at The Quarry. When people leave, they often have a review of their work up in order to see the development and focus on how the art has moved and changed during their time at the studio. So that it what I am preparing for, as my review is this Thursday! I am amazed at the sheer volume of work I have amassed, and my biggest headache is going to be how to condense it to give a good representation of my work. The space I have to hang in is pretty big, but then, so is a lot of my work! Its been interesting and surprisingly emotional getting out all of my old stuff.... there was so much I had forgotten about. I am feeling daunted, nervous, but also incredibly excited. I am planning on taking lots of photos of the review, so they will of course be up here soon!
I feel sad, as the studio has been a massive part of my life for so long and it will be a wrench to leave. I have met so many amazing, funny, interesting, courageous and inspiring people. My stereotypes of mental health have been challenged and broken down, and I am leaving behind lots of friends..... but I feel privileged to have been part of it, and its time for the future, and to focus on all the changes ahead in my year. Exciting times!!
Sunday, 11 January 2009
No time like the present
I went up to my Weston studio tonight to drop some stuff up there, and ended up painting for over an hour as well! I have a few old canvasses that i don't really like, so I decided to splatt paint all over them, obliterating the old images and coming up with new. And guess what? On one of them, I used some oil paint!
I had some really cheap stuff, so i didn't mind using lots, and I just applied it thikcly with a pallette knife. I can describe it like learning a new language. I know what the words are, but I am still learning, so the grammar is still difficult and I don't quite know what I am doing....I'm a long way off being fluent! But I liked the textures that were created, and I have started....
I had some really cheap stuff, so i didn't mind using lots, and I just applied it thikcly with a pallette knife. I can describe it like learning a new language. I know what the words are, but I am still learning, so the grammar is still difficult and I don't quite know what I am doing....I'm a long way off being fluent! But I liked the textures that were created, and I have started....
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