ARTISTS TALKING

# 15 [13 December 2006]

I often wondered what was the attraction of my film on the Bridge of Allan Highland Games this summer. I thought it was nostalgia, all those ex-Scots abroad wanting a taste of their homeland. Now I have just received a comment from a 35 year old man in Israel and the secret of the 2,546 hits is clear: it's the blonde girl wrestling her male opponents!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GncZoKF-v_c

# 14 [11 December 2006]

One of the big attractions of You Tube is that it offers inter-activity. You create a piece of work and others comment on it.

Its no longer the perogative of art critics and curators to say what is or isnt art.

In the new digital world we are all critics.

So I was delighted today to find a Canadian performance artist had found my spoof video on "The Conceptual Artist" hilarious.If links work you should find it at:

The Conceptual Artist
http://youtube.com/watch?v=sNa_GL2SX8U

# 13 [11 December 2006]

Received my first electronic Christmas card of the season - from Glasgow School of Art.  http://www.gsa.ac.uk/

Seems they are cutting back on Christmas cards ( an excellent idea!) and using the money instead to fund  scholarships.

# 12 [9 December 2006]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MRRzv-APp2U

Will this work? some friends went to the Antartica earlier this year and I put their photos together into a musical slideshow and popped it up on You Tube.

I'm following Anne Brodie's account of her residency in Antartica with great interest.

# 11 [7 December 2006]

I was going to show a video in Cafe Flicker last night at the open cinema run by Glasgow Media Access Centre http://www.g-mac.co.uk but decided instead to write the piece for the BBC Wales online site. Have just sent it off.
I cannot speak too highly about Cafe Flicker. It is an excellent community led project whereby anyone, and I mean anyone, can walk in on the night and show a film. Now some are professional ones made by film students and recent graduates from film course, some are properly funded projects , and the rest, like myself are folk who just make short films because we love the medium. It's a very supportive environment. You get to talk about the film and answer questions.. Sometimes this can be a bit intimidating because Glasgow audiences are tough , streetwise and very savvy about modern culture.

# 10 [6 December 2006]

A 13 year old boy has just signed up to my videos and I have got a message from a 34 year old guy who found the film I made on Dunblane " Best in Show" under Google. He doesnt say if he has any Scottish connections.
But I am really miffed that the local paper, Stirling Observer, did not carry a story I sent them of my appeal to find the names of all the folk who took part in my photographic project in the Changing Room gallery some time ago. Its up on You Tube and has had over 100 hits in a couple of days. Clearly there is a lot of local interest but can I get the paper interested? no way.

# 9 [6 December 2006]

Following my video "The Singing ghost" about Craig-y-nos Castle in Wales the BBC web-site have asked me to write a piece for them on the book I am researching about the time this was used as a TB sanatorium for children. Hundreds, maybe thousands of children passed through Craig-y-nos, many died, yet there are no records of this in Welsh history. I was there for 4 years as a child. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYBE2saRm7M

# 8 [6 December 2006]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,585-2487919,00.html Hope this link works to Grayson Perry's account of the Turner Prize at the Tate gallery.(links not working today...help webmaster where are you?)

# 7 [6 December 2006]

Attended an evening seminar yesterday in the CCA, Glasgow organised by the Cultural Enterprise Office.(www.info@culturalenterpriseoffice.co.uk) It was excellent! It focused on building confidence and developing skills. Called"Looking back, looking forward - with confidence".
Voice coach Hilary Jones, who trains actors at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, gave a highly informative talk on how to use your voice when making presentations/pitches.(including some interactive demonstrations and a spot of Tai'chi  - learning to relax through proper breathing etc).Did you know that a public speaker is judged on 50% appearance, 7% on content and 38% quality of ther voice?
Lynne O'Neil took us through goal setting techniques.  Instead of telling us how useful they were she made us do it!    While I have read many books on the subject I had never actually put pen to paper and completed any of the exercises.  She made us take 5 blank pieces of paper and write down :(1) achievements for past year (2) things we want to leave behind (3) Wild dreams(if you could wake up tomorrow morning and your dreams would be fulfilled what would they be?) (4) goals for next year and (5) things you want to bring into your life.

# 6 [4 December 2006]

Making web movies is a bit like gardening. Once they are up on the internet you tend them carefully, doing a bit of viral marketing if they are slow to take off, or some good old fashioned physical networking like yesterday when I went to an exhibition in a private house and discovered that the Brigadier of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders had just purchased a number of paintings for Stirling Castle and he was a personal friend of the family.   I happened to mention that I had filmed the Argyll & Sutherlands last historic march through Stirling in August and its proving to be a great hit on the web.  So they suggested I drop off a copy of the dvd for the Brigadier.  It would be great to have it in their official archives.