ARTISTS TALKING

# 1 [2 March 2009]

Well, after starting the blog back in October it has taken me until now to write again. I'm not sure why exactly but I've been busy so there is a lot to catch up on. 

I think initially the blog felt like a pressure rather than a tool to support my process and thinking and I had not figured out in my head exactly how I wanted to use it, but now it feels right again, it feels helpful and good to write things down. 

The last couple of months have been filled with developing a piece of work made in collaboration with Jenny Hunt called 'Everybody Moving On'. Having found common ground two years ago, we have been writing together for the past 2 years, developing performances that allow us to embarrass ourselves and laugh at ourselves and the world around us. This process has allowed me to grow as performer, embracing text and spoken word and identify to myself and remind myself of my desire to work within the realms of performance. This new collaboration has also supported the transition from Ben and Holly to Holly work and new collaborations. It took a while there to be okay about the slower pace at which Ben and Holly now work, of which, to be exact includes the making of no new work for the past 2 years. Quite a change from the speed we had been working running up to this and the amount of time we spent together, which was a lot. This process has allowed me to experience maturity and live the life we once would question. What would happen to Ben and Holly in the future when we move, have to commit to a family/children, get married, the stuff we would laugh about, but it happens, it happens as you get older, things change, we change and this will effect collaboration, not for ever necessarily, but maybe temporarily or for a couple of years. We are bound to change and want different things. This still excites me though and still feels like our work, our work is our relationship and although not physically been presented is still very much alive mentally. 

'Everybody Moving On' is the culmination of the 2 years spent with Jenny and recently climaxed with a performance last week at the NRLA in Glasgow. A great weekend, and feeling very relaxed we performed and we enjoyed it. It felt good, the audience liked it and the hard work had paid off. To leave NRLA as a performer saying it was all great, felt great.