ARTISTS TALKING

# 120 [12 October 2009]

Firstly, see this website for a great opportunity (ok money isn't enough for paying off any debts or saving but..)

http://www.varc.org.uk/air/index.html

I have coveted this residency since I was in Edinburgh but have never applied - 12 months seems a bit impossible, not to mention unfair on Dan. Will someone else please go and make the most of it though?

In other news (if you can call it that!) getting up at 5am to get to Yorkshire in time today hurt. I am ready for bed now (8.02pm) but will hang on a bit longer so I sleep well.... Just found out I have five year olds for two days next week so am terrified! I love little kids, but not leading 30 of them in an art class - need more training!!

I keep meaning to say thanks to those who have emailed about the maternity blog post some time ago... I am still getting emails about that one, which is fantastic. Many of the later ones have been highlighting the immense difficulties of continuing your practice (especially in the first year) and coping generally with all the self-disciplined working hours and baby brain. 

Now - peppermint tea and watching Howl's Moving Castle in bed; the kids are going to watch it so I just want to recap (and I love it). They're a bright bunch this week, but they seem to have had their creativity pushed out of them a bit - for example, upon seeing a house underwater in my initial presentation bit, several of them worried about the electrics and whether the carpets would be ruined. Their self-portraits as houses mostly look like surburbia (there is one boy who has drawn his completely made of BBQ spare ribs), but at least they'll be easy to make I suppose!

# 119 [10 October 2009]

So, joy and proactiveness-spreading here we go..

The carrotworkers' collective, are a bunch (ha ha, sorry - couldn't resist) who describe themselves as "a London-based group of current or ex interns, mainly from the creative and cultural sectors, who regularly meets to think together around the conditions of free labour in contemporary societies."

http://carrotworkers.wordpress.com/about/

I met three of them and took part in their participatory mapping project at 'Making a Living' in London a couple of weeks ago. What I really like about them is their stance against bad Internship practice and the corrosion this causes in general working conditions. They are working on a counter-internship guide and more about this can be found on their blog along with some great links to other organisations and resources.

There was a really interesting list of resources and references handed out at Making a Living, more of which I will post on here shortly (my blog was one of them so I won't include that!).

The event was organised by Sophie Hope, facilitated with Veronica Restrepo and held at the Austrian Cultural Forum on 26th September. Sophie's PhD is about the relationship between cultural democracy and the commissioning of art to effect social change so there is some really interesting stuff in there, have a look at some of Sophie's action research here:

http://www.welcomebb.org.uk/

# 118 [9 October 2009]

I’ve been finding a bit difficult to write the blog recently; too much upheaval and not enough time to do my usual reading around and pondering on things to form much opinion on monetary matters. Linz also confused things so I don’t want to do the same thing with the YSP project, although it is bound to feed into things (see below).

One thing I thought might be important for future entries is focusing on positive things. It is too easy to point out the bad when it comes to artists (not) getting paid. I will still be highlighting organisations and opportunities that seem to be taking advantage, although Susan Jones did point out recently (after Topshop I think), that it may be a case of ignorance – they are not trying to rip people off, but perhaps they are just copying practices they have seen elsewhere and think that is the normal way of going about things. So, although I still can’t help getting angry about these situations, perhaps the most useful thing is advocacy.  Indeed I did take it upon myself to calm down and write to TS explaining why I thought they were setting a bad example and how they might hold a competition according to recommended rates of pay. No reply as yet. I have been in to see what was on the walls, but I have no idea if an artist did it as it looks like a print over the three floors. It certainly doesn’t look like anyone painted it…

So yes, I will try for more happy thoughts. There are a lot of people working hard to change things out there and not enough sharing of that.

# 117 [9 October 2009]

Have done three schools for the YSP project and am already full of a cold after the little people were constantly coughing and sneezing all over me. I did, however, get a lot of little hugs yesterday when I left and it was a good day. I will be with just one class at another school for a whole week next week so really looking forward to getting stuck into a longer project.

I also have a progress meeting and (hopefully) a meeting with one of the curators there too. Turns out the exhibition at the end is not a given, but for the whole thing to be worthwhile for me there HAS to be something, an exhibition or a book or something. Otherwise the bursary is not about the artist‘s personal development (outside of education environments) at all, it is just about schools. I have some lovely prints of Inhabitant from Linz so will take those and some artists' books. The only way a show at YSp will happen is if they like my work enough and that feels unlikely or possibly out of my reach. Negotiation skills must be used (or discovered), this is too important and I really have to stand up for myself here.

Frustrating things is, with all this travelling to Yorkshire, I have been invited to and been unable to go to an interview and am also unable to fit in with any of the Curious Minds (the rebranded Creative Partnerships) selection days. Perhaps the latter is for the best as I get some more experience and then can go to one in December feeling more confident, possibly.

Completely failed to get in applications for Arts Council and Cube open, really cross with myself as I actually thought this was a good time for both; I often feel like I’m not ready when applying to other things. Pah. But better not to apply then send in a load of dross I suppose. If the application is really awful they might remember my name in a bad way!

# 116 [5 October 2009]

Well, YSP has begun, day one in a school today and it was great, a lot of fun and targets achieved! I am staying in Yorkshire for the next few days (very kind friend's parents who have fed me and everything!) and will be back and forth between now and next July.... it is a beautiful misty drive over the M62 at 6.30 in the morning, just a shame it all comes to a standstill around Bradford....

On other notes:

an amazing holiday, fantastic restful sunny bliss in a little village, many olives consumed. See images (sigh).

good afternoon at an event about 'Making a Living' in London at the end of September. Lots was said of interest and many notes made, must decipher these at some point..

and lastly:

saw this advertised and frowned.

http://www.tiny.cc/W6Egu

An online course costing £600 giving a qualification in being an artist in residence; really? One that expects you to complete two live projects but will not be involved in those and that also says

"If you are inexperienced in this field, you may prefer to offer your services for free to organisations that are willing to allow you to work with them"

No no no no.

# 115 [25 September 2009]

Fundingcutsblog:

Janie Nicoll has been posting a petition around the place to stop The Park Gallery, Falkirk being closed. If you have a minute to add your support to this really lovely small contemporary art space please add your name here:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/sign-the-petition...

The Herald have written a good piece putting the Park's case forward too:

http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts-ents/more-arts-...

# 114 [24 September 2009]

Mashedpotatoblog:

Oh dear, all this moving, returning, catching up has rendered my brain a smallish lump of mashed potato.

I am so behind with correspondance and admin but the biggest problem has to be getting back into the pace I was working at before, everything just slowed so much in Linz that I can't quite find it again..

I have been paid by YSP though, was all quite quick once I piped up complaining. It doesn't help that I have to contact a lot of teachers for this project, and although I started that in July, I still haven't heard back from my first two schools... arrgh. Lesson: teachers do not do email (on the whole).

Going to London on Saturday to a seminar called 'Making a Living' so have been thinking about alternative ways to make money... really looking forward to this discussion as it seems to take a more practical and proactive approach: looking for solutions and models rather than talking about the problems. We shall see!!! I also owe a-n a massive thanks as they have bought my train tickets. Hopefully I'll have an hour or two to check out the Whitechapel Artist's Book Fair too!!

Then, my lovely husband has booked us a week to Greece leaving on Sunday, which he desperately needs after a four month stretch of 12 hour + days on Lego Rock Band. They aren't allowed to take any holidays during projects like this (always over the summer as the games have to be ready for Christmas sales) and it always feels really unfair. He looks like a zombie and I feel like we haven't spent any time together for ages and ages. I'm not sure I need this right now, but he really does and of course, why would I turn down a relaxing holiday in a teeny little village of peace. I have been enjoying being back though and this holiday takes me away until the day before my first school date with YSP... I guess I shall just have to get on with it! Gulp.

Email from Sean at g39 yesterday asking me to speak about artists' blogs at this:

www.mayyouliveininterestingtimes.org.uk

which looks great. Don't think I've ever been to Cardiff... oh maybe when I was very small, but I don't remember anything about it. Speaking fear looms, but it is long enough away to forget for now. School fear first and then speaking fear, one fear at a time. But before all that, sea and souvlaki.

# 113 [17 September 2009]

oh dear, my arrival in the UK last night was not entirely successful, I managed to sprain my wrist quite badly wrestling with my suitcase (stupid excess baggage charge too) and am in lots of pain today. Typing very slow and irritating and no other usage. Right hand too - bloody typical. Someone come and airlift me back to Linz please!!

Arrived back to the flat today to find no cheque from the trust for the YSP bursary.. how depressing. The contract  says £4,000 on 1st September and I even emailed a little reminder at the end of August. Is there any point when you can rely on punctual payments? Anyone? I've been putting a lot of prep in and collecting materials for weeks so I just want everyone's end of the bargain upheld, but perhaps it's lost in the post somewhere..

Our car is pretty much dead (extra bonus of a flat tyre within a mile of my husband picking my up at the station last night) and MOT is due very soon. Perhaps it was naive of me, but I had counted on this big amount of money to pay for that - especially as a car is essential to the project. I can't get to the depths of Wakefield without it. If a contract states payment on 1st and you still haven't been paid by the first day of work on the 22nd (I've already done lots of work actually), what do you do? Have faith? Stay at home refusing to go? Moan on your blog (some themes reoccuring here!)? Hmm, probably go and have faith, but without Sat Nav or video camera to help the project along (definitely not putting those things on my credit card!).

At least my Ma-in-law dropped me off at the flat with a bag of mini reese's peanut butter cups as a pressie from NY. These should speed recovery and improve mood... grumble grumble grumble.......

# 112 [16 September 2009]

LastLinzblog:

Well, I leave today, so the blog should get back to normal business quite soon - no more of this Austrian stuff. I'm quite surprised when I look back, at how much work I made, and I'm excited that I can come back and finish the book and just well, come back to be honest! I'll miss the place and people, and apart from the money stress, this has been a great summer.

Yesterday was the very last thing I needed to do - taking 'Inhabitant' into Linz: the exchange project does have the title of Urban Interventions after all. I had been putting it off because I was a) scared of doing it, b) unwilling to be too cold or wet (fairweather artist) and c) waiting for photographers to be free.

As it turns out, it was really hard work and after about two minutes the thing was incredibly heavy. It was a nice day too so I was a hot ruffled mess by the time I got back. I couldn't really see either and was just walking blindly until someone shouted stop or CAR! But, I could hear lots of reacting and I was having a good old laugh on my own in there too. My arms are quite sore today, but I expect it was great exercise for the wings.

So yes, some of the hundreds of images the guys took attached... perhaps another book...

So big thanks to Jens Sundheim and Mehmet Dere for documenting too.. very much appreciated.

http://www.jens-sundheim.de/

# 111 [15 September 2009]

Yesterday Holger took me up North a bit to visit the artist Robert Mittringer in his studio in Epferding. This was such a pleasure and he and his wife were so sweet and generous. I left after 4 hours there, a bit squiffy after some prosecco and also armed with books - one signed with a drawing especially for me! Loved going through his drawings and limited edition bookworks, also his archiving is pretty amazing too; special cupboards full of wrapped, labelled works.

The bits of Roberts work that I like best are his cardboard sculptures, and this was why I wanted to meet him, seemed like we had something in common. A couple of people who saw my work here also mentioned a link between us, so I thought I'd better follow it up.. Images attached of his incredible studio and some works, also the little cellar under the house.

I am invited back to stay with them next time I come to Linz and he also said I am welcome to work in his studio if I stay! I was pretty chuffed that he liked my work too and had the pages of my website printed out with notes on. I hope I am always so open to meeting people and generous with my time.