ARTISTS TALKING

# 6 [5 September 2009]

Just wanting some opinion- should I publish the results of my survey on here?

Obviously with NO contact details or names!

# 5 [5 September 2009]

Reading through the posts I've published so far, I'm concerned that I may just be a whiney artist!

# 4 [5 September 2009]

Well its been a while since ive posted and in that time i've thought a lot about my work and the work of others too.

One of the comments on my last post was to look through old sketchbooks, which I have been doing and it was strange to see what emerged. In my older books, where I was working to a strict project brief written by another person, my sketchbooks are clear, articulate and bursting with ideas. Then later on, as the briefs became less and less clear and it was up to me to set the parameters, the books became filled with confusion, as I looked through them I could remember the feelings of panic and depression as I made and made in the hope that at the end of all the making I would understand what I had created.

Is it better then to start with an aim in mind? Perhaps not a definite end point, but a strict time scale and a defined point of research and exploration.

I still envy people with whom I talk about their practice, I know this one guy who seems to constantly create, going off in all these directions. He has his main project that he works on for his degree, then in his spare time he creates all these other things that he 'was just thinking about doing'.

I feel so confused!

In my third year I became obsessed with Eva Hesse, I loved her repetitious drawings and sculptures, the simple shapes repeated but each one unique. I started making drawings and series of woven tubes, just repeating and repeating. But there was nothing more that the simple repetition of the object/shape. Why? What did it do?

I still like that work, and I loved making all of the different things that I did- it was so hypnotic and all consuming, creating things that took concentration, time and plently of aching crampy hands. But I still dont get it.

# 3 [18 August 2009]

Its been ages since I posted and I don't really hve any excuse apart from the fact that it's been a crazy few weeks with work at the moment.

I have started working again, but still feeling adrift with work, I've been making simple collages using magazines, just playing around with ideas, nothing solid.

This isnt a very good post, I'm not really sure what it is that I want to say today, or what it is that I'm supposed to write, maybe its a little forced.

I think I'll try properly again later, but just wanted to update the blog and let everyone know that I'm alive!

# 2 [20 July 2009]

When I started this blog yesterday I had the vague idea in mind that I would begin exploring my own practice by asking others about theirs. I don't know if that will help me, but whenever I see a prolific talented artist creating seemingly effortlessly, I always wonder jealously 'How do they do that?'

I'd really appreciate it if anyone who reads this could complete the intial survey I have made about artistic practice and ideas.

I'm really hoping to get some good answers out of this that will hopefully explain art making to me as well as to my blog followers!

Survey Linky:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=kLrBOCrt7Wdx...

# 1 [19 July 2009]

Well I guess I started this blog as lately I have been really wanting to get back into making artwork again. I have read a couple of other blogs on here and its good to know that others share the same doubts about their practice, but I feel almost as if I am starting from scratch.

After graduating a year ago (eek!) I went straight into working on FRED, a big-deal arts festival, but making a piece that wasn't really mine... in that it was a piece thought up by a group of artists I am part of, and I ended up being the one doing the work!

I kinda thought that would lead me straight into full time artists work but instead ended up spending 6 months working nights in a supermarket and life modelling during the days to make ends meet. Tough.

In May I quit and decided that I would work in the creative sector, so I took on the lease to a huge church building, and set about creating The Cecil Street Project arts centre in Carlisle. Its been a hugely stressful, difficult, rewarding, cash poor, fantastic time and our launch party on Friday night was really well attended, and now I feel like what I really want to do is make work again- the difficult job!

Ive not really properly spent time making since my degree, and even then I was constantly plauged by doubts about my practice and my abilities. I guess what I really want to do with this blog is explore my practice, try to kick start it once more and try to find out from others where they get thier ideas and practice from- does it just come naturally?

I don't want to talk about CSP too much as I really need some me time, away from the black hole that is the centre, but wanted to give some background in my first post just incase anyone other than me reads this (or incase I forget!)