Presentation: A happy disaster!
So this week I wanted to write a little about what I’ve been up to for the past couple of weeks, seeing as I haven’t posted for a while. This week I was completely preoccupied by my presentation which I did on Monday, since then I’ve not done a lot to be honest – apart from sorting out my sketchbook and ideas.
I have to say that my presentation was a happy disaster. To put this into context I need to explain the idea that I had for the presentation. Basically, I wanted to make a PowerPoint presentation but I wanted to convert it into a video which would have a running narration said by yours truly instead of having your bog standard PP with loads of writing on the slides.
However, I couldn’t get the technology to work when I wanted it too and converting the video over to a different computer just did not work. Luckily though I was able to just save the presentation as a PP and in the end I just improvised the narration, totally making it up from head as I went along.
Now that I’m able to look back I think that this might have worked in my favour. Usually I hate speaking in public mainly because I just freeze and as a result look like a stuffed lemon but this time I had grown so frustrated with the multiple technological failures that my usual nerves weren’t there.
And for the first time in my life I was able to talk precisely yet honestly about my work, this is a breakthrough for me; not just as an artist but as a person as well. I thought well it’s my work why should I need an over rehearsed script? Why can’t I just talk about what I’m doing in a professional manner? So I did just that and I hope that came across. This got me thinking about this final year that I am currently living and how I want to progress through and after uni.
Ideally I want to present myself in a more confident way where I’m not afraid of saying something stupid or doing something ridiculous because once this experience is over it’s just that, over.
I’ve always had this attitude of hey you think that I can’t be an artist well I’ll show exactly why I should be one and I think that this attitude has evolved into look if I can do it so can you, if I can make art why can’t you? If I can stand up and talk in front of people so can you.
It’s quite inspiring to think this way and for me it’s been a light bulb moment. I want my art to be approachable and I want people to interact with my work. I want people to ask questions and wonder why and how I’ve made something. If they can do a better job than me then that’s great and if you learn something then that’s just as great too.
Thinking about this approachability that I want my art work to have leads me to my concepts and ideas, the main topic I deal with is beauty particularly what people (myself included) perceive beauty as. So making my work approachable will the make the topics that I think about more approachable, so in a way I can make my work a platform. I always want my art work to say something, whether it makes sense or is interpreted as such is a completely different matter.
So right now I feel like I now know my work and what I want it to do, which is an odd relief. I know how to progress forward and how hopefully I can make the most out of this final year. That’s all I really wanted to talk about on this post – this week has been incredibly exhausting yet strangely fulfilling. Let’s just hope my feedback Monday is nice!
In my next post I’ll talk about my recent work and show you wonderful people images of said work. Then after that I’ll resume my artist’s posts as well as taking a post to talk about my dissertation. This week though I’m recuperating and by recuperating I mean sorting out my family’s Christmas presents which is hardly a break!
I hope you’re all having a fantastic week –
And if the week’s going rubbish don’t worry its Christmas soon!
