Re-Invention Part II

Part of re-inventing is not only creating on-line classes but also thinking about how I see my micro business for the next few years- what are my hopes and aspirations. How do I see my arts practice over that period of time, how do I sustain my practice and thereby myself for that time. This has also meant examining where I am at. I have been listening to lots of podcasts- among them Laura Boswell and Peter Keegan's Ask an Artist,  and Starving Artist with Honor Eastly and have then stumbled on a whole plethora of podcasts  to do with art creation. The podcasts are interesting to listen too because there is always something to learn but it is also interesting to hear of the struggles and obstacles and successes of other artists. One overwhelming take away from listening to different artists is that it takes a long time to develop an art career and it requires patience, dedication, hard work and diligence. One point Laura Boswell made ( and I admire her print making a lot) was that trying, experimenting and testing for consistent outcomes ( for your audience and market) is a big part of being an artist. She pointed to the example of a student who asked her what happens if I use this type of paper instead of that type of paper- rather than give a ready answer she replied to the student why don't you try the different papers and experiment ? Because that is what she does as an artist- there are no ready answers to everything but a lot of trial and error and experimentation to get the effect you want.

The other aspects of being an artist they pointed to was the acquiring of a good grounding of skill and then lots of practice and even then the outcome will not always be certain but will have its serendipitous moments through the accrual of practice and will have its disasters. Another point that was raised was research and development- learning about other artists, art history but also learning about  the different materials and techniques for using those materials which then go on to inform how you make things.

 I consider myself to be a textile artist rather than a quilt maker because I do many textile related things not only quilts- for example I dye fabric, I print fabrics , I use a number of techniques to get imagery onto fabric including breakdown printing and transfer printing and I stitch by hand and machine not only to quilt but to embellish, but I definitely have art in mind as my end result.  I also write and have written many industry relevant articles and books  but also a book that included some creative travel writing, I am a curator having travelled many exhibitions overseas, and I teach. Oh and I am a traveller. In the textile world I am considered well and truly mid career if not further along but in the art world I am on the beginning curve of mid career. I am also a creative entrepeneaur- I have made something out of nothing and I have done this for quite a few years now. And yes I put that in bold text- I have never thought to describe myself in this way but that is indeed what I am.  

I am in the process of rewriting my bio ( what do you think is interesting that I do? feedback would be appreciated) because bio writing has really changed with the popularity of social media and I am in the process of mapping my goals- both business and personal as an interlaced map.

There are lots of ideas floating around , out there and in my head and I am also looking at how I value my hours of work. The pay/hours of work equation has been woefully low, yet artists consistently undervalue their worth and are expected to undervalue their worth and are expected to do many things for free because the work of an artist is undervalued in society as a whole.

Anyway I am still working through many of the ideas I have encountered in this week of  research and re-visioning my arts practice. What I would really like to achieve in the next few years is an exhibitiion in an established gallery! Plus another book about something closer to home- inspired by morning walks. And I would consistenly likje to make artists books.

My on-line Linocutting and Printing on Fabric course starts on 4 April- so there is plenty of time to enroll. In it I  share my many years of experience of printing on fabric with lino ( see my previous post for details and Paypal button) and there are many exercises to build your skills. You could also print on paper if so inclined.

And whilst I am on the subject of podcasts I have this last week been making pods. I mostly make these at night at present, as it is a slow process. I was intrigued that I wrote in my journal  about this time last year that I wanted to make pods- pods of kindness or tenderness pods- the holders of fragile and tender ideas .

These pods sit in the palm of your hand- part of me wants to make the walls more stiff but another part of me likes that the walls are soft and change shape. They are sitting on top of a hand dyed Sudanese cotton bought at a flea market in Trieste and printed with linocuts.

I have also created a page on my blog of prints for sale. I have listed all the types of prints I have ( there are a few more to add, but I have to print them first). I have not listed all the colours as there are many possibilities with hand dyed fabrics and basically you can request a colour family you would like. If you scroll down the page you will find images of stitched pieces and some instructions and ideas of how I stitch the printed pieces. I use very simple stitching.