Just heard that my work has been selected by ShutterHub for the Festival Pil’Ours in France. This is fabulous news. That means so far this year, it looks like I will have/had work in seven shows so far.
They are:
ShutterHub OPEN - Amsterdam
Everything I Ever Learnt - Art at the Arb, Cambridge
Deep Water - London
Pallazzo Velli - Italy
Harena Now - Devonport
ReflectBude - Bude (installation piece)
Time to Think - Festival Pil’Ours, France
And there is one more that is confirmed but I’m not allowed to say anything as yet.
These are truly wonderful opportunities. In addition, I have one of my first sessions, via Cohort in St Ives, for 30+ students in July.
My quandary is this. How do you go from an artist who has to still work full-time - I’m lucky to love my ‘day job’ in river conservation comms and marketing - to either part-time of a fully fledged artist making a living from the income generated by your art?
If I’m honest, I probably would like a three-day week ‘day job’ that pays the same as full-time - but I guess most people would. What this balancing act between worlds does give me is incredibly honed organisational skills.
Creative types are often perceived as messy and unorganised, but I think that may be a misconception nowadays. As a photographer, I feel there has always been an element of mixing business know-how with artistic creation - having to compete in a saturated market place quickly helps you develop other techniques for promoting your work.
And being accepted for the exhibition called Time to Think, made me do just that. I not only gave consideration to the content of my work for entry but also to how I can keep working towards that moment when I can tip the balance in favour of more time to dedicate to my practice.
It seems that achieving my ideal day job/art practice balance is as obtainable as a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. But it does not matter, for even if, to keep the roof over our heads and food in our bellies, I never attain that dream, dreams wouldn’t be dreams if they always came true.
My motto for my practice, and my life, is a simple one: Be here now.