#1

We’ll see how this goes, but my plan is to do the rambling on I normally put alongside my posts and reels here, so that my thoughts and reasons as an artist are in one space.

I don’t know how often I am going to be writing, and I’m not sure where the content will end up either, however, not starting is a great way to never find out…

As an artist, over the years studying a fine art degree, around a family and work, my time has been squashed down and the exercises necessarily crammed into the time I had. This isn’t a bad thing, I watched my thought processes change (which is an odd experience) as my technique improved. Now, nearly a year after I handed in the last part and could no longer touch it, I find myself not directionless, more not knowing which of the many directions I could choose I should choose as a path forward.

This in itself has created more procrastination in producing art than you can imagine. However that has been added to by my job. I work part time in a school as a teaching assistant, a role I do enjoy. The feeling walking out of the building knowing the class achieved and that the general feeling of comradary the children have together can be a huge buzz, greater than any gratitude offered for being there. However, it has gotten tougher over the years (11ish?) and the amount of days I go home and sit and work out how I can change to help in a way that has the most impact, instead of painting, have grown and I don’t see that changing unless there is a step change in how schools are funded to cover costs and requirements (and we’re not just talking additional pritt-sticks here), or how education is perceived and its value to the wider public.

So I have requested, from September, to drop my already part-time 5 mornings a week down to 3, giving me 2 clear days to the art thing as well as (depending on the in school work) the potential 3 afternoons a week and weekends.

I am also resetting my online shop and dusting off the cobwebs. This is alongside spending the time to work out how to get people to the thing from posts on Instagram and facebook.

Currently, nothing is set in stone, but something has to change. I desperately want to paint more, without it taking time away from my family, because they are important, they are a large part of my subject matter and they deserve more of me.

And there we are. Post one complete, I’ll write soon…