Tutorial 4 with Jonathan - 15 Nov 2024

Very interesting and enjoyable conversation with JK. I focused mostly on my approach to the end of the course, and the implications for my art. Essentially, I am trying to focus on the end of the course NOW so that I can have my crisis early while there's still time to actually do something about it... 

JK asked why I was thinking of it as 'the end' and I discussed that it is the end, in some ways... After the course, I'll probably have to go back to work. I gave up work when Carolyn died, so it's not the end, but it's definitely the end of the beginning - the end of a strange but potent time in my life - I feel I've lived more in the last 2 years than in the preceding 20. 

I said I would like to stay in academia, but I needed enough money to support the two kids and I, and JK explained that wasn't likely to be a viable option financially. I said that I have actually begun to consider what I might do next, and that actually I would give myself up to a year to sort myself out with either 1) writing a book that might lead to consulting work or 2) getting a qualification as a counsellor that might lead to flexible work.

JK asked around what I thought would be different when the course was over. I said I felt (having curated my blog) that the course had already delivered on the promise to help build the 'muscle' to develop my practice independently - I feel like I have the tools to keep building new tools. However, I said I thought I would miss 1) the structure that the course gives me and 2) the people to talk to and the feedback that gives me. 

We therefore explored ways I could get this:

• Dead Critics: I mentioned how helpful the DCS has been to me, and admitted that I probably would have quit the course if it wasn't for them. We discussed how hard it is to keep these things going, but agreed that smaller groups have a better chance of staying together. He suggested committing to a smaller target like meeting-up regularly for a year can make it easier for people to bow out gracefully rather than keep flogging a dead horse if it's not working (my words, not his!)
• Local art groups: I mentioned that I had made a great connection to the Chair of the Ashford Visual Artists, and that I had joined the Sevenoaks Visual Artists Forum - while they will be different from what I get at CSM, they are still a chance to talk art with people who practice it at all levels, including those that are significantly more experienced than me
• Professional Groups: Artists Network and ArtQuest have great resources
• Open Calls: Can be a good way to get your work out there, but only if you enter on your own terms (we discussed my 'rules' for open calls) and if you are prepared to fail (a lot!). He suggested that I think of the benefits broadly - not just reputation, but connections, experiences, and also deadlines to help to force work to happen - it's true that most of my finished pieces were for open calls
• Artist Collectives and your own shows: Something like the DCS can be a great way of creating your own exhibitions (we talked about the proposal Roz and I did). JK talked about his experience in an artists collective that ran extremely short exhibitions in unusual spaces like bars and discos - they eventually gained their own space and became a gallery in their own right that ran for seven years! 

We talked a bit about my recent blog post on "Useful Art" and JK mentioned that  also mentioned that Alistair Hudson (who JK knows!) was also involved in the "Grizedale Arts" project, and he suggested I check out their work, which is driven by the same 'useful art' agenda.

We finished by talking a bit about the end of year show itself, and JK explained the curation process. There is a dedicated space for the course, so there is definitely scope for groups of students (e.g. the DCS) to get together to lobby to have their pieces displayed together, and in a particular way. Obviously JK gets the final say, but he seemed positive about the idea.

All-in-all, I feel more positive about the end of the course. I need to get out and walk, and think about which of my current pieces I would want to show, why, and how I would want it to look. I should perhaps make a decision about what I will do next, and put out some feelers. I also need to visualise how my practice might look continuing after the end of the course.