A decade in review
Dancing Shoes (2010) - one of 365 collages which formed my first major solo exhibition A Stitch in Time
I’ve been thinking of the turn of another decade and what this means to me personally. Each year flies past so quick I’m already feeling busy just looking at my monthly schedule for 2020.
I know many people say slow down, live life in the slow lane, take time to smell the roses, etc, but for me now in my sixth decade I feel life has accelerated and I count the things I really want to do before I have less energy or courage to do them. Because it does take a certain chutzpah to get out into the world, travel, hold exhibitions, go to parties, interact on a social level. Sometimes you just want to crawl into bed and pull the covers over you and forget the world and all its mess and troubles.
My father once told me a story about how when he was anxious about something, his mother (my grandmother) said to him, think of what you have achieved, what you have already, instead of what you lack.
This seems a good start to a decade reflection, not just a yearly one. So I started thinking about what I have achieved in the past ten years.
I finished my TAFE visual arts course and went on to do a bachelor of Visual Arts at university (with honours).
I started a daily collage art project in 2010 which is still going, although it has evolved and paused and restarted again.
I got a job in 2010 and left my job in 2019
I moved house close to the beach where I go for a walk (nearly) every day
I moved studio twice and now am happy working in my home studio
I’ve done three artist residencies, held five solo exhibitions, got artist books acquired, sold some art, made some art, gave workshops and artist talks and still come back for more.
I lost myself and found myself in a new identity as a creative entrepreneur
I remain an optimist amidst the chaos of life in these times of planetary crisis
Do I feel any different from ten years ago? Absolutely! Finally I feel like I can claim the title of artist and put that as my occupation for those government forms when leaving and entering the country. It is an amazing feeling to look at the circularity of all those life decisions and realise that all paths eventually lead you back to where you you wanted to be in the first place.
I found a piece of paper the other day which I kept from my childhood where I wrote to a man in the USA who was advertising art courses, and said I wanted to do art with him. He said I was a bit young, but try again later. I never did…and yet here I am back to where I started. Who knows where I’ll be by 2030.
All the Pretty Houses (2015) Artist Book
** This week’s lucky newsletter subscriber is Katie (last name withheld) who will receive a 2020 desktop calendar inspired by Iceland. Congratulations, Katie. ***
