back to blogWelcome to my new weekly blog posts documenting my first 100 days of being a full time artist. I am running a daily diary on my instagram stories and this weekly blog post of what I've been up to, what have been the challenges, the surprises, what I've learned / discovered etc.
This is my first week and blimey time has flown! So what's happened?
A bit of a change
I've had a day off! Yes seriously I'm trying to have at least one day off a week at the moment and it started with breakfast in Haworth and then a drive over the moors, discovering new places to walk.
Talking of walking, I've started walking to the studio again. This is much needed exercise but I am also making a point of slowing down and looking at the things around me. Previously I've been too busy charging across to the studio to notice things. I'm looking forward to my walks through autumn and into winter.
This week was a rehang at the Artworks in Otley. I love doing this for them as I like to keep my hand in with curating work and also it's a great way to discover new artists.
This rehang was a bit of a challenge. Lots of beautiful bright work to beat away those upcoming winter blues but boy, for some reason, that made it a little more difficult. Still I think the end result works pretty well with Modo & Co's big, bold signs complimenting the work of Jo Dexter and Ian Burdall and many other artists. Go check it out!
The challenges
The biggest challenge this week for me was getting my studio back in shape after I'd had some storage built and moved my home office to the studio. It has really felt like I was redesigning my studio all over again and it took time. So much time I ended up roping in a bit of help as I was getting a back-log of studio admin building up and I also needed to start work on a new collection.
But it is now finished and I am loving the office area in particular and although I've added quite a lot more furniture and storage it still feels really spacious. I've also got space for planning and sketching out project ideas which is really important for me. More importantly I have space for my work where I can store it safely until it is ready to go off to galleries.
What I've discovered
One of the things I said to myself when I decided to become a full time artist was that I would make time to visit more exhibitions, meet-up with artist friends, discover new artists and read that pile of art books I have by my bedside.
So what I want to share with you first is Hannah Nunn's Three little somethings e-letters. Hannah is a designer based in Hebden Bridge who I've known for a good few years and have bought her work for our home as well as gifts for others. Her daughter, Fionn, designed this website for me which I truly love and she was such a joy to work with.
I signed up to Hannah's Three little somethings shortly after hearing about the fire that destroyed her studio back in August. It was every artist's nightmare but for it to happen to someone you know and in a place you are familiar with, really brings things like this a little too close to home.
So for the last few weeks I've really enjoyed seeing Hannah's latest news drop into my inbox every Thursday. They are a quick read with lots of visuals (always works for me!) and are great for helping me to slow down and to start, as Hannah refers to it, "the simple practice of noticing nature through the seasons".
It's also fascinating to see what she is working on and how she is rebuilding her studio as well as dealing with a house move. She's a wonderful artist/designer and such a resilient person. I am in awe of her.
You can sign-up to Hannah's 3 little something's here. Go check her out.
What next?
Next week I start my collection for my solo exhibition with Northern Lights in Keswick. Check out my daily posts on my instagram stories for some sneak peeks.
