This weeks post is the conclusion of my project, the semester and the notebook.
To conclude this semesters project I must reflect on the goals I set myself and their outcome.My first goal was to expand my ability to research, in previous semester my research I couldn’t fully invest myself in reading, as I’ve expressed previously working my dyslexia has been difficult. However, this semester I’ve not only conducted more reading but really gotten to grips with the text, from the first week I explored ‘Wild Things The Material Culture of Everyday Life Materializing Culture‘ written by Aleksi Knuutila, and “Your Everyday Art World” written by Lane Relyea. Both texts were essential into my exploration of value and ‘functioning’ art, therefor developing on themes of the everyday while addressing these issues close to me.
My second goal is what I called ‘conversations with myself’, was to be vulnerable and be honest about my feelings throughout my project. This has helped me to develop a healthier mindset surrounding my work and myself as an artist. I found both tutorials and my notebook to be an essential stage in my project, by voicing my thoughts I reflected deeper conceptually and gave myself the opportunity to therapize the experience of painting. Despite my sense of achievement in finally overcoming my shyness, I could not help but feel that I had overshared and overanalysed this project, that my personal thoughts and feelings have been a bit much. However, I believe that I could of gone further with my raw and unapologetic approach, as it is this attitude that had drawn to me to artists such as Tracey Emin and therefore I shouldn’t doubt myself.
The final project proposed for the hypothetical exhibition had been successful. By sticking to my intentions to paint every day since the beginning of the semester, I have generated a mass amount of creative energy and self-expression. Finding the motivation to stay consistent in my practice was difficult but rewarding, doing so in this project served as a steppingstone in my evolution as a creative professional. Linking back to my final goal for the semester, which was to simply just create. Doing this had turned what seemed to be simply personal goals for the semester into a project, generating a interactive workshop wanting to share joy with the community.
To critique my project, I think I should of experimented with status further, maybe a larger more visually demanding set up. The setup for my workshop was limited, I didn’t have a budget to explore different table options or to waste paint in my set-up practices. However, I feel for this hypothetical pop-up event, I successfully curated a welcoming space with a relaxed community feel. In my future practice I will explore the idea of giving my work a higher sense of status and I will tell myself that it deserves it because I am more confident and willing to push myself further because of this semesters work.
Thank you to everyone who’s taken the time to read through my notebook over the semester 🙂 -Amy x
Ahh thats a beautiful post Amy, well I don’t feel you over shared at all! and again, as I said to Mike, this last post is a little awkward for me to comment on, as I must avoid an assessment critique, so at this stage just to say a huge well done on achieving so many of your own personal goals, you definitely are a stronger, more articulate, more self aware and critical artist from having done the reading, experimentation and the evaluating consistently throughout the semester, your confidence has quadrupled, and so yes I would like to see you elevate your work next semester, giving it the space it deserves. I wonder if you have reflected on why you decided to turn the work over to others, as in make it a workshop for others, I wonder if there are confidence issues within that decision?