Lecture by Jamie Holman on the making and the doing.
When do we start making? When do we exactly begin? What’s the starting point of our process? Some people said as a reaction and a response to something or someone; others after reading; in order to extend our knowledge; by looking, and looking back, and looking again. I said: from an idea, from my compulsion to create. It’s a gut feeling, an instinct. It’s not just something I see, or words I hear, or a song I listen to. Most of the times I am just walking and an idea comes up and I think: what if… this is how my process starts.
And I am wondering if there is a difference between working freely and working on commission; because then you apply yourself in order to create a specific project and you do have a brief about what “they” want, you have to adhere to.
Whenever I then see anything that catches my attention and that makes me want to explore further in a creative way, the first questions are: who did it, when did he do it, and what is it made of. At that point, research begins: testing, playing, experimenting, reflecting, recording stages of exploration, testing again, more self-reflection and constructively critiquing of others’ disciplines in order to learn and refine and own as personal.
Then, the following stage is: show it to others, tutors, fellow colleagues and ask for feedback. So, how did I do it? How well did I do it? How can I improve what I just did? That will lead to more exploration. Finally, hopefully, we will reach a stage of confirmation.
Only then, only really then, the physical act of making begins.
… tomorrow, Wed 7 Nov I will be the first one to stand up in front of my class and tutors, to present my work and journey so far. My first critique.
Am I ready?
Am I ready to show who I really am, when with a pencil in my hand? And my previous work to show progression – or regression? And that will include also my desires and my frustration, my inabilities, my skills.
My Art (istry…)
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