Books, glorious books!
I suspect that books are going to become extra significant to my work
during this residency: as a resource of physical material and as a resource for
inspiration.
While the internet is also
an incredible resource it is lacking in tactility, and I am someone who is
strongly informed by sensory input. One
of the wonderful things about working in a school environment is the access it
allows to a library and its staff. It
was wonderful to be browsing the Art section yesterday and have the librarian
approach me, already aware of my work and brimming with enthusiasm to help me
with my research. I walked out of the
library with four wonderful titles and a determination to make the most of my access
to this resource while I’m able.
This morning I spent some time with the small group of students I’m
going to be working closest with during this residency. I showed them a couple of TED talks (shared below) which are
each playing a role in informing my current thought processes, then they joined
me in one of my line-drawing exercises. I’ve begun to recognise these drawings as
a method to free my mind, a sort of meditative action that may seem mindless
but which facilitates thinking that I’m otherwise too busy to pay attention
to. This is also a process where
boundaries are set which, converse to the creative concept of ‘stepping outside
the box’, can promote ingenuity. I
experience this as a sort of antidote to the information and sensory overload
that can be hard to escape in the rush of life, so these types of exercises
have become an important part of my creative process.
Phil Hansen: Embrace the shake
Sunni Brown: Doodlers, unite!