Restart

Hello again.  

Apologies around the length of time it has been since my last blog post, like many people it has been an incredibly difficult time with this world situation as it is, plus I’ve been working on such limited capacity for a while, that I needed to take some time required for the processing of it. As I’m currently emerging from this space, I’ve arrived at this post.

Firstly, I would like to state that I have always condemned, and will continue to condemn, all acts of terrorism. Including all of the current ones being committed in the world today and I also add my name to people calling for a ceasefire to stop this loss of lives.

This writing and my thoughts surrounding it are backdropped alongside this current media landscape which has been quite treacherous, because of this, I’ve taken a step back to protect my personal health. That is not to say I haven’t done what I could and what I can. The main problem within that is I’ve not always shared my actions on social media.

Therein contains an opposing dyad in the requirements of balance for the individual, for me that is between developing a profile/work and my health. These two pathways are often conflicting between the feeling of necessity to be online, coupled with the other of the absolute need to be offline (mainly to process.)

That’s not to say I favour complete immersion in either and I do feel that if you want to have authenticity or relevance in a workplace/ having a profile/and/or making work, then interactions with the social medias is more than a must, it’s an absolute non-negotiable modern-day requirement.

Although that approach involves exposure to many opposing/different/challenging thoughts and ideas, which can effect in many ways, so each individual needs to keep that under a very close watch.

Therein lies another current dilemma, if you do a thing and that thing is not shared on the socials, then did it actually happen? As in was it valid or did it get validated by the right people? Will this use gain you access to what you need? Did it receive adequate engagement or impressions?

I’d built up a little momentum in this, which is now lost, but which I will attempt to return to somewhat. However everything does feel a little futile in the presence of these catastrophes, as I do realise that these concerns are nothing compared against the loss of life that is occurring in the world currently…

As one of the opening quotes in Natalie Loveless’s book on “How to make Art at the End of the World” states:

“…we need researchers able to participate in the creation of the responses on which the possibility of a future that is not barbaric depends.”

Isabelle Stengers. In Catastrophic Times.

I will try to apply this, and further add to that my own advice, I try to relate it to as if I was asked by a student for my thoughts on making work in this current time, believe this would be my advice:

“…But yet it is important to do so, make, make, make.  Make ideas, make work, make pictures, make mistakes, just make something. Put something creative/thoughtful/good into this world, because it needs something like that love right now.”

Thank you for reading.