Studio & Professional Practice...Some Thoughts

Some recent thoughts I had about the relationship of keeping a 'practice' and the importance that this played in my professional life...I'm not sure the written thoughts about this work that well but here goes......

A zone of transition in making for me is all about reconciliation of making, listening and leading.

Within the confines of a practice there are specific points of transition, these can be explored and can work to enable at multiple levels. This Engagement at multiple levels can result in a unique approach to problem-solving. I believe the ability to move across specific disciplines does provide unique insights.

I am as you would expect fascinated by technology and where that technology may lead (transhumanism anyone?) but I'm also interested in technology of earlier centuries and the impact that was made by these technologies within a contextual time frame, i.e. the use of early book production.

When I work in the studio as opposed to ‘work’ how do I see the blending of my practice, what makes it so important to continue with practice while at the same time also continuing with a career in Higher Education? Both I believe serve the same purpose.

I work across several areas of practice and its always been important to me that I engage within very specific elements of the practice, this has a knock-on effect into my professional life. When I am ‘making’ or working on a technical piece of work that includes the techniques and process used several hundred years ago how does that relate to my professional life?

In the studio I enjoy setting myself a visual problem and then allowing the process of making within a range of techniques that I often leave to their own devices and I deliberately engage with techniques and process in order to allow random change and happenstance, my ideal is to produce something that can only happen around the edges and randomly, to such an extent that the uniqueness of the outcome can never really be replicated.

Is this the same way in which I approach my professional working life, no of course not, but I would state that as an Artist I’m process focused and a IT professional I’m also process focused, albeit both practices need time for reflection and just getting the work done. I'm not the type of Artist who needs to build  ahead of steam and just work, although that sometimes does come into play, what it takes to make something.

Tailoring your environment to meet your needs is really an artist’s prerogatives is acting as a Chameleon. The ability to think broadly, accept change, challenge yourself and empathise with others are creative traits that need to be practiced, honed and expressed.