Over the past few evenings I read How To Art by Kate Bryan. I have been trying a new evening routine whereby I do not take my phone to bed, and instead I read. This tiny change has already improved my wellbeing. I had to buy an alarm clock, because I have for years been using my phone for that. How clever the tech companies are helping us to become reliant and dependent on their devices. Anyway, back to the book.
It’s a lovely, cosy, brick of a book written by one of the (now former) judges of Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year. It’s a perfect read for anyone who feels intimidated by art and the art world, and it’s also full of lovely nuggets for anyone who is not a beginner.
Since I have no idea where I land in all of that, I’ll say I picked up some good things, and other things I just enjoyed reading. I especially liked the section What Not To Say To An Artist, which is written with humour, but was a kind salve to anyone who has ever had to process thoughtless things said to them about their art.
Near the end of the book is a quote from the amazing artist, Maggi Hambling:
“If you’re going to be an artist, you have to make your art your best friend – so whatever you’re feeling, you can go to it. If you’re tired, bored, happy, randy, or sad, you go to your work and have a conversation.”
I may print that off and post it in my fridge.
Today I have two non-negotiable things on my To Do List. Submit art to an open call, and pack for a wee trip. Three actually, because it’s always non-negotiable that I make some art.
I spent a considerable chunk of time procrastinating about the submission. It involves an artist statement, and other statements about each piece, and it was actually easier to paint the damned things than it was to write formal bits for art people to read.
Then I clicked on Facebook and it is awash with AI slop, including so-called artist influencers promoting AI slop, and I felt a bit sick. These apps are run by fascists who are funding fascism, and folk are handing all their data over with their photos so a machine can produce a creepy caricature that doesn’t even know how many arms a human has.
So I felt better about my art. I’m not lazy, or lacking integrity, or stealing from artists, or promoting fascists and their apps.
Human art made with human heart and using a human model has been submitted.
Then I went to make friends with my other art, as per Maggi’s instructions, and pulled up one of the abstract self-portraits from the other day. There was a lot of collaging over things that I hated, and more layers of paint and ink, and I like it more than what was there before.
The point today was not to make perfect, finished, art, the point today was to be with my art and my supplies and make decisions and not care about what other people think, especially because I submitted two paintings into a system where what other people think of them is central.
Now I have to tackle the packing thing. Might as well just pack warm jammies, as the amount of rain and snow in the forecast suggests there might not be much wandering. Lol.
Til the morn,
Suzanne
724/800
Thrummie Bizzum 
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