Mestiso Manifesto #7

Starting off with some updates: The Merri-bek Summer Show opened last weekend at Counihan Gallery, where you can see my work Mestiso. It’s a great gallery and an interesting show, featuring work from 109 other artists. My piece follows the concept of (Be)Longing, which deals with, as the title suggests, belonging, but also yearning and nostalgia.

Some other exhibition news: I’ll be exhibiting in two group shows in the lead-up to Christmas. I’ll have work in Essence at Gallery Unbound, and the Christmas Group Show at RED Gallery. I was also recently accepted into the group show SOULS at SOL Gallery, which opens in January next year. Unfortunately, it opens on the same night as my solo show Rejected/Projected at RED Gallery, so if you're looking to say hi, I’ll more than likely be at RED Gallery. You may have seen the reel promoting my solo show that was posted recently—this was a first for me, but it was nice to work with the gallery to do some promo. There’s also another group show that remains secret for now, which will open in February.

I’ve also launched a new business venture teaching abstract painting workshops for beginners. I’ve never taught in an official capacity before, but it would be nice to pass on the skills and knowledge I’ve accumulated over the past 15 years of being involved in art-making.

The full-time hours available to my art practice are slowly coming to a close, as my redundancy pay has essentially been used up. I thought I’d take some time to reflect on what’s happening and what’s happened over the past two months.

As most of you know, two months ago I was let go from my job as a graphic designer. This was a massive shock at the time, but I am proud of the fact that I immediately took the opportunity to throw myself straight into working on my art. At the time, I’d only just moved into my first art studio (yeah, the timing wasn’t great). I’ve just paid my monthly rent for my apartment, and I’ll be able to pay for another month of rent for my art studio, but beyond that, I’m unsure of what the future holds, as I have zero dollars and zero income. I may possibly end up losing my art studio and potentially my apartment. From there, I don’t know what my next steps would be, but I’ll face that if and when the situation arises.

Having the time to focus solely on my practice gave me a glimpse of what my life would feel like as a full-time artist (if my practice were sustainable). It took a bit of adjustment, but the experience of being in the studio, instead of my 9-5 job, really reinforced the idea that this is what I want to do with my life. With advice, support, and tools gained through my mentorship group (story for another day), I was able to adjust fairly quickly to most things and hit the ground running.

All the work I’ve put in has led me to being accepted into five group shows, booking a solo exhibition, and having the capacity to apply for a number of other programs, residencies, and open calls (which I’m still waiting to hear back from). I was also able to set up my website and launch my online store, as well as create a storefront on Bluethumb. I have some exciting things planned for seasonal exclusive online releases through my store, so if that’s something you’re interested in, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter.

Going from a salaried position to no income has made me realise how much I’d need to make from an art business to live comfortably. I could probably reduce how much I spend further, but it would mean struggling. Essentially, I’d need to earn roughly the same as I did in my former design job.

All in all, I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot over these past two months, and I’m currently living in a ‘fate of the universe’ situation, which I’ve been in ever since I was made redundant. It doesn’t necessarily mean I need to return to a full-time career as a designer, but it does mean I need to look at my options when it comes to basic needs and survival.