Mestiso Manifesto #8

For the last two weeks, the routine I’d built around my art practice has gone out the window. The main reason for this was a shift in priorities. As most of you are aware, after being made redundant, I now have a non-existent income, so when an opportunity came up for a freelance design job, I had to take it. All my attention and time have gone into developing that work, which has now been delivered, so I can pick up where I left off before chasing some dollars.

The first time I stepped back into the studio was earlier this week to collect an artwork I had to deliver for a group show. Even though I was there for a short while, it felt good to be back in the space. I’m looking forward to going back in, fresh-faced, on Monday.

I am feeling a little bothered and annoyed at myself for breaking the momentum I was building over the last two months. I even missed my weekly blog post. Though, feelings aside, I understand that this is what happens in life. Sometimes, things take you away from what you’d rather be spending your time doing, for the sake of survival. This is the mentality I generally have when I’m working any kind of job outside of my art practice. It’s best not to punish myself over it and just get back to the art when I’m able.

As much as I fantasise about having a full-time art career, my practice isn’t developed to that point yet, which means I still need to follow through and build my design career to support myself until I no longer need to. It can be challenging when it feels like you’re building two careers alongside one another, especially when they’re both creative. This means the priorities between the two will be constantly shifting.

It will take time and patience for me to reach my goal, especially when I feel like my work isn’t where I want it to be. Lately, I’ve been feeling that the work I’ve been producing has been missing something. It’s hard for me to define what that is exactly; all I know is that it needs to evolve and change into something more than what it currently is.

I don’t think the conceptual framework around my art will change, as I still have a lot more to communicate through that lens, but I am open to new representations of it. I want to shake things up a bit, and I may start with new materials, surfaces, and techniques, as well as some deep analysis and reflection on what I’ve been doing and how I’ve been doing it. It may also require some new processes to be developed.

I’m very eager to return to the studio and be an artist again. I am happy that I’ve got work in three group shows, all of which are running around the same time. The second of these opens tonight, and the third and final exhibition of this year will open next Friday.

I’ve been playing around with making reels recently, and the number of views on my most recent one has encouraged me to head in a certain creative direction. Creating social media content makes my eyes roll out of my head, but I understand the necessity for it in building my career. I just need to find a way to do it that stays true to who I am as a creative and doesn’t detract from the value of my work. I still feel massively uncomfortable with it, but I’m sure the more I do it, the more I’ll adjust, improve, and find my social media voice.