Lifelong Learning

So you go off on a workshop and what do you hope to achieve?  A nice day out, meeting new people amongst it all, perhaps the chance to learn new things, or be reminded of things already tried, or a new slant on them?  And then home, and what next.

Workshop with Wendy Creak at Art Van Go last Friday

Well to start with the big challenge, fitting things back in cupboards, and in my case pulling out a set of wheelie drawers, something clattered behind them when I was sorting what to take.  Can't remember the last time cleaned behind, to my shame, whole eco system going on.

This got me sidetracked as everything moved off the top too.  There I am with this nice large jar of paintbrushes, is actually one of those big sweetie jars you have at Xmas.  I thought it looked pretty arty and like I'm busy and know what I'm doing... but actually its ended up with another eco system in it.  So I tidied and binned the contents (and the jar) and those of a drawer, and have a lot less.  I decided to bin all the very old and extra paintbrushes, sticks, sponges  that I simply don't use.  Quite ironic when Friday I was using sticks, and bits of stone, and bricks and wood as mark making tools. This brought about another profound thought:

is it OK to stay with what you know

is it necessary to constantly have challenges

You may have noticed that Beverley's Bulletins aren't happening any more.  The idea was to make me look back and revisit things, bring them back to the forefront of thinking, in sharing them with you, it would be a reminder to me.  But in practice its not happening, its not fitting in with how I am...  So back to the Friday workshop, what to do with it next... I have a couple of ideas but actually I'm thinking its one of these things to be absorbed and pulled out when needed, right now, its just not right for my ideas.  To be real its because the class takes place on a particular day and obviously that's not necessarily where you are at that point and time in design or project.  I often find the benefit of a workshop is not what you expect at all... its the throwaway comment which strikes a nerve and inspires, its a trigger for a thought process which races ahead.  And its the act of putting everything away, and realising time to stop holding on to physical things, get rid of some of the clutter, find working space, and brain space.

I enjoyed Friday, all sorts of challenges in the day, processes revisited, and ideas which have (oh that dreaded word) 'potential'.  But what I've learned in the broadest sense will filter through and be used, at some point, but its not necessary right now to explore further.

Its been a profound thinking art weekend... as something else came into the thought process, but I'll save that for another time.