10 good things about being an artist in residence

Saturday, 16 September 2017

10 good things about being an artist in residence

I am two thirds of the way through my residency at Trelex.

I feel a pressure to create something worthwhile, but Rome wasn't built in a day....

My last book took 2 years to make. Three weeks is a barely long enough to decide what do work on.

So rather than worry, I have decided to tell you about the good things about my situation here.

Firstly; time.

It is all mine. Which is a luxury I am appreciating more each day.

I have a watch like the swiss railway clocks. Both keep good time.

But here I don't have any appointments or even an alarm. I don't really need my watch.

My day goes like this....

wake up when I wake up

cup of tea

breakfast

do whatever I like

maybe go for a walk

maybe cycle to get some food

lunch

do some more of anything I like

cup of tea

wonder what I am meant to be doing

supper

play on my computer

bath

bed

read

sleep

get up in the dark in the middle of the night and try to find the toilet without tripping over the bins

sleep

wake up when I wake up

etc etc

bliss.

Here are some of the good things;

The local fruit is delicious. It may cost £1 for a tomato, but it is worth every penny, and the compost bin is a reason to go outside from time to time

I don't have much house work to do. The floor is covered in paint so there is no point cleaning.

I have no car, so am getting a lot of exercise
There is no TV.
there are no mirrors below head height, and none with any bright light, so I have no idea what I look like or whether my facial hair has regrown while I wasn't looking.

the studio is very tidy and well equipped.

my desk is not very tidy and nobody cares. It is a well known fact that mess is good for creativity.

there is a complex bin system involving four different types of rubbish. Woe betide you if you put anything in the wrong bin. A walk to the recycling station in the village is another excuse to go outside.

there is a yoga mat, so if it is raining and the bins can't be emptied, then downward dog or a quick plank can be performed.

there is a crazed dog living here whose sole desire is to be out of the house or garden when he is supposed to be in. Getting out of the door and garden gate is a real challenge. He does, however have impressive jumping skills and makes people laugh.

And in case you think I have been hard at work, I will leave you with some images from a long walk along the shores of Lac leman ( Lake Geneva) in the sunshine yesterday from Morges to Lausanne
because the sun was shining and it was much too nice to be indoors.