This came out of a conversation with Mike Radcliffe at the BFI this morning – part of my Human Scale Conversations. There were a few points and it was going to be one mega post, but I think I'll break it up a bit.
We got talking about being artists (go back and click on that link to Mike's site if you don't know his work – go back and preferably buy something from his gallery!) and being blocked and what we need to do to keep relatively sane and solvent and working and happy and stuff and it seemed worth exploring them a bit – especially how they relate to my experience as a nascent Social Artist.
First of all we talked about the need for artists to be with other artists.
Artists need to spend time with other artists.
The rider to this is that we need to spend time with people who are in their flow, who are looking after themselves and doing their work. If we are blocked, it's these people who will feed us and help us through – it's far too easy to find other blocked artists to hang out with, who reinforce and rationalise our own blocks – then we just all get depressed together!
Signs that you're with the right people are: they're encouraging you; you and they are smiling and laughing together, preferably at yourselves rather than others; you're both talking more about the work that you're doing now, rather than the work you used to do once or the work you'd really really like to do one day if only someone else would give you a chance.
Signs that you need to find some new friends are: the person talking to you is only talking about reasons why it's hard; you're feeling low and so are they; you hear yourself whining; you find yourself thinking about that project, you know the one, and how it's never, just never going to get done.
So get out, and find some shiny friends instead!
That's why I keep going back to Tuttle. It's a place that attracts all sorts of creative people in large numbers. Creativity and different ways of thinking thrive among these people. It's where I get my fix every week. I know you all think I'm doing it for you, and that's true, but I'm doing it for me too.
I particularly liked the smiling and laughing at ourselves bit.
In the past few months I seem to have been meeting and spending time with a lot of people like the ones you describe – people who have some passion for what they are doing right now, and who are trying out new things. And – hey presto – I realised that it's probably because I've become a bit more like this that I am noticing the other people who are also that way inclined.
I've been trying to act more in my everyday life on some of the principles of improvisation – make bold offers, say yes, notice more, commit to your actions, remember everything's disposable. They're great principles for life, and doing me the world of good!
Do please keep these social artist thoughts coming.