‘You Must Update your Blog, it’s Been Ages’
‘You must update your blog, it’s been ages’. A little voice in my head has been popping up here and there.
A little voice in my head has been popping up here and there, saying ‘You must update your blog, it’s been ages’. So here I am, it’s been such a while I’m not sure where to start! The last post, Large-Scale, Bespoke Handmade Mosaic was way back in June, ages ago, so hard to catch up! Sole trading, self-employed, you’re doing every aspect of your business and there really aren’t enough hours in the day, especially when you chuck a family into the mix…
Following the digital tile commission and before the opening of ‘Community Routes’ at Roundhouse, Birmingham, I was thrown, post pandemic restrictions back into the world of music festivals. It was a strange and brilliant experience to be back out, with large numbers of people, enjoying the world of live music once again. It felt a bit odd at first, being around so many people at once again, I think everyone found it a little strange at first. Another aspect to being a sole trading artist is it can be a lonely business sometimes, despite the level of community engagement I often have within my commissions. I’ve worked in various roles within the music industry for ages, nearly 20 years now and I love it, it can be hard work, but so exciting to see large-scale events from the builds to the breakdowns, they’re like being part of a travelling circus, lots of interesting people you meet along the way. The first festival ‘Access The Festival ‘ was a new one, an amazing line up of dj’s – Ross from Friends, Haai, Horse Meat Disco, Object Blue, Tsha, Dan Shake, to name but a few, at the very beautiful Sherbourne Park in Warwickshire. I discovered, during our time there, the ancestor of the current residents, Louisa Ryland, bequeathed Birmingham School of Art’s building in Margaret St, my old art school, to the city – alongside Cannon Hill Park and Victoria Park! Heritage stories wherever you go. I went back for the first time in a long time recently, to interview candidates for a mentoring opportunity on the next two commissions, it was strange to be back in the building, it really is stunning though and the one of the main reasons I came to Birmingham to study art, three years in a beautiful space, creating things, who wouldn’t? Brought back lots of memories …
The festival work continued into July and August, managing backstage and Artist Liaison on Mostly Jazz and Funk and Soul and Moseley Folk and Arts, a total pleasure working with a small but very professional team. Again, great to meet and talk to the many talented performers and hear about a very varied Lockdown experience again! It was so good to be back! Here’s a link to some of the amazing moments caught by one of our resident photographers, the very talented Jolyon Holroyd.
