Saturday 18 February 2012

Blockages and other extraneous matter

It's been a while...


I discovered a long while ago that I am at my most creative when overworked and overwrought. In short, I'm generally a lot more entertaining when I'm thoroughly miserable! This is NOT a particularly nice way to be, and after completing a Masters dissertation using this rather rubbish technique, I have decided that enough is enough! 


About 30 seconds before the Fanny face-plant...
I'm really enjoying 2012 so far for many reasons, one of which being that I get to spend a lot of my work time teaching and enabling young people, whether it be debating current events, teaching basic Adobe suite or lecturing on the importance of contraception and safe sex. I feel that for the most part I'm doing all of this fairly well (and I certainly have a lot of experience in some subject areas...) but I have most definitely been neglecting my own creative side recently.


My last performance was New Years Eve with the lovely Annabel and my old group, and I had a fantastic night. I also fell over. Thankfully I have lovely friends who did not take pictures of this no doubt amusing moment, which is just as well because the scar I got from landing on a chunk of glass more than suffices as a memento!


I have some exciting plans for new routines for 2012, and after several years of embracing the extra wacky, I'm starting to think about bringing some simplicity and melancholy to my repertoire. I love sad movies and emotive songs, but have always felt very intimidated by the prospect of going onstage and people NOT laughing. I have always managed to raise a smile so far in my artistic development, so over the next few months I have to start engaging with the serious Fanny, starting with an exploration of Fleetwood Mac's classic 'Never Going Back'. Watch this space...


I've been thinking a lot about how I can get my mojo back, art-wise. It seems silly to think that I work int he same building as a gallery and a plethora of other artists, but I don;t engage with them! So my challenge for the next month is a simple one - I will start to find art in new and interesting places. I  planned to start this today, after discovering the list of free things to do in London and picking something off the list - 18th Century Day at the Wallace Collection, where you can make Commedia Dell'Arte puppets, learn how to style your hair like an 18th Century lady, or have a natter with Marie Antoinette whilst listening to a violin concert.


However, it rained, so I sat in and watched Death Becomes Her.


I'll definitely leave the house tomorrow....

The Wallace Collection
10am - 5pm ~ 7 days a week ~ Free Entry