What kind of an artist are you? It’s a question people often ask me, and one I struggle to answer. These days I mostly make sound and moving image works, installations and publications - and organisations and funders sometimes even pay me for it. BUT I have no one craft skill, no postgraduate qualifications and no studio.
I tend to learn skills as I need them and if I can't learn them well enough to fulfil a specific project, I hire people to help me out. I did not do an MA, even though I have a research-based and critically engaged practice. Having an MA may suggest you’re more serious about your profession but, in my view, it’s an expensive and time-consuming way to make the point.
But now the question of artists and studios has come up. And
that is harder to come to terms with. An artist new to my city has initiated a series of
studio visits between Devon artists. It’s a great low-cost, easy-to-manage idea
for self-development and networking. But what can I offer if I don’t have a
studio?
The city of Exeter is well-known for its dearth of studio
space, and it’s always concerned me because it makes it more difficult for artists to
settle and thrive here. So, back in the day, I made a genuine effort to address it. For two years I worked really hard with other
artists on setting up a shared studio building in the city centre and a Community Interest Company to run it.
But, after a strong start, the project quickly foundered and I didn’t have the energy
to start over. I managed to secure space in
the city’s only other dedicated studio building. But after about 7 years that was sold off and, struggling with my finances, I decided I would have to manage at home.
Having no studio has now become normal for me. I
work on location, on my computer and on my kitchen table. I’m lucky: I’m not in
a tiny flat or house share. I have my own home and in it there’s a small spare room
where I keep my materials, kit, research, stock, documentation etc but I have
no dedicated space beyond my computer for working.
The artist new to Exeter said ‘Why not share your
inspiration shelf? Everyone has one of those, right?’ Er, no! (She was joking - kind of.) I have a folder on my PC. That’s my workspace, my headspace.
But it made me think. Should I be content with my unconventional approaches (I seem pretty productive) or should I be concerned about disadvantaging myself? Am I taking my practice seriously enough? Does the lack of physical space I devote to my art practice reflect the way I squeeze it in around earning a ‘proper’ living? Why do I beg other women artists to take up more space with their work in galleries when I can’t even find proper space for my own practice in my home?
Yes, really, what kind of an artist am I?
Having rented space in two group studio buildings in Exeter, I can confirm that the vast majority of them were left empty most of the time. This wasn't about odd hours and part-time work: they simply weren't used for months (and in some cases years) on end. There's a certain kudos attached to having a studio that a lot of artists seem wedded to, as if the studio - and your ability to afford a bit of real estate - is more important than the work you produce.
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