Working in, from and through adversity.

Since moving back to Hampshire in the summer, alongside a decent amount of childcare and house moving admin, I’ve been editing and compiling new book edits. As much as I enjoy experimenting and making these, I’m looking forward in the new year to starting on a few ideas that have been ruminating for a while. I’ve been considering what my drive for those ideas is and reflecting on what has led me to make the projects in the past. 

Although perhaps not the reason for the creation of a project, the common theme is adversity. The personal work that I’ve created on my own is heavily influenced by the losses that I’ve experienced over the years, but even within the collaborative projects that I’ve been part of, whether that’s music or photography, so many of them have been made amidst an atmosphere of struggle. 

The sense of having to overcome the scenario we find ourselves in is a powerful thing, and for the creative people that I’ve worked alongside, it’s often the driving force behind making something that they want to make, but need to make. It’s not a hobby that happens to have become successful, it’s something that only comes into being if you put yourself into it, to show whoever we need to show that we can make something beautiful out of pain, difficulty and stress. It’s something that may well cost us along the way, but that sacrifice is a vital part of the creative process.

When I played in bands as a teenager, the mentality of us against the world was inbuilt into what we did. We felt misunderstood, and collaboratively we found a way to create something that felt more than just a means of venting, but something true. We thought we had something to push back against, something to prove, and I think that DIY mentality has carried me through the projects I have made until this point.

As I consider embarking on new projects, I need to ask myself whether simply constructing and developing a project because on paper it looks like it would create something interesting is enough. In my experience, that isn't necessarily conducive to creating something honest and true. I'm more comfortable with reacting and responding to a scenario than generating something from nothing. I’m very fortunate to have been granted very stable ground upon which I can live and raise a young family, and perhaps that contentment doesn’t necessarily lend itself to making meaningful art? 

I’m not suggesting I need to wilfully create trouble for ourselves, (although there are many case studies of artist’s that I could delve into here), but continue to consider how I relate my interior world to the exterior world that I experience, and to find the points at which those engagements offer inspiration, depth and beauty that can be harnessed and shared.

This article is taken from my December Mailout, which also features an end of year playlist, Paul Graham, Allan Salas, LOOK Biennial, Philomena Cunk and Moth Club.

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