compositional studies

A time to be still

During the pandemic lockdown I chose not to worry about trying to stay focussed or productive. Instead, it was a time for reflection and discovery.

The never ending search for direction in creative endeavours can become overwhelming at times. Sometimes we need to sit back, take it easy, and see what happens.

Overthinking and being distracted by the tiniest detail often gets in the way of just cracking on with stuff, so the ever churning machine must be controlled occasionally. The lockdown definitely made this easier. Not to say it has not been a stressful period, but it was a different kind of stress, one which brought a rare sense of calm.

Now was the time to not force anything, just let it be.

Care not for the outcome

I’m a bit of a hoarder, collecting materials and parts that might be useful for future projects but seldom are. These parts become distractions in themselves, always calling to be made into something, but never that thing that I’m trying to make right now.

I decided to make stuff with whatever I had stashed around my studio space. No end goal, no direction in mind, and little concern for fit or finish. Let the parts inform the compositions. Some might become finished pieces. Some might become the beginnings of a new series.

They might move me in new and interesting directions, or be complete disasters. In fact, some pieces did go straight in the bin.

But it doesn’t matter. These pieces are studies, distraction busters, scrap recyclers, and possibly the seeds of future works.