Writing Day

 

I have had two weeks off, it was an accidental break brought on by moving house and a recognition I had a post Covid brain fog.  I would not say I have been unwell but I haven't felt myself and I feel better for giving it a name and not using it as an excuse.  We have just been away for a few days to Northumberland and sold our old house and I have sat down today with a clear dairy until Christmas opened my literature review document and made a start.  I know I am more serious when I actually start to put references in rather than just writing the word (reference) in brackets for filling in at some future point. 

I have a supervision booked in for next week so feel I should send this work off to Laura and Kate by the end of today.  I know it will not be ready but it will be something.  I think that this blog holds something really important in  terms of my journey of the last 3 years and I wonder if it is here where I need to start to pull something together.  I have managed to maintain it and although at points it feels like a moan fest it is by far the best writing and thinking I've done.  I am when I read it back both surprised and relieved that it holds so many thoughts and ideas. 

The literature review I'm reworking now however is not very good. Its actually surprisinly bad which is a little depressing.  At the final meeting of our Odd project I suggested we did some work at the intersection between writing, thinking, doing which is very research-creation .  I have actually explored this area reasonably well and I am sure that there is a gap.  There is a lot of art theory and a lot of critical discourse and a lot of curator speak, faux philosophy in writing about art.  There is a gap however where practice, my type of arts practice comes to writing.  As I said on a blog many many moons ago writing is not my first language and visual art has its own vocabulary that doesn't directly translate.  This means that when art comes to written texts we have to practice the art of looking sideways and write in the periphery, texts can illuminate something but only at the edges.  

I am going to walk the dog and then do a few hours more work.  The dead bird on the beach is sad and sublime, this is the feeling for the day.