things on the wall

[devi]

Hello! I am in London!

We arrived last Saturday after the most nightmarish move I've ever had, part of a horrible few weeks in which we flaked out on some people quite badly (sorry, vodka_fairy and Jess; sorry, Dan's mum, who ended up having to pack a load of my life detritus for me while I went off in the moving van). I honestly have no idea how Dan is still sane, never mind out job-hunting and looking sharp in his suit; and I've had a good few moments when I just wanted to hide under the furniture hugging my knees and rocking back and forth until it all went away, somehow. But it doesn't go away, and we did all the things, and we got here.

Since then we've been staying at the staggeringly generous rainsinger and Z's place. Dan's been registering with every job agency in sight. We are still house-hunting - well, room-hunting, really. We've been swinging wildly between exhilaration and terror, though luckily enough we seem to be on opposite cycles, so the other can usually talk the terrified one down. We've mostly been staying in and trying not to spend much.

But: strangely enough, I seem to have got myself half a studio space to work in, near Deptford Creek. I'm not quite sure how this happened. Most affordable studio spaces have endless waiting lists, but somehow here I am.


Working from home all summer has been doing my head in. My brain is slow and sticky when it comes to context-switching and I need a commute, however short, to make the transition properly. I ended up with home mode and work mode bleeding into each other, meaning I was never doing either one wholeheartedly. I've always wanted a little workspace away from home and assumed I could never afford one. It turns out that when I researched it before, I was looking at office space, which is punch-in-the-guts expensive if you're a freelancer - but there are schemes where you can get art space for much less. This, however, means I have to present myself as a Proper Artist. I feel like a total impostor, but my stuff is all over the walls and I have to admit seeing a whole wall of it at once is quite encouraging. Look, here's a bit of it:




And as if I wasn't already on the verge of a hysterical giggling fit all the time, I've landed right in the middle of one of their biggest events of the year. They're having Open Studios this weekend - like Artweeks, for the Oxford people - a part of the Deptford X art festival where all the studios in the complex are open to the public. You can get all the details at the link, but there's a private view from 6pm this Friday, and the studios are open from 12 to 6 on Saturday and Sunday. (The flyer above is wrong about that - it sounds like they're open from 6pm every day, which is LIES.)

London folk: please come! There will be cheap drinks! What I've seen of the other tenants' stuff is very cool! You can see a small part of my Collective Consciousness installation from last year, which I've put back together and hung from the rafters! It's five minutes' walk from Greenwich station.

Oh, London. Underneath it all I'm really happy to be back.

Comments

[paste.livejournal.com]

yay studio! i'm currently trying to wangle some space as i'm suffering from the same work-home bleed thing, and also i get LONELY up here all by myself. cross your fingers for me. and enjoy london!

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

Hooray! I am in New York this weekend, though, or I'd totally come and gawk.

[zenithed.livejournal.com]

Good stuff! Which area are you room-hunting in? The Open Studios thing sounds fun, but there's various events related to Al and Kate's wedding happening this weekend.

[dr-f-dellamorte.livejournal.com]

Wooo! Ive got a work do then a party afterwards so can't come along unfortunately, but I would like to pop in and have a nose about at some point!

[atommickbrane.livejournal.com]

That's just round the corner from me! (Ok, a couple of corners and along a road... but...) I'd love to pop round sometime soon! I'm not actually sure if I can come tomorrow - how long do you think you will be going on for? If not then, then we should sort out a time soon!

(Despite having lived in the area for WAY TOO FVCKING LONG I've never been to any Deptford X! things, because I am, well, a bit useless really... :))

[juliet]

Bother, cannot make Friday. Are you going to be around on the Sat/Sun?

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

oh hey, i have no massively important plans for tomorrow (yes, PUB counts as a plan ;)) also, woo swanky gallery with cheap drinks. might be able to tie-in a visit to this new boozer by tower bridge that seems interesting (it's a bar, and a poncey one at that, but with zawesome beer) which isn't that far off...

[libellum.livejournal.com]

STUDIO!

I'm sorry the rest has been so tough but - I'm sorry - STUDIO! *small overwhelmed noises of squee*

So, like, how are you balancing your worktiem between paid freelance commissions and art? Are you getting any art commissions? Or are you earning enough freelancing to pay for some unpaid art time producing pieces for sale on top of the comics and stuff?

(...STUDIO! <3)

[eponymousarchon.livejournal.com]

Oh noes, presenting yourself as a proper artist - whatever will you do?!

(I mean, you *are* a 'proper artist' for heaven's sake - it's in your words, your actions and your blood! :)

[mooism.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking of coming on Saturday afternoon --- how much time would I need to see the whole gallery?

[concourse.livejournal.com]

All sounds really promising - I hope you find somewhere really good to live!
Hopefully the cash should have come through to Dan by now? Let me know if not…

[glittertigger]

The studio looks great.

[amuchmoreexotic.livejournal.com]

Welcome to London! I will drop by on Saturday. When will you be there?

[andyluke.livejournal.com]

Goodness: London! Stuff changing again. You and Dan are in my thoughts, I'm sure it'll work out for yis. I'll probably be over to London a few times next year for *can't talk about that just yet* so I'd like to see you both then x