2020 has certainly changed the way we think about our lives. COVID-19 demanded us to isolate for an indefinite amount of time. This has inevitably led to much self evaluation, reassessment and business model adaptation on the run!
I thought it might be interesting to write down the answers to a few questions I have found myself being asked by a number of people over the past couple of months...…from an artist's perspective x …...I hope you enjoy xxxxx
I thought it might be interesting to write down the answers to a few questions I have found myself being asked by a number of people over the past couple of months...…from an artist's perspective x …...I hope you enjoy xxxxx
How did you first react when the lockdown was announced?
We were in the middle of a large civic commission when this all started, so initially I was quite happy to lock myself away and get the job finished. Rowan was the one who suggested we had better stock up on steel and gas in case our suppliers needed to also close. Then we were concerned that the Galvanisers may close with our work still to be finished......luckily for us, the steel and welding industry was considered an essential service!
We were in the middle of a large civic commission when this all started, so initially I was quite happy to lock myself away and get the job finished. Rowan was the one who suggested we had better stock up on steel and gas in case our suppliers needed to also close. Then we were concerned that the Galvanisers may close with our work still to be finished......luckily for us, the steel and welding industry was considered an essential service!
As an artist, were you impacted by the rapid cancellation of events?
I did have an exhibition I was involved with cancel, plus a local festival I was planning to have a market stall at...….but as I continued to receive emails about everything being cancelled, a piece of me actually felt relieved! I now knew that for the next unforeseeable time, I was going to be free to work in my studio....uninterrupted!
Rowan and I are fortunate to have an ongoing list of custom design projects. Normally I am juggling this work with other exhibition and promotional opportunities. The lockdown took all of this away.
The first thing I did was create this small range of cluster necklaces that I had had bubbling in my head for a little while....I now felt the freedom to release these little guys, and I called them my isolation series.
I did have an exhibition I was involved with cancel, plus a local festival I was planning to have a market stall at...….but as I continued to receive emails about everything being cancelled, a piece of me actually felt relieved! I now knew that for the next unforeseeable time, I was going to be free to work in my studio....uninterrupted!
Rowan and I are fortunate to have an ongoing list of custom design projects. Normally I am juggling this work with other exhibition and promotional opportunities. The lockdown took all of this away.
The first thing I did was create this small range of cluster necklaces that I had had bubbling in my head for a little while....I now felt the freedom to release these little guys, and I called them my isolation series.
How did you adapt the way you do business?
I would have loved to lock myself away in my studio, but I was also very aware of staying visible to my clientelle. I did this via social media and my semi-regular e-newsletter.
I am also very involved with the local artistic community. I am the secretary of the Geelong Sculptors Inc (who's exhibition was one of the first to get cancelled) plus I am also the gallery assistant at Eagles Nest Gallery in Aireys Inlet.
So the first few weeks I went crazy trying to get everything online so I could help out those artists that didn't have any other means of selling their art all of a sudden! I put our sculpture exhibition online, with the help of another committee member, and then I started to upload local artists on the Eagles Nest Gallery website. This was a massive job...I did have some tech support and guidance, but it was a very intense up-skilling time for me.
I would have loved to lock myself away in my studio, but I was also very aware of staying visible to my clientelle. I did this via social media and my semi-regular e-newsletter.
I am also very involved with the local artistic community. I am the secretary of the Geelong Sculptors Inc (who's exhibition was one of the first to get cancelled) plus I am also the gallery assistant at Eagles Nest Gallery in Aireys Inlet.
So the first few weeks I went crazy trying to get everything online so I could help out those artists that didn't have any other means of selling their art all of a sudden! I put our sculpture exhibition online, with the help of another committee member, and then I started to upload local artists on the Eagles Nest Gallery website. This was a massive job...I did have some tech support and guidance, but it was a very intense up-skilling time for me.
What have you learnt through all this?
I definitely learnt a lot about myself and how I function under pressure. I think I am good at thinking on my feet, but sometimes I need to back off and let other people catch up. I tried to do to much for everyone else at the start of all this, and completely exhausted myself......but once I started taking some time out for myself, I found that I was better off focussing on my own family and studio. Since then I have found my creativity has expanded and I am a lot calmer.
We created this massive privacy screen for a private home. I am hugely proud of all the little nuances in the piece. Each panel has a unique set of differences and yet the whole piece flows like a story.
I actually finished this on my 50th birthday. I feel this is very significant, and I am proud of my skills as a designer, that can visualise what a client wants......sometimes while the client is still talking.
I think I have learnt to trust my own creative voice, and to be proud of what I have achieved.
What's next?
I encourage everyone to look at my website: www.cinnamonsart.com
To explore the Geelong Sculptors Inc online exhibition www.geelongsculptorsinc.com
and browse the new Eagles Nest Gallery website www.eaglesnestgallery.com.au (now open weekends)
I am currently designing a few projects that have come to me during isolation...…it seems that people are re-prioritising and are enjoying adding some art to their home sanctuaries xxxx
Sounds good to me x
I definitely learnt a lot about myself and how I function under pressure. I think I am good at thinking on my feet, but sometimes I need to back off and let other people catch up. I tried to do to much for everyone else at the start of all this, and completely exhausted myself......but once I started taking some time out for myself, I found that I was better off focussing on my own family and studio. Since then I have found my creativity has expanded and I am a lot calmer.
We created this massive privacy screen for a private home. I am hugely proud of all the little nuances in the piece. Each panel has a unique set of differences and yet the whole piece flows like a story.
I actually finished this on my 50th birthday. I feel this is very significant, and I am proud of my skills as a designer, that can visualise what a client wants......sometimes while the client is still talking.
I think I have learnt to trust my own creative voice, and to be proud of what I have achieved.
What's next?
I encourage everyone to look at my website: www.cinnamonsart.com
To explore the Geelong Sculptors Inc online exhibition www.geelongsculptorsinc.com
and browse the new Eagles Nest Gallery website www.eaglesnestgallery.com.au (now open weekends)
I am currently designing a few projects that have come to me during isolation...…it seems that people are re-prioritising and are enjoying adding some art to their home sanctuaries xxxx
Sounds good to me x
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