We were talking last night about starting in the 'art biz', looking back to our first forays into bringing culture to the masses. Nostalgia ain't what it used to be, but it was something to look back, most of the time we're plunging into the future, whilst keeping a firm eye on the present and don't have the space to look behind us.
The seeds of Friction were sown over 15 years ago now, don't it just whizz past? Looking back, it was clear at the time, with wonderful naievety (which we have retained, to some extent, I am pleased to say), we just went for it, without thinking of the consequences (or the massive workload) and got on with attempting to create what we had seen in our imaginations. We ended up with a touring arts venue, which we literally built from the ground up, a crew of up to 50 people on each gig, all working for tea and cake and just had the time of our lives (we still are!). Everyone told us we were crazy at the time, which is as maybe, but having that scale of ambition to make things happen despite the odds is an approach we take to this day. The main difference being we get paid, instead of just fed, and we take a lot more responsibility for the people we work with.
I suppose my point is that, in order to make this stuff happen, we need that commitment and a kind of blindness to the 'realities', so we can bring our vision into the world. I don't know how many times we've been told something we are attempting is impossible, but thankfully we have selective deafness and just get on and do it, despite the odds against us. Attempt the impossible - or at least try the extremely difficult - you don't get nuffink for nuffink!
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- http://grovesmedia.wordpress.com
- 2007-03-20 @ 12:27:45
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- 2007-03-20 @ 13:37:58
'If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got'
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- 2007-03-20 @ 19:43:40
To Paul and Lee - earwig etc ... in agreement - Rhonda said something great a few weeks ago - in context of a discussion of how to describe 'getting on in the world' and associated discussions
she said: "there are two types of people in the world - those that understand ideas - and those that don't" which is great.... i too was party to discussion verging on nostalgia last night regarding the 'early days'of FPLa and Friction- there was a will to push through and do - knowledge sometimes inhibits - i find myself in this awkward shape shifting role(s) in this art place:- manager, consultant, fund-raiser etc i don't always get it right and sometimes the sheer weight of knowing the levels of what is going on, or shifts in the creative 'industries' landscape is overwhelming and work hard at trying to make sure it doesn't impinge, colour or adversely affect decisions i make around the right thing to do, but hopefully inform it.. - and the right thing to do is multi=faceted process is the quality of the work and engagement with our groups at the right level, are the artists resourced and supported, goddam here comes evaluation - how do you create a creative evaluation matrix that doesn't feed quantative research and and and and yet we (good community/artists at large) use their creativity in all pre=production and post-production way throughout the proceess to make extraordinary things happen = and its not just this community there are people beavering away against the odds in all walks of life thank god. i was inspired yesterday about a story of a bloke who is collecting ancient varieties of plant seeds from all the countries in the world and burying them in a big ark in a mountainside where the permafrost will further aide and abet the promise that they are saved and savoured for future generations. what a geezer. long live the seed shaman. i'm woffling now - yes push through, make it happen, fripple with naivety, don't get bogged down which that you cannot immediately change. over and out, will post about my 'testbed' experiences as an artist very soon. Sandra. -
- 2007-03-21 @ 09:15:27
There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those that understand binary and those who don't...
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- 2007-11-17 @ 18:22:19
this bird in the garden isnt a blackbird but it hangs around with the blackbirds and i think it now thinks it is a blackbird the other blackbirds don't seem to mind it even though its obviously not a blackbird it might be a cuckoo that was brought up by blackbirds and instead of doing waht it was supposed to do according to naturelike laws which i suppose for most baby cuckoos is throw out your host birds babies let their mum and dad bring you up than fly the nest to behave cuckooly just decided to stay i've never heard it sing or do that cuckoo noise thing either but someone once told me that cuckoos dont sing 'cuckoo' its takes two cuckoos to do it one doing the cuck the other the oo - i enjoy watching this bird with the blackbirds living in what looks like true harmony wonder if it met another cuckoo it would change its behaviour

Selective deafness is so important, no matter what you are trying to achieve.
When people try and justify to me the reasons why they are not shaking things up or making changes by stating: "But we always do it like this", I try my best to ignore them and carry on regardless.
There is no point in standing still.
Also, there is no point in listening to those who lack ambition or creativity.