As I am developing a new series of interactive workshops with students, I am drawing on my own professional experience and have had the chance to reflect on my creative practice. This practice has largely revolved around two strands of work, communications and contemporary art, and I have worked at the intersection of these two areas for almost twenty years.
While much of my day to day practice feels natural and instinctive, I have spent a lot of time bringing these key practices and areas of interest together; focusing on projects that would allow me to draw from both areas and embed unique and meaningful perspectives.
But what is the actual output, if I had to describe it to someone? And what is the focus, or kernel of my practice, if I had to summarise it?
Often, on the communications side, I dedicate my work towards communicating artistic projects, or supporting other creative practitioners. On the contemporary arts side of things, I develop work that communicates specific messages, aims to enthral audiences.
Stepping away and looking at my practice from afar, it seems like the one connecting factor, my interest / passion / ethos, revolves around storytelling. I tell stories in my works of art, I tell stories in my communications campaigns, I tell stories in drawing on my creative practice in communications projects and vice-versa. Knowingly or not, this is also something I have been interested in and practiced from a young age, sketching out comics, poetry and performing in plays, dance, crafting ceramic works and drawing.
Even my interest in play and disruption, may not stem from the actual desire to play or disrupt, but from the unique stories these modes of pedagogy allow me to tell and in which to involve others. This is something I am planning to research further and see how I might be able to approach it through various lenses.