Thinking about time.

My studio at Pyynikin Trikoo 2014 / oil on canvas

Today I met Nicola, who organize the whole We Are Resident – residence and I got to know a lot of interesting stuff of upcoming residency and co-operation. (I will write other full text about it, I think).

After our official meeting we walked by that gallery, where I am supposed to start working at the end of the summer. I told her about my future work commitment and working time. She thought that 25h/week working time is lot, and said something like that sometimes artist have to make compromises and be flexible. It is funny. I have been thinking that my future work will be liberating to me. It will be possibility for time for myself and working on my own field in a way that I even get some payment with people who are interested with similar things with me.

Corridor to my studio at Pyynikin Trikoo 2014
/oil on canvas

On the other hand my friend, who is a nurse, was impressed how much I will have free time in my work.

One favorite text of mine comes to my mind. It is written by an anonymous artist in one zine called “Tarinoita eksymisestä” in page 7. In English I could be something like this:

“Living with art is horrible love, heavy, but still only thing, that concern everything. If I would do anything else, I wouldn't have time to think, notice, experience and feel enough. Even now I have to hurry at times.”

About one year ago I rented a studio at Pyynikin Trikoo, one concentration of artistic ateljes in Tampere. My Studio was cute an it was lovely to go there. I could detach myself from home weekly for about three hours, and sometimes even that was difficult. During one year I could paint two paintings. After one year I gave up the studio.

Starting work, the fact that my younger sons is starting in daycare and upcoming residence feels to me as a giant jump in my independence, even if it is not exactly the artist life that I have lived before and dreamed of. For the moment my dreams are smaller, like I wish to have a key to my writing desk locker in home so that I could have some things of my own safe from little sticky fingers.