AlisonJamesArt
Explorer of physical and virtual environments, an adventurer of the mind and a creator of fantastical things
A Year to Remember
I have been holding on to these announcements for quite awhile now. Some of the projects I am about to embark on have been a year or more in the making and planning which now I think about it, seems like a long time but also has not felt like that long. If you have been reading along the blog the past few months you would know there have been some things that came up in my life that made me question whether I was able to take on the responsibilities I am about to share with you. However, every time I think about what I am about to do, I am excited and happy (also terrified and anxious) and I think perhaps it is just time to make the move and out myself. Please note that I will be expanding on these projects in further blog posts and announcements via social media. I only intend to introduce these projects to you so we can “screw our courage to the sticking place” and move forward with resolution and purpose.
I have taken on two major projects, and they are about to begin with a vengeance. Firstly, I have taken over the running of a very large event, 4017 Bayside Open Studios. I am very grateful to receive the advice and mentorship of Grace Cross who is stepping down as Co-ordinator this year, and to be surrounded by an incredible powerhouse team of experienced people. I am really excited to have this opportunity, to learn new skills and to network with as many artists in the area as I can. I also have some very big shoes to fill and am quite overwhelmed by the task at hand and uncomfortable in this new role as it has been awhile since I have done a project of this magnitude, but sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone and into the life you really want for yourself. A lot of times, it is in the DIScomfort zone that you have a chance to find out what you are really capable of and with that challenge comes growth.
And on that topic of the discomfort zone, I am led on to the next and quite possibly closest project to my heart, which is that this year, I will be opening, “ET AL GALLERY AND STUDIO“. This is a HUGE leap of faith for me and something I hope I can settle into for many years to come. You may remember this post where I talked about the idea of what I would want if I had a gallery (foreshadowing much?). Well, I found a space. The lease has now been signed. it will be a place where creatives can show their work by themselves or alongside others, engage in workshops to inspire their creativity or focus their career development. I have had so much input from all sorts of people, managers, business specialists, artists, gallery owners, more artists, solicitors, community members, shop owners and of course, even more artists. I am thankful for every word of support and every piece of advice. It has been a journey just on it’s own to get to this point and there is still a long way to go but I am excited for the day when I can finally open the doors and invite people in.
There has been a LOT of behind the scenes work happening forthese projects to bring them to fruition. I have spent a lot of out of hours time working on business plans and artist contracts, trying to organise my time and work out what I can actually realistically fit into my life. All of my projects this year and over the coming years focus very tightly on Community, Collaboration, Communication and Cooperation. I have always enjoyed working with other people, especially in the artistic community and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase artists of all sorts, help to develop their skills on their artistic journeys and be a part of this community I love so much.
This is definitely going to be a year to remember.
AlisonJamesArt 