This absolute blessing of an art practice of mine

Weekly art practice 62 | The Outsider Artist known as SLART.

NEW HERE? WHAT'S THIS WEEKLY ART PRACTICE ALL ABOUT?

Every Saturday, I share my weekly art practice journey. I'm captivated by the process – not just the finished pieces but everything from influences to materials. It's like getting a behind-the-scenes peek at an artist's world.

[If this masterpiece is too long for email, you can read Cream of the Crop in Substack. Or download the Substack app.]

I love drawing with my 2-year-old daughter, and it seems she loves it too. She says ‘doodle’ when she wants to draw with Dada, yet no one taught her the phrase. I find that both endearing and fascinating! I recently finished reading Letters to a Young Artist, where there was a mention of painting freely, like a child, without reservation. What better way to do that than with a child? Some artists pay a lot of money to learn how to paint freely, but here’s my free advice on how to paint freely: paint with a child. It’s a lot of fun!

Over the past few days, I’ve been seeking mentorship from artists ahead of me in their careers, namely Helen Downie and Anna Deavere Smith. They inspire me, and I believe they could help me take my art career to the next level. I wrote to them via email, candidly admitting that I didn’t know exactly what mentorship would look like but that I was open to building some kind of relationship. I say it all the time: if you don’t ask, you don’t get. It’s an infuriatingly simple saying, but it really is true. You just have to be okay with asking and not getting—because sometimes, you will actually get!

This week, I spent time prepping the invite list for Memento Vivere, and I’m pleased to say that 12 invites are now sent. A little tip for anyone in the UK who wants to send out flyers: if you use Stanmp, you can send postcards for 89p each, including postage. Considering a stamp alone now costs £1.65, it’s a solid deal! (They also have a US website.) I know, only 12 invites. It’s a start, the gallery capacity is 120 in total. I got £5 free credit so I used it towards this batch of posting. The postcards will be sent out on Monday.

A5 postcard invite to Memento Vivere.

I also reached out to a couple more potential patrons for Memento Vivere and sent email invites for the opening night to Zwirner and Gagosian employees in London. Whether that’s something people actually do, I have no idea—maybe I’m too naive to know! Oh, and I invited art critic Andrew Graham Dixon to the opening night. I invited Seamus Haji and Ellie Talebian through Ellie’s Instagram, both of who I admire.

I’m also starting to think about writing a press release, but I still have a mental block (is it really a block?) when it comes to planning. I ask myself, Is it really? I mean, I have so many things taking precedence right now that I just don’t have the headspace.

The global zine project is still moving forward, and I owe a gargantuan thanks to

Matthew Lieber

for curating the pieces, writing a table of contents, and designing a stunning cover. Thank you, thank you! We now have a first draft PDF of the Zine, I will update you very soon!

Lately, I keep getting that feeling that I’m doing too much again. But is it just a feeling, or is it based in reality? I always find it hard to tell. All I know is that when I think about everything I need to do, I feel like: a) it’s a lot, and b) I don’t have the headspace to focus deeply on any one thing. And yet, I keep moving forward anyway.

I’ve been writing this Substack since July 2023, and now it feels easy—that’s the power of habit. I used to dismiss habits, despite skimming books like Atomic Habits by James Clear. When I say I’ve read it, I mean I haven’t read it—just glanced at bits and decided it was too structured for my liking. But the proof is in the pudding: here I am, writing with ease because I made it a habit. At first, writing twice a week felt tough, but not in the way sticking to a fitness regime does. Maybe that’s just a lie I tell myself too. I believe a lot of things that aren’t true. Are all beliefs lies anyway?

What else happened this week?…

I bought some shelf brackets to start my studio shelving project. I put up my first shelf—well, a shelf/key hook thing—in my home. But I felt a lot of satisfaction in drilling the right holes, using the right wall plugs, and making it almost level. My goal is to get the studio organised before May 21st because that week, I’m giving myself a self-created, week-long studio residency. Initially, I planned for two weeks, but I got rejected from the Arts Council grant (Developing Your Creative Practice). That funding would have allowed me to take two weeks unpaid from my day job, but since it didn’t come through, I adjusted.

Before the residency happens, I need to actually plan the residency. I love the idea of just showing up at the studio and painting 12 masterpieces, but I fear wasting the week. Maybe I’ll allow myself the first day just to paint freely, then have some structured plans as a backup. It reminds me of Stefan Sagmeister, who famously takes a year-long sabbatical every seven years. During his first sabbatical, he had no structure and felt lost. Then, he added structure, and creativity started to flow. Orson Welles once said, “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.” But as I write this, I wonder: Is that really true? I take these quotes as truth because successful people say them, yet I’ve also found the opposite to be true—allowing myself freedom has led me to exciting places!

Anyway, I’ll share my residency plans in the coming weeks. What I won’t do is fill my days with obligations—meeting people, running errands—just because I have the time off. That week is sacred. It belongs to me and my art, to create pieces for my upcoming exhibition, Memento Vivere.

And last, but definitely not least…

One thing I’m loving this week is

Shagun Singh

’s Notes. Here’s one of them:

What a message from Shagun to keep you going!

Memento Vivere: Remember to live.

Have a great Saturday.

Best wishes,

SLART.

P.S. One more thing, could you please leave a 4 or 5-star (Hopefully not 1,2 or 3) review on my SLART Google page? I'm looking to enhance my online presence as an artist, and this small, straightforward, and swift action would be immensely beneficial. Cheers!