The talk took place at Red Bull Studios in Tooley Street, an intimate and friendly atmosphere with lots of wine! Holly Wales and Bobby Evans, both founding members of Open Studios. Their talk had an emphasis on the importance of having a space to work together, with other practitioners; to have ground to show ideas, debate and have the time and space for dialogue which joins creative disciplines together. They also believe it is important to keep 'stirring things up' to feel uncomfortable is good, to keep work fresh and brains awake!
Another point I picked up on was to have a space without a screen to keep in touch with hands-on methods - This is something I have got to take on board, I have started to notice I feel quite lethargic after an hour or so in front the screen. Maybe I set a time limit of on-screen work, to ensure that the on-screen time I do have is the time I get the most out of, without getting distracted by emails and other brain clogging stuff.
Troika was very surprising. I hadn't seen their work beforehand and didn't expect sculpture and installation! The work was engaged with time, space and reality and was very pretty to look at. Sebastien Noel, one third of Troika made it clear that there are two distinctions between design and art and as a creative it is good to understand this distinction and have the ability to use it, as an advantage and skill.
George Hardie is a very funny man. He gave short sharp lines, often quite witty but genuinely true statements. "Learning to see is very important", "Always have spare ideas", "Best way to learn to draw is to trace". One statement that was significant to me was "Ideas are the importance. Style is appropriate to the job, there is no need to search for it." I often get frustrated about my drawing style or design style, when will it surface its self? But its also something I think only other people are able to see in your work, through personal methods, processes, habits and routines become what stops us independently seeing our 'style'. Maybe?...