In true Eye2Spy style we saw a smashing opportunity reaching it's deadline yesterday, so we collated our thoughts, collaborated our ideas and voila! So satisfying!
Across the web-waves we put our brains into action and wrote up the residency proposal package. The Internet posed yet again as a vital form of communication for Eye2Spy, as we shared files, burnt our videos to a DVD and pulled synonyms from within to create order from our jigsaw-like ideas.
Being an artist means you don't choose your hours, despite how the 9-5ers see it. If you have to work into the night then so be it. And if you have to catch an early train with borrowed money to another city to deliver the freshly printed proposal before the deadline...then so be it! The thrills and fears are so compact in this style of life that perhaps this is the very reason that for some it's unappealing and is just too unpredictable..but to us it's so worth it!
Being an artist means dropping what you're doing to chase that flashing white tail across the field, through the stream and into the woods. It requires a keen eye and a sense of desperation. We have always put art first even at the expense of our relationships because it's a drug that we can always justify and urge we can never forget.
We read something today that made us silently nod. It made us feel strangely valuable, in that for the first time as an artist collective we feel we have the potential to make the changes we creatively fight for.
Rosalind Davis, Artist Educator and AIR Council member, wrote in the December issue of a-n magazine that '..it could be argued that the art world is the UK's last credible sector..'
Eye2Spy Collective have been involved in a number of political campaigns supporting the arts since we formed in 2010. Being so active most probably interrupted with the smooth running of our lives, as we delved deeper to save what we believed to be art. Without that commitment how would our livelihood and our connection with the world survive? It was shocking to be surrounded by so many who sat on the fence and many who simply weren't concerned about the cuts and tuition fees, despite studying art! University was a challenging time for us as we were finding ourselves in our own practise and also developing our collective. However, we truly feel that if it weren't for our decision to collaborate we wouldn't be so active and confident in our creative ventures today.
As a collaborative we continuously bounce ideas back and forth, no matter where the members are located, just as we did last night. Together we have worked to support one another without a fear of distrust and misuse. We are fully aware that there are 'artists' who create (or speak of creating) solely for money and fame, those same people who will happily step over you to reach for opportunities. It's competitive, that's life. It's hard to avoid such people but having a collective has made this so much easier. We know each other, we understand each others aspirations and creative intentions. In turn we honestly, sometimes brutally, always fairly critique one anothers work. We also source out information and opportunities for each other because we want success for those who we admire.
The art world is a lot easier to surf if you are collaborating, after all, it's hard to dedicate all your hours to being up to date and staying ahead without a partner in crime to share the studies. Selflessness in art will create success. And in a world where art is not considered a 'normal' career choice or even socially valuable.. then open up, support each other and collaborate!
As always
Eye2Spy
