I once turned up to the Earth and Fire 2018 Ceramics Fair in a marked taxi, which led to many conversations over the walkie-talkie and left me with a permanent reputation for going places in Taxis and paying a lot of money to travel. I actually use a lot of public transport by myself because Fleetwood, where I live, is well connected to Blackpool through tram and bus. And my last day job was a short tram ride or bike ride along the prom, which was a good ride on a sunny, not windy day.
But the more important thing is that I don’t drive, I haven’t been in the driver’s seat of a car since I was learning, and that is over 20 years ago. And I found driving a start-to-finish panic attack, I found it so very stressful and would have to go lie in a dark room for a few hours after having my lesson, and it was a lot of money I didn’t have for something that I couldn’t cope with.
So back to the title and how it relates to my business: Poets don’t drive*, but I would add, Artists probably have to, Potters definitely have to. Poets can just show up in a place with their poems in their head or in a book, but as an artist and as a potter, there are crates and crates of things. I have exhibited all over the place, and I have always tended to make a day trip with friends or family if we have to drop off or pick up. And because of having to rely on others, I don’t apply to a lot of things off the Fylde Coast despite knowing I should, and I know it is hampering my career in the long term. I know there are art couriers that can transfer those things, especially to London, but I have always held back due to the expense.
But some of those things also come down to confidence, I am not confident in myself and my work actually selling, but I know I am more likely to sell if people see my work. And recently, everything I circle as a maker as an artist is a lack of self-confidence, and I simply don’t know how to build it. I know it is a journey I need to take, but my mind is resistant
But I either need to design my business around not driving or learn to drive, which isn’t going to happen, as I am currently watching my other half learn to drive, and it is very expensive to learn, and we don’t have money for both of us to do it. So I need to sit down and create a plan. Though recently I have been working more in Fleetwood, where I live, and I have an upcoming exhibition, more on that soon.
* The name is taken from a BBC Radio show presented by the Yorkshire poet Ian McMillan, where he spoke to a series of poets who couldn’t drive and why they couldn’t drive and about how creative energy makes it hard to drive.
You would be surprised to find how many of the apparently confident artists…and others…. actually are anything but.
So be re assured that you are not alone.
Morgen Hall didn’t drive…but she did live not far from the centre of Cardiff
Yeah, I do suppose you could get away with it if you live close to a city I don’t; the closest city to me is Preston, and this last year I lugged clay and tools on the train and across the city. When we were students there, we used to just store everything there all the time and only brought it home after we finished the course in 2010. But Preston doesn’t really have a big art scene, its probably bigger in Lancaster to be fair but that is even futher from here and usually means changing trains in Preston, in which case it is easier to get to Manchester or Leeds or York as there are direct trains from the nearest train station to there.
I remember starting out asking a potter about another potter who was very talented and made amazing work, about why they weren’t professional, and they used a euphemism for mental health and no self-confidence.
I know am am not alone, I also know that you don’t have to make this amazing life-changing work, that the right person telling the right stories to the right people can make a living, that marketing can trump quality. Yet I want to make the amazing work which in and of itself is a trip hazard.