App lock

Over the past week or so- I have been experimenting with order and structure in my own life. One way I have been doing this is through locking the apps on my phone for select hours of the day to insure I’m not using my phone during them.

At the moment- all of my apps are locked from 11pm at night to 11am in the morning. I started doing this because I realised that having my phone just before I go to sleep and as soon as I wake up is not something I want for myself. I know, as I did an extended social experiment/ study on my own relationship with the phone for last years FMP. However during quarantine, it was becoming quite challenging to not be glued to my phone. Particularly Instagram. Which provided entertainment, socialising and endless scrolls.

To combat this, I realised I had to put some type of structure in place and create an order that could be easily maintained in my life. That’s why I chose those times because it around an hour or two before and after I go to bed/ wake up.

I have noticed a few differences since doing this (a lot of them coincide with my findings from the sabbatical last year) but the main one that is happening again is my dreaming.

It seems to be a common theme that I dream way more when I am not on my phone just before I sleep. My theory is that it’s something about that period of coming into: out of consciousness that is very important is shaping the way our mind works.

Setting those boundaries for myself allows me to be with just myself for a few hours in the morning, to have time to think and breath and imagine. To be aware and mindful of my surroundings, and to feel grounded in my day. So far it has been very successful and I feel very happy with the results.

The break down of my social media/ phone usage. (A lot of this is FaceTimes with friends and my boyfriend, who I whatsapp call for around 1/2 hours every day) so I think this is pretty good. In terms of Instagram and just my browsing time.

I have this handy to keep monitoring my usage throughout the day. Which I find quite helpful

I have also put a lock on Instagram for strictly 2 hours each day. Which means I can control my usage even further to make sure I’m not just filling my days with endless rubbish.

Modernism research

I borrowed a book about modernism from the college library along with a few other books, and today I felt like I really needed some more visual inspiration so decided to use it in my research.

I think it was very successful because I already love reading and there’s something about having a physical book in front of me to get my knowledge from that helps me stay concentrated and really be able to absorb the content. So I really enjoyed it and got so much inspiration from the variety of artists within it.

I loved this- because even though it’s not my kind of aesthetic- I think the images are so beautiful and classical. They make me feel really nostalgic- and I’m not sure why. I am really interested in searching for a little film camera to get some stuff shot and developed now I have a job and can afford to invest in some equipment ;)!!

All three of these classic Bauhaus style pieces obviously really excited me. I absolutely love the way these pieces look and feel- but at the moment am trying to stretch out my general scope of research because I get so stuck in awe of this era and the artists within it. But I am making a conscious effort to try and broaden what I consume and look at so I can become better informed by both what I like and dislike. I am starting to realise the importance of disliking things and understanding that that can greater inform your practice as well.

This piece I actually have on my wall After it was gifted to me for Christmas last year!

These are again- of a similar vibe- but I just get so excited when I see these images because I think the design is so good. Hahahaha.

I loved this photography work. It really interested me and reminded me how keen I am to experiment with photography when I get some of the equipment 😉
That’s definitely a goal for today (as I got payed) to look at Depop and try and find a bargain camera !

This reminded me of my boyfriends dads work which I really like, I think it’s the use of layers and colours that’s of a similar style.
I love this printed style of work and I am very interested in experimenting in that field In my future practice !

Another photography artist that I really love. These images are so gorgeous and again give me such a strong feeling of nostalgia. I think the rich black and white are so classic that the fall of the colour itself is art. I will definitely be buying some black and white film to experiment and create with.

Overall- this book was so exciting and inspiring for me and I am very glad I picked it up and read through! I plan to use these artists to inform where I go visually within the course ( with my limited resources) but also in the future in general.

Action plan and reflection

Today I began working in my sketch book again. So first thing I needed to do was to creat an action plan- which I did. The action plan was very useful in giving me direction and purpose for the day. I really enjoy doing a whole evaluation (of the project so far) every now and again so I can gain perspective of what my work has achieved and what I want to continue to aim for. So I did one of those.

I think a reflection always makes me feel more motivated but also more grounded in my ideas and the direction I’m heading.

Peer assessment over FaceTime

Yesterday we had a group meeting to discuss our progress and ideas and for others to help give constructive criticism and ideas to everyone else.

I found the meeting very useful and it felt really nice to be able to see what people had been up to. I also felt like being able to talk about my ideas was very useful because it helped get the ball rolling again in my mind. There’s something about vocalising you’re ideas that creates a spark again.

This was group crit of my blog. Which was very useful ;)!

What I came away from this meeting with was more inspiration and motivation to get cracking. I have also discussed some of my ideas so that informed my goals for today (which will be featured on the post after this). It gave me a feeling of structure which made me feel way more directed and it also gave me a little bit of happiness to see al my friends and class mates again after so long!!

A heart bath ritual

After not being able to see friends/ loved ones I had been left feeling super sad and deflated. Until I stumbled upon a woman online talking about her “heart bowls”

This was a lovely idea started by a woman who was experiencing heart ache. In which she created a little everyday ritual to acknowledge and offer her heart love through objects and intentions.

So I spent some time nurturing my own…

Which after I felt better- I eventually drained and fed the water to my garden whilst keeping the flowers that I’d put intention into to dry and be kept!

Collaborative Instagram page with people all over the world

One of my favourite artsy/ lifestyle Instagram page decided to do a lockdown project where they created an Instagram page and published the username and password so anyone could log-on and contribute to it. I loved this and was very keen to get involved. So decided to share a lovely picture of my bed with my Bauhaus posters above it and my cats sleeping together.

It made me feel very connected and happy to share.

So I logged into the account and shared this little snap of my room ;)!

Here are other things random people shared from all over the world …

International collaboration was so cool !

Books I’ve been reading

The thing I’ve been doing most of during this past month (when I’m not working) is definitely reading. Reading is my main passion and hobby and this time has been amazing in allowing me to throw myself into my books. I have order and structure in the way I read and document what I’ve read which related totally to this project.

I’ve read a total of 12 books in 4 weeks and it’s been lovely- A mixture of fiction and non fiction which have been mostly recommended by others or stumbled upon online.

(Also I buy my books very cheap and second hand on a site called “world of books” economically and environment friendly ;)))!

I have a tiny note book that I document all the books I’ve read in which month and also note down important quotes from each book (as I read a lot of non fiction)

Examples of the notes I keep from each book. Which keeps my thoughts ordered and makes it very easy to access information I think is the most important from each book

The first book I read at the beginning of lockdown which I really loved. It had been a long time since I’d read any fiction and this book was definitely the best one to begin with. The character development was so gorgeous alongside the beautifully executed description and build of plot. A massive 5/5 from me !

A second by sally Rooney because I loved her writing in “normal people” so much.
This book didn’t disappoint either- was totally as enthralling as the previous read and left me feeling very attached yet again to all of the characters inside. I would highly recommend Sally Rooney to everyone ! 😉

This was the third book i read during lockdown and was very good. I have been meaning to buy and read this book for a long time so it felt very full filling to finally absorb the knowledge and enjoy it for myself.

This is a fiction book that was recommended by the same person who gave me “normal people” and is a series of four novels- set in 1960s Naples and is about the nuances and evolution of the friendship between two young girls and is a series I absolutely adored!

This is the second book of the pervious series I mentioned and was even better than the first I thought. And evident in the fact that devoured both in days 😉

This is the next book I read which is a fictional novel written by the late poet and feminist queen Sylvia Plath and a book that made me very emotional. I absolutely adored this book too and felt very attached to both the plot and the characters as a lot of it is based on Plath’s life.

This was the next book I read and I think is fair to say the best so far. For me this book was such an influential and life changing read. I spent so much time completely emerged in all of the knowledge and studies within it. It is something that has absolutely changed the way I think and feel about everything. I spent days writing up and studying what this book had to say and have found all of the information breathtaking.

After such a long time I decided to re read one of my favourite authors because I felt really in touch with the mysticism of the world and needed Paulo to further in force that 😉 it was lovely to re read and felt very fitting for my emotional state at the time.

The fourth and final book of the series was gorgeous and felt very emotional to say goodbye to all of my favourite characters, the sights and smells of Naples ;)! Still- when I am still daydreaming in work, I often think about the characters and how they would respond to situations I’m in/ what it would be like to be with them. Which is more than a sign of a good book I recon 😉

This is one of my current books that I have had for a few months and have been keen to read for a while- and am currently very enthralled with it.

A book I have been dipping in and out for about a week!

The second book I am currently reading and sometimes I like a mixture of fiction and non fiction 😉

In the style of ON KAWARA

ON KAWARA is an conceptual artist who plays around with structure through many of his extended projects that mostly consist of him documenting particular elements of his life in a methodical, mathematical way.

I began to play around with this idea when documenting the time and date of my morning coffee each day. In an attempt to also begin a tiny extended project inspired by him. This is the beginning of it so far….

Order and structure during isolation

I’m someone who is very invested in creating order and structure for myself. Due to the fact that routine and small goals help my mental health and overall quality of life. So over the past month during lockdown I have got into a lively morning routine that makes me feel grounded in myself and some what fulfilled. Along side daily list making and organisation- I have quite a collection of little scraps of plans dotted around my house.

I thought these pieces of order would be interesting to document throughout the course of this project as the nature of what I am investigating I am also living. I have thought a lot about the essence of order and structure and what that means but ultimately I am person that thrives on some level of self made structure which in these uncertain times has proved to be a massive aid in survival for me.

Voltairine de cleyre- anarchist & revolutionary