Going Your Own Sweet Way

Full of satisfaction and going your own sweet way

- Albert Camus

Camus came to me through The Fall. The Fall came to me through an interview
between Morrissey and Franz Ferdinand in the NME. Therefore through the NME
I found existentialism. Similarly, through MySpace I find… The world; the postgraduate world or an inbred artistic version of it.

I proposed this article to be an informative piece about my experiences as a recent graduate moving into "The real world" (what of it?). As I began
drafting it I realised how self involved it was and how self publicising it
had become. This highlighted the void that Art School had left: my peers had gone and with them my framework, motivation and support to make more art. Glasgow, being the vibrant "city of style" that it is, has arms to embrace the young artist, and the attitude that if they don't fit, well, just create your own.

The stability and support these galleries and studio networks provide is
never as solid or regular as that of an establishment. Like leaving the
parental home, leaving Art School creates a void. In order to practice as an artist (seriously?) I believe you have to get used to the lack of stability and the lack of certainty, especially when it comes to jobs and money but also when it comes to your work as an artist. This is why the galleries, pockets of studio spaces and venues that become meeting places are so important in supporting the artists and musicians of the city. It is here that you can be welcomed, supported and embedded, through casual
conversation and a friend of a friend. Like the original transition I
mentioned from NME to existentialism, through a friend of a friend…(who
knows?). These chance encounters, however unreliable and unpredictable they
might seem... it appears they are holding everything together.

This is where I come back to the original mention of MySpace, because these
encounters seem to mimic in real life the experience of browsing MySpace.
Despite its extensive and international network, I find myself repeatedly
coming full circle though the bands, artists and venues that make up the
cultural city of Glasgow. I wonder how this free exchange of ideas online
might alter the artistic world, as it has altered the musical world, and
whether it will make the transition from art graduate to artist a smoother, more reliable and more efficient one?

I'll admit it's early days. I'm only three months in; a fledgling when it
comes to being an artist (for real), but graduating isn't that bad, I'm free. Free to pay my taxes; free to sign on and free to feel like I want to be trapped. My immediate and reliable social network has dissolved and it's up to me to rebuild. Thank Rupert Murdoch for MySpace!