Category: Professional Futures

At the moment I do not have an online artistic presence. I have been drafting up a website using Squarespace, and have been experimenting with different artist bios. In the process of drafting up my website and CV I’ve been having trouble knowing what to include in each. I see the CV as more of an all encompassing document that advertises all of my skills for future employers. Therefore the artist statement I have written feels a little more generic that that of my website. On the other hand, I am tailoring my website to only include personal works and creative ventures, and so my artist bio is a lot more specific. I feel that this is what I will do for now, using the website as an extension of the CV – i.e. something employers can review when looking over my CV. Thus the CV will include all my work, while my website will be more of a journal of ventures and commissions relevant to my personal practice. It makes sense to have a dedicated space for this that keeps a common theme – especially if I am to pitch ideas to conservation groups such as Citizen Zoo.

This website will hopefully be a place where people, or communities can track my artistic development as I intend to dedicate a section of it to blogging. As well as this, social media will play an important part. I have never been great at sharing my creations, and experimentations, but I plan to create a dedicated instagram account in which I will upload iterations of work on a regular basis, giving employers easy access to evidence of my practice. While I am not the biggest fan of social media, I have come across residencies that require you to post a link to your instagram, or facebook page. As a result I am trying to change the way I view instagram, using it as more of a work archive for professional reasons. As there are not endless opportunities to work creatively with conservation groups, I assume I will need to be proactive about approaching them with ideas. This will require a strong conceptual basis to work from, as well as an ability to secure relevant funding. This would most likely be the case in regards to Citizen Zoo. I have also started thinking about a project involving meadows – an outdoor installation in Warren Farm in South London, owned by the National Trust.

In terms of website building Square-space seems fairly limiting, but given the time constraints of the hand-in I will have to use it. Past this deadline I will customise this further, possibly even hiring a website designer to assist me. But maybe this is something that I might do once I have more work in my portfolio. I also intend to upload my work to UAL’s online showcase. A friend of mine is the CEO of a charity called ALALA, that helps various communities in Africa install sustainable water wells, tanks, and dams in order to provide sanitised water sources. Earlier this year he worked on a project with the Maasai in Tanzania. During his time there he used a handheld recorder I’d lent him to take a bunch of field recordings. I intend to turn this into a soundscape composition that might be featured on ALALA’s website with permission from tribe members. If so, I would hope to reach a wider community of people through the charity’s outreach, to demonstrate the power soundscape composition can have to shed light on indigenous cultures and the problems they face in our increasingly modernised world.

In the last lecture with Dawn we brainstormed what opportunities felt relevant to each of us. During this exercise I was able to synthesise all opportunities I had been exposed to into a single working document. They are as follows:

1. Sound Design/ Composing/ Experimental Super 8 filming – for documentary film Travone Quarry – paid work from received funding, applied for by director,
2. Internship at Institute for Post-Natural Studies (IPS) – inquire? – possibly developing mytho-poetic ecological workshops in future.
3. Masters in Art & Ecology at Goldsmiths.
4. Email Claire Singer about potential composition workshops 
5. Reach out to members of Rewilding initiative Citizen Zoo to create a Sound map of Tolworth Court Farm Fields – Applying for funding to carry out (Arts Council?)
6. Dyski x Zennor Sounds Residency
7. Visual arts Summer Residency in South of France

I think the main challenge for me right now is knowing which ones to prioritise. I feel at a bit of a crossroads in terms of decision making due to varied interests. I have a desire to continue research and make sound works surrounding ecological matters, but I am not sure I am ready to dive straight into education again. I would need to also raise money to pay for any related tuition fees, that I don’t have at the moment. Despite this, I still feel that my artistic practice isn’t grounded or tangible enough yet. A Masters in Art & Ecology at Goldsmiths has stood out to me as an opportunity to make more sense of things.

Aside from this I would also like to develop my composition skills, and have even considered doing a post-graduate in music or music-related degree. Claire Singer, during our visit to Union Chapel, mentioned some potential composition workshops utilising the chapel’s organ which sounded interesting. I am yet to email her, but intend to once I have finished submitting my Major Project. The obvious thing to do is to bridge the gap between my creative practice and my growing interest in ecology, creating a cohesive bubble of work. I feel unsure of how to do this at such an early stage in my career however. I feel that any imminent decisions I make will characterise the kind of work I can pursue afterwards, whether it be academic, sound-based, or musical. Whatever 3 I choose to write about in the appraisal, there is one thing I am certain of – I will need to learn how to effectively divide my time up between multiple projects of varying natures.

Two artists whom I draw a lot of inspiration from is KMRU and Hildegard Westerkamp. Both use their compositional work as extensions of activistic and philosophical writing, and vice versa. Reading many of Westerkamp’s essays on her website has given me deep insight into her field recording philosophy and has changed the way I approach it. I find that her soundscape compositions become inseparable from her writing once experienced together.KMRU’s work on the other hand encompasses ambient composition, installation, video, and performing. Much of his compositional work is accompanied by activistic writing, with ecological and geo-political undertones. The way he has synthesised many different practices under one moniker is admirable, and inspiring. As an extension of both my major project and my dissertation this year, I have started creating a personal brand of theory in regards to soundscape composition – that which pertains to ecological ‘mytho-poetics’ and our imaginal modes of thinking. I am still early on in these ideas. Taking inspiration from both KMRU and Westerkamp I hope to publish both sound-works and essays that go hand-in-hand with one another. I plan on keeping an academic style blog, that I can include in my artist website.

(Beneath the Forest Floor (1992) for 2-channel audio by Hildegard Westerkamp, commissioned by CBC Radio for Two New Hours Radio premiere: May 17, 1992, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Toronto, Ontario, Canada – Length: 17:23) – This piece ,and its accompanying write up, stands as a good example of how I would like to frame my future compositions. It “is composed from sounds recorded in old-growth forests on British Columbia’s westcoast. It moves us through the visible forest, into its’ shadow world, its’ spirit; into that which effects our body, heart and mind when we experience forest.” – https://www.hildegardwesterkamp.ca/sound/comp/2/ForestFloor/

Today’s lecture with Steve Taylor was very useful and shed some well needed light on areas regarding managing finances. It framed making a living as an artist through the lens of managing of business. As a working artist himself, Steve encouraged creating multiple revenue streams. Some suggestions he made that seemed relevant to my practice included: Synch Agencies/ Workshops/ Music/ Field Recordist/ Residencies/ Film Composition. I have released music through a small record label called Chillghost, and intend to continue to in the future. While not much, this generates a small amount of income, largely from Spotify streams. I have thought about self-releasing too via Bandcamp, or Boomkat, and even Spotify – now having become somewhat acquainted with the process. Access to essential play-listing contacts is where Chill-ghost comes in handy however. Teaching is another profession I have thought to do part time, either in violin, or perhaps music technology basics – having now drawn up and delivered a workshop to 50 children at the Pembroke Academy of Music, using launchpads and midi controllers. Over and above this, I will be applying to residencies that would allow me to continue my soundscape composition practice, and hope I might even generate some revenue from this too. Working as a freelance sound designer and composer will hopefully be another source.

We talked about the differences in approaching personal projects and working in service of others. I.e. Setting your own brief (personal creative practice) vs a brief given by creative industry. I have gotten into disagreements in the past, especially with film directors, when trying to assert my own creative aesthetic. Steve’s advice however reminds me that when working in service of other’s projects it is sometimes best to let them lead. But in the past this has resulted in strained compositions. I think such experiences have an impact on the quality of work I output. Working in a conventional studio setting then, much like those that offer creative music & sound design for broadcast, branding, game and film, seems a little daunting. I would much rather have the creative freedom to choose which projects to work on. Though I know this is a luxury that normally comes from having already been in the industry for a while, after gaining access to key gatekeepers, and enlarging your accessible network. I already have a good working relationship with a director, with whom I am due to work on a documentary. His approach to film-making is quite collaborative, and as a result I am given full freedom to materialise the audio in the way I see fit. This is an ideal opportunity, and hopefully might lead to more of a similar nature. Nevertheless, I do understand what more traditional sound roles entail, and have experience whereby the main objective is to bring about someone else’s precise vision. Ive gathered that presenting myself as a service will be important in order to continue my work as an artist.

Steve mentioned a term called ‘Value Proposition’: a clear statement that outlines the benefits one brings through services they offer, highlighting what makes them unique and appealing to a specific target market or audience. This would mean letting the client definition lead your proposition – If so, then a value proposition would be quite changeable dependent on the opportunity applied for, as I understand it. What problems can my practise/ expertise/ skill can solve for others? Ecological outfits seem like relevant bodies to write value-propositions for. Creating immersive, narrative experiences for such organisations is something I already have experience in. Using my skills attained as a composer, recordist, and sound designer I believe I can make activities and findings of conservation groups accessible to the wider public.

The most important thing I think that needs doing, post graduation, is setting myself up as a sole trader/ freelancer. Combining this with an artist website will allow me to start forging a more public/ online presence. According to Steve, this is as simple as registering with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) as self-employed and completing a Self Assessment tax return. This involves choosing a business name, providing personal details to HMRC, and establishing a business bank account. ‘Thoughtsarelikebirds’ is a creative moniker I have been using for a while, and could be a name for a business, or collaborative studio that I set up in the future. Though this would be primarily be in regards to my own personal practise, rather than any commissioned sound design or composing gigs. For now perhaps I will then stick to using my name.

Another important part of this process is submitting an annual tax return. This would require learning to do bookkeeping and documenting financial records, but will save money from using an accountant. Therefore it will be important to keep a record of everything I spend money on that’s related to my business activities, and keep a list of all the expenses. As I have learnt today, this can be done using a spreadsheet or software like Quickbooks, Freshbooks or Xero to document income and expenses. I have also learnt that whenever you buy something business related you can deduct it from your annual profits – and this then reduces the amount of tax one pays. A useful thing to know in regards to work expenses. Submitting an annual tax return and paying your tax on government gateway is also an easy process: All you need to do is take the figure of your turnover (everything you earnt in the year) and stick it in the box in the form. Then take total expenses (everything you spent in the year) and stick it in the other box in the form. Nice and easy! Last top tip of the day provided by Steve was to get public liability insurance if working in a space that other people could be in. I’m not sure how this applies to my practise yet, but is certainly handy to know.

A Useful List of Work Related Expenses

• Travel
• Hotels 
• Electricity bills 
• Powered use of home 
• Membership/ software subscriptions/ updates 
• Professional development / Courses 
• Therapy – business coaching 
• Materials 
• Workshop hire
• Clothing 
• Tickets for gigs – research
• Fuel/ Petrol
• Specialist input/ mentoring 
• Expertise Help 

A few days ago we visited organist, cellist, and composer Claire M Singer at her workplace, and venue, Union Chapel. It was a very insightful visit as it allowed us to gain direct insight into the life of a working, successful artist. Her work with the church’s organ, and her focus on its varying timbres, harmonic tones, overtones and textures as opposed to its pure function in traditional classical music, helped her garner enough attention through writing minimal style experimental albums and scores. Her mention of a performance with Chris Watson at her festival ‘Organ Reframed’ was super interesting, as it shed some light on techniques of I might be able to perform with field recordings – using multichannel diffusion. As well as this her experience with film composing was insightful too. As someone who has composed scores for a few short films, mainly using either orchestral plugins, and/ or recordings of myself iteratively a studio setting, it was helpful learning how much it costs to hire an orchestra such as the London Contemporary Orchestra. (A few 1000 pounds for 30mins to an 1hour!!). While a little expensive, she advised to apply for various funds that could cover these costs. Citing her experience, she told us of how she managed to secure £50,000 of funding, most of which she used to hire musicians and pay for film-related overheads and expenses. A period in her life she claims was more a creative investment than one of financial security. It is worthy to note that once such funding is attained, it is up to the artist to effectively portion it out – for e.g. knowing how much to pay oneself from a fund to cover living costs.

She struck me as someone consistently active in the arts, working as a musician, teacher and workshop facilitator before her recent success. One might say that her experience with union chapel’s organ was serendipitous, having acquired a part time job at the chapel at a time when the organ was not in use. But her dedication to the instrument and consistency is certainly what manifested her current recognition and accomplishments. I remember her recalling staying in the chapel to play the organ until 3am every night. Here we see an example of an artist with an evolving practice, who over time became more and more grounded in the ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘who’, when’ and ‘where’s of her practice. Something that she learned experientially.

Some other key takeaways from Claire included information on copyright law, i.e. PRS and MCPS. Acquiring membership to PRS would allow us to be paid royalties when our works are broadcast on TV or Radio, performed or played in public, and streamed or downloaded. MCPS on the other hand enables us to gain royalties when works are copied as physical products (i.e. CDs and DVDs), streamed or downloaded, or used in TV, film or radio. She also pointed us towards the funding body ‘Arts Council’ – after checking out their website I found their ‘Developing your Creative Practice’ fund, in which one can apply for up to £12,000. This is something I am considering to apply for help source new equipment, masterclasses, and mentors, in relation to my field recording and composition practice. Deadlines to apply are the 22nd May.

I’ve been reading “Analysing Artists’ Continual Professional Development (CPD) in Greater Manchester: towards an integrated approach for talent development” – A Report by Alison Slater, Amanda Ravetz and Kwong Lee, linked in Moodle, to get a better understanding of making a living as an artist. As part of the research undertaken in this report, participants were asked to chart their career progression as an artist on a graph – x axis representing ‘time in career’ and y axis measuring ‘amount of success’. The findings have shown that, for those involved, artist careers can “soar then plunge, they can plateau-out; tail off or be kick started” (Slater, Ravetz and Lee, 2013). There seems to be no ‘one glove fits all’ in terms of career progression and complicates the aid artists might need in grounding their practice in real opportunities. There is truth in this – in that progression in the arts looks different for different people, but there are steps one can take to increase their possibility of success.

The term ‘artist development’ is used throughout the report, and points to anything that assists artists in developing and establishing their career. With the plethora of funding bodies that award grants to artists in the early stages of their career, I feel like I am at no loss for opportunities – as long as I maintain a cohesive and consistent artistic practice as evidence of something to build on. ‘Continual Professional Development’ is a second term used in this report and points to the more long-term and formal aspects of continued progress. My problem with this is that progress, for me, does not always feel linear. Even this year I have branched out from composition to experimental videography, workshopping, and installation. I also intend to release music in the future. My interests are diverse and it sometimes feels hard to know exactly where I stand in any given moment. I realise this can come across as confusing to awarding bodies. While some of these mediums are employed to deliver a similar theme, my interests and creative compulsions are diverse and sometimes spontaneous. Holistically speaking, I feel like a lot of my work exists in the same bubble, as I naturally gravitate towards ecologically informed art. Yet, I worry that sometimes it might not seem that way to others. Learning to compartmentalise these different interests of mine is an ongoing process, but one that I feel will ultimately ensure greater success.

Diversifying income is an attractive way of making a living, though I realise it does not come without hard work and financial instability. Yet I feel this method would give me the most freedom to satisfy my divergent urges. The report states that “Some artists do not see their practice as a career at all; others see it as a secondary career that sits alongside a primary occupation that provides a more reliable income” (Slater, Ravetz and Lee, 2013). Differentiating between ‘career’ and ‘vocation’ is tricky sometimes. I aim to seek out opportunities that can allow for the two to overlap. Nevertheless, I also intend to set up as a sole trader/ freelancer, hoping this might open up opportunities to work more traditional sound roles on film sets, or even in studios, etc. This seems like a good way to prop up my creative practice, as any skills acquired from such jobs will be directly transferrable to any personal sound-work.

Artist participants were also asked by the report’s researchers to rate in order of importance various activities in relation to their creative and professional development. The most highly rated were mentoring (received from other artists with more experience) + Networking (both with other arts professionals/organisations/galleries, etc, and other artists). I have experienced this directly this year, having Mark Peter-Wright as my tutor. I am somewhat familiar with his work, and our tutorials have been great sources of inspiration and information to my soundscape composition and field recording practice. Having someone more experienced and established in their practice help make sense of my thoughts has helped me focus my creative efforts with more efficiency. Previously I have forged my own creative path, without seeking the help of others – and this has felt a little isolating. To continue seeking such mentorship outside of university I will reach out to other artists whom I admire, as well as stay in contact with certain lecturers. Attending a field recording trip to London Wetlands earlier this year, organised by Adam Stanovic, put me in contact with many other environmentally interested student sound artists with whom it has been a comfort to share ideas and compositions with. As well as this, remaining confident and open to networking with organisations is something I feel I am already doing, especially in regards to Citizen Zoo, as mentioned in the previous blog post.

Gatekeepers, according to the report, are also supposedly instrumental to the success of an artist. In the context of the art world I understand this term to refer to individuals or institutions that control access to resources and opportunities. Clearly then, networking with such figures is important. I feel however, as if this does not come so naturally to me, having a fairly creatively independent nature. As well as this, currying favour for favour’s sake is an unattractive notion to me. Without being naive, I do realise how far such relationships can go. I have tended in the past to take the approach – “if I do well enough the work will speak for itself!” – unfortunately I am learning this is not always the case – especially in a society overrun by burgeoning creatives. Consciously tapping into a more sociable nature will be important post graduation.

I have thought to create my own studio outfit, in order to continue my practice sustainably, and offer work to various other bodies. But it feels too early on in my newfound creative ventures to do so. I need more time to fully conceptualise the ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘when’, ‘how’, ‘where’ and ‘who’s’ of my career. I am somewhere along the line in answering all these questions, but I need more time for them to fully fruit. Reaching out to arts organisations for advice, mentoring, and residencies for the time being will be a priority.

Bibliography

Slater, A., Ravetz, A. and Lee, K., 2013. Analysing artists’ continual professional development (CPD) in Greater Manchester: Towards an integrated approach for talent development. Manchester: Castlefield Gallery Publications.

Over the last two years my aspirations have taken a pretty sharp turn. Where once I primarily identified as a music producer, my interest in ecology and philosophy has led me towards an increasingly multidisciplinary creative practice. I guess I might say that the weight of creative solipsism became a little unbearable, and ultimately unfulfilling, at some point in my time on this course. Dreams I’d had for quite some time started to seem less a reflection of my inner values, but more some externalised projection of what I thought would bring me praise. A constant reminder to make the ego a lesser player in my endeavours, I believe, has allowed me to surrender somewhat to a mode of creativity that feels more in service to the world around me. Synthesising a thirst for knowledge of the ecological, with my desire to manifest a personal creative aesthetic seems to be the mission I am currently on.

I am still only at the beginning of something that I hope to potentially make a life-long vocation. The pressure to acquire a ‘job that pays the bills’ looms over me, and I realise the necessity in having to partake in the capitalist game. But ultimately fulfilment for me will never come from a pay check. I’ve discovered over the course of this year, that I have some pretty strong opinions in relation to ecological philosophy and psychology. Something I thought I’d never enjoy is writing. But, dare I say it, writing has been one of my most enjoyable components of this academic year!! And its become a practice that I am normally now able to meet without internal resistance, as opposed to the creative aspect that has been a little torturous!! I find I create best from a place of intuition and needing to intellectualise every creative decision has been the source of a lot of this year’s stress. Written ideas have come to me a lot more organically. Not only that, but they have allowed me to muddle through foggy thoughts, and gain clarity on long-held opinions that I have never been able to articulate. Many of my writing ventures inadvertently end up feeling like exercises in self discovery to some extent.

Without making this blog post some long, personal journal entry, I suppose I should provide some concrete examples of my influences and aspirations. After graduating (fingers crossed) I would like to pursue opportunities that allow me to combine both musical/ soundscape composition with ecological writing. Translating more-than-human aesthetics into accessible essay writing is something I have focused on a great deal this year academically, and any residencies, or commissions that allow me to further this would be especially satisfying. I have been volunteering with Citizen Zoo, a Re-wilding initiative, for the last 2 years, and the possibility of working together creatively has arisen in conversation quite a few times in the past. I have plans to reach out to them in the summer to create a sound-map of Tolworth Court Farm Fields, an area they have ecologically restored for quite some time now. I intend for this to be featured on their website, hopefully changing people’s conception of the area, and galvanise more of them to volunteer with Citizen Zoo. I quite like the idea of working with people – whether it be workshops, collaborative compositions, or interactive experiences – a stark contrast to my previous custom as a music producer and songwriter.

While composition is still my primary medium, field recording has also become central to my developing practice. An instrumental experience in guiding my aspirations was an internship held with the conservation team at Wadhurst Park last July – August. While here, I was given full freedom to roam around 800ish acres of ecologically restored land, field recording for hours on end every day. I was given access to accommodation, TIFF maps, and even a buggy, allowing me to engage with the land in a very intimate way. This culminated in a 40 minute soundscape, a written report, and a presentation to a panel of environmental experts in London. During my time here I cultivated a rigorous field recording practice that has benefited me to this day. I made strides during this internship in my knowledge regarding soundscape ecology. Spending so much time every day listening to katydids in meadows, birdsong, and may other aspects of the park’s biophony and geophony got me thinking a lot about noise pollution as well as animal phenomenologies. While it didn’t seem clear at the time, this experience has had a huge influence on both this year’s dissertation and creative projects.

I owe, in part, my success in securing this internship to my audio paper on animal communication and acoustemology the year before. While nothing mind-blowing, the synthesis of immersive sound, ecological philosophy and animal sound-making and perception really impressed the team at Wadhurst. This audio paper was the result of a year being immersed in the works of eco-philosopher Arne Naess, biologist and writer David George Haskell, author and researcher Karen Bakker, and composer and sound-ecologist Hildegard Westerkamp. This came at a time where I’d started making a conscious decision to distance myself from a very individualistic musical practice, and is a phase which I owe a lot of my current success to. In particular, Naess’ ‘The Ecology of Wisdom’ gave me much insight that has had a profound impact on my professional trajectory. This current year has seen me extend my research into the phenomenological discipline of both Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Edmund Husserl, as well as the theories of eco-philosopher David Abram, helping me contextually ground my practice in philosophy.

As well as field recording in an ecological context, the skills I have acquired from working on film sets as sound designer, location mixer, boom operator, and composer over the last few years have given me a strong starting point from which to seek other unrelated job opportunities that might ‘pay the bills’. A friend of mine has been working on a documentary about a quarry transformed into a ecological safe haven over the last few years. Having just secured a fair amount of funding for this, he has asked me to oversee the film’s sound design and composition. What’s been on my mind for quite a while now is how I can source income doing things that are, in some shape or form, aligned with my personal values. This gig is a close example of this.

I have considered post-graduate study to allow me to further develop the academic research I have undertaken this year, but I am not entirely sure what subject area will be best to do this in. As a result I have decided to postpone this for now.