{"id":26434,"date":"2017-08-03T20:00:50","date_gmt":"2017-08-03T20:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/allaboutthefizzy.co.uk\/?p=26434"},"modified":"2017-08-03T20:09:53","modified_gmt":"2017-08-03T20:09:53","slug":"grayson-perry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allaboutthefizzy.co.uk\/index.php\/2017\/08\/03\/grayson-perry\/","title":{"rendered":"Grayson Perry"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the first Fizzy guest post, Nicci James describes the emotional impact of Grayson Perry. Nicci is an artist and you can find a snapshot of her work at niccijames.co.uk <\/a>So many levels of fizzy…<\/p>\n

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I am an artist. That is my response to the question \u201cSo, what do you do?\u201d It is what I call myself and will continue to call myself until I truly believe it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I like to think of myself as a \u201ccreative\u201d because I do creative things in a multitude of different hats (mostly figurative hats, sadly), but this label feels heavy sometimes. It carries an expectation to MAKE and PRODUCE and SHOW. \u201cCan I see your work?\u201d can be a terrifying question because it demands that you A: Have work which is B: \u201cgood\u201d -whatever that means- and is C: presented and available in a format that is readily accessible. I am forever procrastinating about presentation, because it doesn\u2019t come naturally. Being a visual artist, this is a key thing, and I find it frustrating to spend time presenting what feels like old work, when all I want to do is create new work. This has become a vicious circle resulting in very little new work recently.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I have been stuck.<\/span><\/p>\n

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And then I went to see Grayson Perry. <\/span><\/p>\n

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At\u00a0the Royal Geographic Society, Grayson Perry was invited to discuss his latest exhibition \u201cThe Most Popular Exhibition Ever!\u201d which is gray-cing (sorry!) the Serpentine Gallery this summer. I love hearing people talk about their work; but to listen to someone not only articulate themselves well, but put the audience at complete ease and laugh about the pretentious nature of the art world all in the same breath, whilst wearing what can only be described as a couture nappy: that was really something.\u00a0He was a true pleasure to listen to. This talk has some very important lessons for me about being an artist, things which give me hope. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Starting at the end, during the Q&A session, someone asked him if he has a lot of ideas and if he finds it easy to make work that he is happy with. Perry describes his work as \u201can exercise in controlled disappointment\u201d which I love! No idea can ever be as magical as it is in that first moment inside your head. He continued by describing his experience of having to \u201cwrench out every idea\u201d because really, \u201cif you\u2019re doing it right, it never gets easier\u201d. It is oddly comforting to hear someone who\u2019s work is so successful and well loved, voicing the same fears and describing the same challenges that I face on a daily basis. For Turner Prize winning Grayson Perry to say that <\/span>he, of all people, is just waiting for someone to find him out: that gives me hope. <\/span><\/p>\n

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On inspirations, Perry presented a wide range of imagery of things he loved including classical art, portraiture, folk art and social artefacts. One of the most interesting things was his use of other people\u2019s work to inform his own. One particular nude he adored featured a cat, and so naturally when developing his portrait for the exhibition, it had to feature his cat, Paul. Simple. As he talked about his work, it became clear that a lot of his decision making comes down to following what he feels like doing. He works with what inspires him in that moment, immersing himself in the materials, letting his unconscious take the lead in adding the layers of meaning. He is clearly a very curious person, interested in materials, people, relationships, society and the whys of the world. But in many ways his work is highly uncomplicated, it is concerned with the truth of things, the way of things. Even though his pieces can be incredibly meaningful when considered in context, his work doesn\u2019t take itself too seriously. It encourages you to laugh along with him as he adds the Waitrose van to his landscape. On visiting the exhibition itself later in the week\u00a0I was smiling to myself. To be able to have that sort of impact with art is a thing of dreams.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The first line of <\/span>The Most Popular Exhibition Ever<\/span><\/i>\u2019s blurb, describes Grayson Perry\u2019s desire as an artist to \u201cbring art to a wider audience, without dumbing it down\u201d. This hit me in the chest. It\u2019s funny the bodily response you have when you find people who voice what you\u2019re feeling too. I truly admire his interest in people. He isn\u2019t about creating serious art for serious art people. His art is open and approachable, not laced with impossible jargon or a meaning that\u2019s hard to decipher. The subject and themes he explores are familiar and relevant: masculinity, Brexit, teddy bears, community, cultural identity. This is probably one of the reasons he is so well liked. Perry doesn\u2019t care if you cry at the football or cry at the opera; your tears are valid no matter what you love, and his art is for you. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Possibly the most poignant advice he had was to remember that we are all a product of each other. We are all constructed identities, each of us only the tiny cherry on top of the giant layer cake that is humanity. He believes: if you want to have good relationships and be happy, find someone that impacts you. I feel like this outlook is reflected in his work. He isn\u2019t really making work for other people, he makes it because he must, and he uses the impact the world has on him, to make work which he puts out into the world. That is the most wonderful thing for me, he puts so much of himself into his pieces. You can feel his humour and wit sitting at the centre, waiting to make you laugh. It is not saying \u2018can you understand me? Are you clever enough to figure me out?\u2019 It is an open invitation to come and have a look, to be surprised by seeing something familiar and to enjoy the pieces for being beautiful objects that can make you laugh as much as anything else. <\/span><\/p>\n

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It\u2019s easy to hide away when you feel creatively strangled it\u2019s the worst thing you can do. The day of the Grayson Perry talk I was feeling so sad, and frustrated with life. After having a hard day at the day job, I had to force myself to get on the train because all I wanted to do was to go home and hide. I\u2019m so glad I pushed myself to go. It has been a reminder that life is always happening, and when you put yourself in the path of it, you find what you need. <\/span><\/p>\n

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To be gushy and fluffy, I\u2019m so grateful. I have found a mentor that I identify with, which is so important for me in this floundering space of unknowing. It has given me purpose to create, for my own sake, as well as maybe one day for others too.<\/span><\/p>\n

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