I’m a project management trainer – and to keep my edges sharp I go see what other trainers are up to every once and a while. A little while ago I was in a session about Kolb Learning Styles. A bit schematic, but still interesting stuff – I turn out to have a distinct preference for learning by experimenting and doing. Big surprise! Which set me thinking about what all I’d want to experiment with and do as an artist. Which in its turn led to me making a bucket list during the day’s downtime. Here goes (in no particular order):

– have an article published in a paper about one’s work  V
– be part of an artist collective V
– do performances V
– go for arty walks
– be a curator V
– have work in a museum collection
– participate at an art festival V
– be a brand name
– be a socialite
– be critically reviewed in an art magazine
– do critical reviews of other people’s work
– participate in a group show  V
– do a residency
– have a patron
– be a patron V
– have a muse  V
– be a muse
– take part in a biennale
– have work in a private collection
– have a solo show
– have a retrospective
– be represented by a gallery
– win an art prize
– write an essay V
– publish an art book O
– have a popup art store
– participate in an art route/art trail  O
– get a masters degree V
– get a PhD
– be a fundraiser V
– have a weblog  V
– have a studio V
– have a studio visit

So far I score 13 out of 33:
– a newspaper article – a special in StreetNews (2010) ;
– artist collective: participated in ‘souvenir collective’ (2011, died a silent death);
– performances: a lot of street games (2010 – present);
– curator: for Tricking the Everyday (2011);
– four festivals – Museum Night (Enschede (2010); Hide and Seek – Sandpit (2012);  Into the Great Wide Open (2012); De Betovering (2013);
– three group shows: Expodium (Utrecht, 2010); Tricking the Everyday (Utrecht, 2011); Black Mask (Athens, 2012);
– be a patron: for Loes Glandorff who’s doing  Kleine Nomadische Atlas
– have a muse: Emma for a lot of play stuff
– one essay: MaHKU essay memory game (2010) published here:
– one masters degree: MaHKU (2010);
– fundraiser: Heilige Huisjes (2013 – present)
– blog: this one
– studio: built in 2012 from the money I earned doing teaching.

Not particularly bad. Not spectacularly good, either. Doing art is pretty hopeless, money-wise. If it wasn’t so much fun and so frustrating ……..Will I die happy  if and when I’ve ticked off every box? I’m willing to do some more experimenting – and have learned that I must be very specific in what I aim for. So on my list for 2014 are:
– one more newspaper article – written by someone else this time ;)
– one more festival – StatenIsland with Eveline from PLAYART
– some performances: play dates with Eveline from PLAYART
– participate in an art route – will apply for Kunst Kiezel Klei
– publish an art book – Dutch Mountains;
– write an essay – part of the Dutch Mountains book;
– be a curator – for Heilige Huisjes
– be a fundraiser – for Heilige Huisjes
– decide on the PhD issue – if and where and when and how?

Phew! Making a list is one thing, sticking to it is another. I reserve the right to creative unappropriateness – meaning that I will just mess around a lot.