The Perth Report
So this week I’ve been in Perth, well, since Monday at least.
Ostensibly, I’m here to teach a workshop that’s running on Saturday and Sunday, but like any trip I always try to find a few extra things to set up.
This trip I was able to find a few more opportunities to keep myself busy.
On Wednesday I was an industry speaker at a TAFE which was a nice little paid job. Also on Wednesday I attended a photobook club and really enjoyed chatting to makers in Perth.
On Thursday (today) I had a few meetings and will be at another art community event this evening.
Friday (tomorrow) I have another meeting and some calls.
What I’m trying to do in each of these meetings or calls is either put my best foot forward for work (workshops, residencies, partnerships, exhibitions) or discuss how one-off collaborations could turn into a second, or even ongoing collaboration.
At times it feels like there’s a lot of waiting. I can’t force partnerships to happen faster - good collaboration happens at the speed of trust. And that’s ok, but it means when I look back on my week I think ‘huh I did a lot of chatting, and not much else…’ but the chatting has value.
Western Australia has a lot of potential for there to be more creative publishing happening here and, if that grows, so to do the opportunities for me to teach, publish and sell.
Similarly, discussions about exhibiting rarely end with the promise of an exhibition, but talk through good ideas enough times and something will come. Maybe not this time, but at a point!
Perth’s a nice place. My girlfriend grew up in Perth and, in a way, it’s never far from conversation. I think we’ve discussed whether we’d ever move here for a bit and, on this trip, I could see that being a lot of fun. At the same time, it’s also not something that’s likely. I walking around the north of Perth or Fremantle, it’s pretty nice, good folks, good energy!
Looking forward, one of the main metrics that will help me decide if I need to go back to my day job next year is what opportunities I have lined up. I think it’s possible that I can line up about a month or two’s worth of work in WA for 2025. That would be a significant win and, if things go well, it would provide a lot of benefits: exhibiting, creating new work, paid education opportunities and a chance to continue to grow connections/speaking and selling opportunities here in WA.
I’ve also been in discussions with a few people about growing my business further. I’m excited that this will be happening and please look out for that in early 2025. I’ll keep it hush hush for now but I think now is a good time to level up some of what we do at Tall Poppy and grow further.
Finally, I’m reminded of a conversation I had a few years ago with a printer I use. I was down that day and feeling very caught between the life I wanted to live - more art more freedom - and my reality - working with the most oppressively toxicly positive person I’ve ever met, just suffocating, micromanaging, control freaky, ugh. The printer I use is a very softly spoken and calm guy, not one given to big proclamations. He said something I’ve taken to heart ‘no one ever is able to split it forever, and when you make the jump to full time art work, give yourself a year’. He went on to elaborate that he had seen so many people need 12ish months to make the transition and succeed.
On weeks like the past few I’ve had I can see the wisdom there: there are good opportunities and paid work, but some patience is required :)
It’s been a good week, a good few weeks. There’s been so much travel and I’ve enjoyed it, but I’m ready for some rest I think.
Till next week