May Recap

It’s always interesting to look back at my calendar for the month just gone, to see what was achieved (and what fell by the wayside) but to also consider the pivotal moments that weren’t marked on any to-do list. May was one of those classic months that progressed forward in spite of itself. The record will show performances, workshops, book festivals, podcast recordings and a holiday to a trendy location; it will not chronicle broken bones, hospital visits, social work meetings nor any evenings of mental anguish. I think, as a society, we are worse off for this omission.

We are always editing ourselves for success. Particularly in the age of social media it is exceptionally easy, and even expected, to post your highlights without any reference to the turmoil that will no doubt be surrounding them - like flagpoles protruding from a dense fog. From the christmas card with the perfectly posed family photograph to the instagram carousel of poolside candids and culinary snapshots, we are all curating our own brand for public consumption.

This feels especially insidious in the world of art. Aren’t we creating our work to connect with our fellow humans? Don’t we create pieces that explore the shared flaws of humanity in order to close the distance between ourselves and the world? That seems at odds with the idea of the artist as a conveyor belt of unflappable success. It also sets a paradigm for future artists looking to break into the industry - prioritise how it looks, not how it feels.

We often talk about climbing the ladder in relation to our careers, the implication being that we learn new skills, gain experience then move up a rung in importance, prestige and pay. ‘Success’ in the arts, bluntly defined by the metrics of audience size and income, is not so much climbing a ladder as winning a dressing-up race. Those best equipped to masquerade and most committed to presenting their personal brand are often afforded seats at the top table. But what has any of that got to do with art? What does it have to do with dedication to craft? What does that have to do with connection? With the endless soul searching needed to explore the innermost desires of the human condition?

Maybe we should be more suspicious of those who are so desperate to present themselves as unassailable and share only what makes them appear conventionally successful. Instead we should demand our artists share the entirety of their calendars - the listless days spent regretting their shortcomings, the nights wracked with envy, the emotional landmines buried around the terrain of their personal life waiting to explode in a chorus of trauma. Maybe then we can remember that art is for bringing us solace and creating connections, not about winning an invisible race we never asked to enter.

Where can you find me in June?

12th June
I’ll be hosting the latest edition of Speakeasy Stirling, a night of poetry, comedy and music in the heart of the city.

LINEUP
Adam Ross (Music)
Stuart McPherson (Comedy)
Jo Gilbert (Poetry)
Ifrah Qureshi (Comedy)

Tix: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/creativestirling/2221617

Work in Progress

Every month I aim to share a bit of work in progress. This could be a poem, a section of a play or just a snippet of writing I find interesting. This month’s is a piece of poetry about one of my thematic preoccupations, climate change, and in particular the concept of Shifting Baseline Syndrome - the idea that each generation perceives their environment as the normal baseline for humanity despite its degradation and loss of wildlife. Our short lifespans making it impossible to fully appreciate the impact of the loss around us.

From the Archive

Released ten years ago, my collaboration with The Sea Kings ‘Glasgow Overture’.

Thanks for subscribing to my newsletter, please feel free to let me know if you enjoyed it and would like to see more/less of anything in particular. I’ll be back with another update next month but in the meantime you can follow me on social media @kevinpgilday - with instagram being where I’m most active nowadays.

‘I have walked through many lives,
some of them my own,
and I am not who I was’
Stanley Kunitz, The Layers

Cheers,
Kev x