During this weeks workshop, we had visiting lecturer and art director Marc Atkinson come, to present and do a creative workshop-skills task with us all, as a group.
The workshop began, by an introductions to Marc, as a person & as an Agent himself. But then swiftly and efficiently, we began to delve into the preparation task we were given - prior to the workshop - of viewing each agency platform, supplied - View the work and their descriptions, begin to wrote notes for each site - considering style, language, length, audience - describe them in your own three words - in order to go through them, compare and discuss our notes - within the workshop - which we did!
We went round everybody in the group, giving their own opinions on each source, and it was really beneficial to gain/and hear everybody's opinion - as 'an audience' as a preference towards descriptive writing and published work on platforms!
Narrowed down into three words, the overall view of the group - towards descriptive writing/ agency sites were; Professional, Clear, Refined.
Examples in my note book of the different supplied sources, and answers to the given questions, including personal notes, taken from them.
Further notes, and sources.
Marc's Workshop 24/10/19, depicted above - are of all the workshop notes written this week , across both pages (Left and Right).
Marc then gave us a three part descriptive writing task to complete within the allotted time left for the 3-hour workshop (i, ii, iii, images referenced below);
Exercise one (i); This task was to group together with two or three peers within the group & follow the steps on the provided sheets.
This task was almost a small peer critique/review of your current practice, going through each member of the small group - showing an example of your work , and briefly analysing the work itself and your practice - This task was in order to do speak aloud and explain another peers practice to the whole group - but to mainly take BRIEF notes on a piece of work and the artist - in order to verbally show to give an example of how another artist would view and describe their work (another opinion/direction/ or view on your work, that you may not have had?) - Quite a good exercise, and it was also nice to work with other peers in the group and see what other people are up too - and all the different styles, skill levels and methods their are in this group!
Exercise Two (ii); was a personal project now - to work alone - and give yourself the chance to explain - however detailed - your own project and what it is you do as an artist.
Personally, I did try to be as brief as I thought I could have been when it came to my practice, and explaining in words what it is i do. But, when it was all written down on paper, it appeared in words to look quite over-whelming - especially for just a description. Which was referring ideas from the very first task we did in the workshop, of going through agency sites and what we thought was good and both bad about the information they had up. in order to describe the work and the artists, red flags began flying - as I was doing the same, and writing down and documenting too much information for a personal artistic description. ( OF COURSE , their is nothing wrong with writing in-depth, but generally, I think for a description of work - BEFORE a body of text, you should try keep it s quick and as brief as possible, in order to hook the reader or audience ) - This was -Overall- a fantastic task as, it was really beginning to open my eyes in to descriptive writing and the way I - as an independent artist with a website and Social Media platforms - and how i ca now, begin to look at my work in a different light.
Finally, Exercise Three (iii); We were then given the final task of refining our previous exercise (thankfully) , and producing a short artistic description of my personal creative practice.
Overall, I was really pleased with the description i produces towards the end of the workshop, and the overall body of written work I produced today. These three tasks have really opened my eye to the refinement and the professional elements of descriptive writing - especially when uploading and publishing my work online/exhibiting. Which, I believe I will use, now and throughout my practice from now on as it is a great skill to have, and use within my own practice. A really worthwhile workshop with Marc!
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