Gaining inspiration and learning from others who produce similar work and exist in the same field as you is important to professional development and building knowledge, skill and a community that informs your art.
I am influenced by the community of professional artists in the performance sector I seek to join and can look to them for guidance as I enter the industry as a performer and theatre maker. They make me hopeful for the exciting future that lays ahead!
Key Inspirations that I endeavour to meet and work with through residency opportunities and networking are Lil Wenker (a London based clown performer) and her journey as a solo theatre-maker and comedian. Forced Entertainment and their repertoire of experimental, collaborative productions, specifically their dramaturgical and devising style which has heavily impacted my creative practice as an artist and embracing the aesthetics of failure. Rebecca Solnit (an American author and activist) inspires my ethos towards my work and the change I hope to generate and create. The Guerrilla Girls (a feminist-female artist collective) inform and inspire my work as an activist and artist.
Another key mention to my current development and journey out into the industry is Luke Rogers. Luke came in to give a professional development talk about their experience leaving university and how their career has progressed, the steps they took and how to move forward. I admire Lukes courage leaving university and how Luke took the solo clowning piece, devised during their time at Chichester, workshopped it, then proceeded to tour it across venues in London. I reached out to Luke through email and have been met with warmth, support and advice for how to follow in their footsteps and who else is out their making work similar to me that I can surround and enrich myself with. Having Luke as a contact is a first step in making professional connections I can learn from and collaborate with as I navigate the future and its possibilities. Luke advised me on venues to contact, ideas to develop my clowning solo, fellow artists to be aware of and how to create a touring and marketing pack for my performance. I am keen to keep in touch with Luke, and am thankful for the guidance :)
