Monday, 19th June.

‘A language without words, where the mind must bow to instinct.’

Patti Smith, Devotion.

The time finally came around, ticking in fast & muffled like a severely caffeinated heartbeat! Welcome back to my informal blog, my diary & shopping list as a TAKT artist in residence. I’m looking forward to the series of reflections I’ll record here in my new room, which I share as my studio space.

Since returning to Dublin last September, I had set up creative base in the kitchen (thank you parents), and now abruptly, I’m changing my hub to another common domestic room, the bedroom. It’ll be interesting to see how my work transforms from what once was an additional parent, usually greeting me in the mornings over a cup of coffee, to another bunking sister.

I wonder if my work will penetrate my dreams as we share a room? I’m sure it will. So far my dreams have been vivid yet futile, as dreams do be, but mainly due to the Berlin humidity. Perhaps futile is a bit harsh… They are only dreams, existing just as they are. A liminal space that has an ever-changing tableau. But no gingko trees yet!

As mentioned on social media, motifs of the ancient ginkgo tree continue to follow me around Berlin. Revealing themselves in unexpected places. I feel as though I ought to include them as they reach out to me. I do feel quite lucky when the universe throws you cards of encouragement like persistent motifs or allegories. From briefly scrolling through the web, the gingko leaf has been said to symbolise longevity and perseverance as this breathing fossil survived the bombing of Hiroshima and is one of the oldest living & active trees on the globe. A universe’s wink must be honoured in some form! An homage is in order I say!!!

I just finished reading Patti Smith’s, Devotion, which I thought would be fitting as the legend herself gives insight into her creative process and how she embraces the - winks from the universe - into her writings. Although it teased a few of my questions regarding her writing practice, I’m still in awe of Smith’s mind. This book encapsulates the ’perfect presence’ and, to me, is an ode to meditation, in its many forms and intricacies.

The art scene over here has been quite overwhelming, similar to England in regard to the sheer enormity of it, but in Berlin it’s a lot more casual & accessible; from what I grasp. The overriding sense of sharing is a beautiful thing the Berliners do, whether it’s art, books, thoughts or shoes. A very welcoming city…

I visited the Egyptian and Uzbekistani exhibitions on museum island on Tuesday. Sketching ancient pots & ceramics. I will be debriefing my exhibition visits in my next instalment as my intentions for this post is but an introduction or a dip before the plunge.

My main goal for the next couple of months is to lean into the intuitive, and go to ‘where the mind must bow to instinct’. Capturing a looseness & becoming less precious with my paintings and to in turn hopefully create a new body of work. With saying that though, the main goal is to keep my sanity and persist with a kindness to myself as I sit in the creative tank. The creative process is a tumultuous experience, as my fellow comrades will know, a state of simultaneous catabolic & anabolic reactions. I might be a feral hermit when I return to Ireland but sure I’ll probably be great craic & perhaps more insightful!

This blog will continue on a fortnightly basis but there are no regulations to its length, whether its shape consists of paragraphs or images, much like a shopping list it changes to accommodate my needs! So bread, milk & eggs might look different every entry… little square eggs.

But yes to finally reiterate, I am NOT a writer which you can probably grasp from this shallow lens into my experience but this belongs to me!

Let the battle commence.