Adventures in Thinking - Introduction: Reading and Writing

I Used to Hate Writing

When I started university, I had only written 1 essay. I was afraid of them and had managed to avoid them somehow. The thought of writing my dissertation loomed over my course, I was sure I was going to fail. Thankfully, I found some helpful essay writing guides (like 'The Good Study Guide' by Andrew Northedge, leftover from when my dad tried to do an Open University course many years ago). Also, I had to write a few shorter essays, which built up my confidence.

I spent weeks panicking about the topic of my dissertation, flicking through previous student's essays, circling the library and staring emptily at Microsoft Word. Eventually, I came to a topic I was tremendously passionate about, buried myself in the appropriate reading, and the words just spilt out of me. I got two marks off a first and a lot of really positive feedback about my work. I even found myself thinking I'd quite enjoy being an academic writer, like Charlotte Cotton or Fred Ritchin. You can read my dissertation and more in the post "Threads - Pt IV - Immersive Art".

Ever since I completed my dissertation, I've wanted to write more, I just didn't get the spark. 

As I've said, the last year I have focused mainly on learning. I am most of the way through my Maths GCSE, I am learning to program in C, I've been working my way through the Arduino Starter Kit, I recently picked up Blender, I've been reading large amounts about gardening, I still read the new scientist, I occasionally draw and paint, the list goes on. I've been trying my best to be like I was when I was at college, just doing things because they're interesting and I enjoy them.

Where to Start

Finally, I've come back round to the idea of writing essays. I don't know what about yet, but I want to read. Where to start? I'll begin with the most obvious places and work my way deeper. 

I went on the Waterstones website and I'm going to put together a wishlist from the following topics;

- Installation Art

- Electronic, Holographic and Video

- Theory of Art

- Product Design

I read a really good newsletter by Rebecca Green yesterday "An Intermission from Instagram", and it made me have a long hard think about how social media encourages shallow and superficial work. It's directed at keeping people scrolling, so it would be no good sending you on a rabbit hole into someone's website, or off the net completely into books. I've really missed the meatiness of academia, time to sink into a subject completely. I don't think I rely on social media too much, but I certainly could be pulling my finger out a bit more when it comes to finding good quality inspiration. So, on top of my wishlist of books, I'd like to create a directory of blogs, websites and forums to draw from.

I am friends with a number of artists on social media, yet I never find myself talking about art with them or anyone else for that matter. Where are these people talking? I need to track down some good forums, I miss sharing creative space with people.

If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears!