Here be … course materials

So my course materials have arrived.  It turns out they include a copy of the incredibly heavy set text, which in a fit of enthusiasm I had already ordered from Waterstone’s.  I hope postage costs are covered in their internet returns policy.

The first half of the course takes the Maria von Trapp approach to history of art, starting with ancient Greek art and working forward (yes, I know Greek art isn’t actually ‘the very beginning’ – humour me!)  Seeking inspiration for my poem a week challenge I did some reading on Keats’ ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’.  On the upside, by the wonder/time sucking hole that is Wikipedia links I actually ended up learning quite a bit about Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns before even starting the official course reading.  Down side – no actual poetry written yet.

I have a long weekend this weekend, Friday and Monday off work, so I’m hoping to get properly started on some coursework and find time for some writing too.

 

Photography and Poetry

So my on-going deliberations on photography versus creative arts for my degree topic go something like this:

Creative Arts:

• I’ve always been interested in work around the line between visual poetry and textual art, doing a mix of photography and writing would allow me to explore this further;
• I like the idea of exploring photography as a story telling medium alongside written stories;
• Having formal writing courses as part of my degree would potentially give more options down the line if I am looking to change careers, for example leading writing workshops;
• My writing output has been dwindling for a long time now, the formal discipline of course work might be the push I need to get back to some serious creative work.

Photography:

• My writing output has been dwindling for a long time now, photographic work is my go to place for creative expression just now, perhaps it is best to study where my interests currently lie;
• I have good literary knowledge, experience of honing my writing in a challenging creative group and know several accomplished writers who I can turn to for advice, I don’t have the equivalent foundation in photography which is why I am drawn to formal study to build this up; perhaps I am best focusing on gaining as much skill and knowledge as possible in that one targeted area;
• Having a dedicated degree would potentially be useful for a future career change focusing on photography.

One thing that strikes me is that I don’t need to do a course of study to get back into the discipline of writing and if I can’t get back into the discipline of writing doing a course that depends on this is not a good idea.  So I have set myself a goal to write a poem a week responding to the work that I am studying for my Art History course.  Even when I was producing more regular work I was never good at ‘writing to order’ so this will definitely be a challenge.  On the other hand looking back over my archives I was struck by just how many of my poems were inspired – directly or more obscurely – by pieces of art so if I can do it on any topic it might be this one.  I might publish some of these poems here, when and if, I think they’re good enough to see the light of day but I’m not committing to publishing every one.  For the moment, on top of doing my actual coursework, that’s a step too far.

Western Art

So I have taken the plunge and signed up for my first Open College of the Arts course.  I spent quite some time studying the degree information and going back and forth between doing a Photography degree or the Creative Arts programme, mixing up creative writing and photography.  Eventually I decided I still wasn’t sure and should just launch in and see how it goes.

The one thing I know for sure is that I want to improve my theoretical understanding of visual arts to help improve my photography.  In writing, I have a solid base of English literature knowledge that I can draw on.  I don’t have that equivalent in art having been channeled at school towards traditional academic subjects (“You’re very clever”) and away from art (“Your pictures look like something drawn by a hen with clothes pole”).  So I have enrolled for History of Art 1: Western Art as my first course.

I’ve been sent my tutor’s details and am preparing my student profile, just waiting for the course materials to arrive now to get fully underway.

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog for all things creative.  I’ve set this up to record some of my work and thoughts as I start on my Open College of the Arts degree.  There may be photographs, poetry, creative ramblings and tangential musings.  Also gnashing of teeth as I attempt to get to grips with WordPress.