Week 32, 2020 - In the studio
I’m looking forward to my little summer break next week as punctuation (to use Liberating Structures parlance) between month-long marathons of being consumed in projects and other matters.
A few thoughts on what comprises a studio practice.
A dedicated place (in and out)
A regular rhythm of time, with a clear start and stop to each session (again, in and out)
A structure for experimentation and reflection
Ying activities outside of studio yang time
A broader practice into which studio time feeds
Peers who share in the time, space and ethos of the studio as part of their own practice
Visitors, who are invited into it with intention or not at all
The boundaries between home life, work and social activities evaporated as physical boundaries were rendered null. These crossings, whose transition included donning new clothes and hence slipping into a different expression of who we are, played such a big part of how we mentally switched from one mode to another. These cues are muted or gone, and that structural shift is what makes time feel like Groundhog Days of a very long slog of a day.
It makes the gift of having someone masterfully hold space for us to be in a studio-like mode more valuable than ever. Initiatives like Writer’s Hour, Cave Time and Connection Club tap into precisely that need. Existing tools are often used to set up this kind of space, making them look like yet another online meeting or event. Get a newsletter to be notified, sign up on Eventbrite, log into Zoom. But that similarity is deceptive because this kind of initiative goes beyond “moving online”. Beyond being dragged into trying the virtual equivalent and saying with astonishment “hey, it’s possible!” and a breezily optimistic “it might even be better!”.
Because it’s a gift, our readiness to receive it determines how it’s brought to life. And in this case, it’s the discipline to show up and continue showing up. Once we step into that space, we become part of what holds space for the practice to be, well, practiced. It simply doesn’t work if someone is waiting to be fed content, to be told what to do, to be served.