Let’s get positive! Upbeat stories to lift our spirits [93]

Back in March, as we all went into lockdown, we speculated about how the pandemic would affect artists. (see episode 66) This week, we are revisiting the topic to share some positive stories from this time during the Covid pandemic.

The episode was prompted by Cherrie Trelogan, who asked if we knew of any positive lockdown stories and we both rubbed our hands in glee because we know of too many to list in just one hour! 

Our discussion begins with our own situations, and as seems to be customary, we find ourselves in very different places. Lockdown has left Alice feeling a little out of sorts, although new ideas are bubbling up. Meanwhile, Louise has resolved what she will do with her Ted Hughes paintings and this has given her new energy and focus. But going beyond ourselves, we share just a few of the positive stories we know including fundraisers, books, virtual events, online sales, and the surprising success of art supply retailers. The conversation is really uplifting and just proves that, as creatives, we are better placed than anyone to make a go of things in tough times.

We also answer a listener question about gallery relations – “what to do when a gallery returns your work?” – and Louise shares an inspiring letter.

Mentioned:

Carlene Bronner https://www.newartforyou.co.uk/artist=Carlene%20Bronner

Rachel Davis fundraiser https://www.racheldavisstudio.com/fundraiser

Abigail Bowen’s Dark Days series http://www.abigailbowen.com/dark-days-part1

Gwynne Penny https://www.gwynnepenny.com/memories-of-st-ives-in-print/?v=79cba1185463

Tracy Elizabeth Downing https://www.traceyelizabethdowning.com/my-poetry-book-moems-in-mind

Faye Bridgewater https://www.fayebridgwater.com/

Karen Stamper episode 63 https://anchor.fm/dashboard/episode/ebq61i

Ted Hughes letters https://www.amazon.co.uk/Letters-Ted-Hughes/dp/0571221394

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Credits
“Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License