February 2024 Retrospective
Inside an Artist's February: Reflecting, Creating, and Navigating Life's Ups and Downs
I have been doing a retrospective since October 2023 as a way to reflect on the month, and for you to get insight into my life in a calmer, gentler way than looking at reels of me walking the dog, or of every meal I’ve eaten posted on Facebook. It’s a self-contained retrospective so you don’t get distracted on social media. It’s also somewhat of a diary for me so I can look back and laugh in the future. I thought it might be interesting to a reader to hear about an artist’s life, as I would have loved to hear more about what Jean Dubuffet got up to day-to-day and the meals he ate.
February has been a strange month, there’s been continued illness but I have found the time to persevere with my writing and my art practice. We all have obstacles in life, even the most ‘successful’ people, but we just have to keep on going.
Thanks for checking out my February! Let’s go…
Feb 1
I’ve been listening to Devo a lot over the past couple of years and came across this song, one of their early tracks. I love it, it’s very edgy.
I love the album cover, I upscaled it 8x so I can get it printed on a t-shirt.
Feb 2
I was a bit reluctant to share this, but it’s been part of my awareness, even being off of social media. It might be interesting for people outside of the UK to see what British humour is like.
You’ll get the context after seeing the video, a UK-based retail chain called Home Bargains took advantage of this viral video and used it for advertising. Very clever.
Feb 3
I had a lovely session in the studio in the afternoon. I was moving forward with my new art practice and measuring my pieces.
Weekly Art Practice Number 4 Dropped Today:
Feb 4
It’s annoying when I can’t find anything to report on apart from a giant pack of peanut puffs (They were bloody amazing though! From Lidl.)
Feb 5
I returned to work today after 4 weeks off sick. It was quite hard getting back in the swing of things as I wasn’t feeling quite right. In the evening I met my friend James to give him a painting, I started feeling very ill again, but stupidly pushed through it for the entire week.
Feb 6
As I mentioned in my Weekly Art Practice, I kept seeing these Culina Lorries with my favourite colour combo, Orange and Blue.
I was also being a baby, feeling sorry for myself a little. My filing came out on top of feeling ill. 🎻
It didn’t last for long, I pulled my socks up, booked an emergency appointment and got it sorted the day after.
Feb 7
I organised some things from the attic that my parents left when they passed, one of them was a programme for the Avebury Stones, a neolithic henge nearby to us, costing 20p in 1985. Dad would be proud of the ROI from me selling it on eBay for £5.50 :-D
Feb 8
My paints arrived today, I always have a little smile if my wife’s home and she answers the door to get a parcel, as I get the alert and see her cute fluffy slippers :-)
Feb 9
I waste far too much time using ‘Face in a hole’ to make things like this, I’m 41.
My daughter is moving around more and sleeping in funny positions in her cot, it’s so cute.
Feb 10
I got this newspaper through today. It’s a new, free, truth paper. To be honest, the sensationalist headlines did draw me towards reading it, but I decided to throw it in the recycling and do something more productive with my time.
Feb 11
Since my daughter arrived, I’ve neglected to take photos of my firstborn dog son. If you compare my photo collection from 5 years ago to now, 5 years ago were all doggy pics and now it’s all baby pics!
Isn’t he cute? He’s 16 now!
Feb 12
See, wasting too much time…
Joking aside, as I’m not on social media now, I still find ways to waste time through other apps. It is less prevalent now though.
Feb 13
I managed to get down to the studio for an hour today and took some more doggy pics when I got home.
I also had the best time at Scrapstore!
Feb 14
Happy Valentine’s Day! I wrote a Substack today on Childhood Creative Inklings:
My wife was seeing a friend in London on the 13th, so she came back today and we had a lovely steak meal in the evening.
Feb 15
My daughter graduated from Baby Sensory today!
Feb 16
We went to see family in Kent this weekend. I’m not feeling great, to be honest, I’m getting out of breath quite easily.
The oil light kept coming on in the car, I don’t know why but I seem to buy the smallest amount of oil, and then I have to buy more! There’s that money-saving habit again, but in reality, it’s costing me more!
Feb 17
Weekly art practice 6 came out today:
Feb 18
I got my new glasses today. They’re super clear up close, but blurry in the distance, which is really annoying at work. One minute I’m looking at a clear screen, then if I look up at a colleague, they look blurry, it’s disorientating.
Yes, I am still wearing Christmas Pyjamas, they are the comfiest ones I have.
Feb 19
I went to work this morning as usual, at 12pm I had a GP appointment online during my lunch break. I proceeded to explain my symptoms to her, coughing a lot, breathlessness and having to sleep slightly elevated. She said to go straight to A and E (Now the Emergency Department) I felt a pang of anxiety but I gently packed up my work things, explained the situation to my colleagues and drove off to the Emergency Department at the Hospital.
I felt strange being there, as you normally associate A and E with medical emergencies, and I was feeling unwell, but looking around the sea of people, not as unwell as many there. A young lad was handcuffed and had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act, there was another man who I recognised from a local cafe was on a drip and oxygen, and another man was in pain slumped in a wheelchair. It’s funny how I felt guilty, but my GP told me to come here, so I did.
About 2 hours later, I was sent to Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) and had various blood tests, x-rays and a urine sample. I was diagnosed with pleurisy and given antibiotics (The third course of different antibiotics this year) and sent home at around 7:30pm, I had been there since 1pm.
Back to the Orange and Blue theme, the colours stand out to me now, as my awareness is on them more often. This is the colour scheme used for the NBA Draft background.
Feb 20
There we go, I had to buy more oil, I could have bought 5 litres for around £30, but I paid £30 in total for a 1-litre bottle and a 2-litre bottle.
No comment…
Feb 21
I wrote a piece on trusting your gut, it discusses how I didn’t listen to myself when I knew I was sick and should’ve slowed down.
Well, I guess this one is art-related, at least…
Cute doggy pic!
I had a little coffee break in the afternoon with my two favourite girls.
Feb 22
This is what I would look like with a goatee, They’re totally out of fashion now. What do you cool people think?
?
I’ve been watching BBC’s Dragon’s Den a lot recently and I feel inspired to start a business every time I watch it. I do have a bit of an entrepreneurial streak in me, but I’ve never really followed through massively on anything. My art career is my main focus, but perhaps I could think more like an entrepreneur around this. Hmmmm…
One of the people pitching on this episode was a company called Müll, which means Garbage in English. They create beautiful items using 100% recycled plastic donated by the local community.
The rings look cool!
Feb 23
Watched a bit more of Dragon’s Den while feeding my baby!
Cute doggy pic!
Feb 24
I listed this piece on eBay today, it’s weird, as I’ve had a mental block to listing my art on eBay. But then I thought, why not give it a go? eBay offer a promo boost, so they take 12.5% off if it sells via the promotion. Not bad really, nothing to lose.
If you’d like to purchase or make an offer, you can do so here.
I also wrote a Substack, Weekly Art Practice Number 7:
Feb 25
It was a relaxing Sunday, the rain was heavy outside so the four of us got all cosy and warm inside.
Gratefully I reached 200 Subscribers today, thank you all so much!
I hate the gym but this quote keeps popping up. What is it trying to say to me?
Feb 26
I went back to the hospital today as the third course of antibiotics didn’t work and I was still feeling unwell. Turns out that I now have viral pneumonia, they said there’s nothing they can give me, I just need to avoid cough medicine, drink loads and get plenty of rest. I look pretty rough below, as I took one of those selfies where I wasn’t really thinking about it. But I’m ok!
Feb 27
Resting up today, I am coughing a lot but feeling a tiny bit better today. I’m also adding more listings to NALA and eBay. Watch this space.
My Idler Magazine arrived today. I read this article from Gogglebox Stars Giles and Mary, who live in the Wiltshire countryside.
Mary has been a freelance writer for many years, notably being the agony aunt for The Spectator, and Giles is a fellow artist.
The programme, Gogglebox, is a strange concept, you are watching people watch TV, on your TV. I’m sure at some level this is insane but we can’t see it. But that aside, it’s very endearing and entertaining!
Anyway, the article is a heartwarming look into the couple’s life, how they’ve had a fairly carefree and happy life, mixing London social events with quiet Wiltshire countryside living.
You can read an extract here if you’re interested.
In many ways, it feels like the ideal life for me, not working a 9-5 job, visiting London a lot but enjoying life in the countryside most of the time, and spending my work weeks painting, sounds idyllic!
Feb 28
Another day of rest, still coughing a lot. Pondering on my life and how I would like to get fit and healthy. I need to do it for my family and my art.
Feb 29
Today is the 29th Feb! It only comes along once every 4 years! It’s the gift of an extra day! My wife is off work today, we have a bit of a family lie-in until 9am and I made a nice omelette for breakfast.
My wife went out to meet a friend and their baby with our daughter and I proceeded to list one of my art prints on eBay. I bought 50 of every painting in my Fistula Collection, so I thought I’d give this a go and list 10 initially. Wish me luck!
If you’d like to own a signed piece of my art, you can do so here, global postage is available. I will be listing more soon!
Thanks for sticking with me throughout February 2024! Your support means a lot!
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Adored this post! I'm so sorry that you're not well, though - I'm sending healing vibes.
THAT video!!!!!!! I'd heard about it, but thanks to my social media allergy I hadn't seen it. 🤣🤣🤣
Reading this while waiting until Monday for the dentist with a broken tooth, so I feel you on the tooth thing. Took a look at your art on Ebay but, postage to the US is insane, good luck with selling them.