I’ve just got off the phone to Zaiba Khan. Zaiba is Melbourne based Indo-Fijian jewellery designer who I’ve known for years. She’s decided to go all in. All in on her work. All in on her art. No more part time jobs. Just her and her bench where she makes her jewellery.
But she needs help. She needs an online store. She needs to figure out how to present herself. Tell her story. Show the connection to the other art she makes.
Next week we are having a call to try and answer all of these questions. It’s the first piece of work that fits under my new project, This is an art.
For as long as I’ve been making things I’ve believed that we will not be able to grow and improve if we don’t have art in the world. True artists become all consumed. They don’t sleep and they don’t think about anything other than the work they need to make. I say ‘need’ and not ‘want’ because every artist I’ve ever respected has never thought about their work as something they choose to do because they feel they want to try it out. It’s something that must do. It runs infinitely deep inside them and you get the sense that they might break in half if they didn’t make their next show happen.
But there is a difference between making art and showing it to the world. The ‘showing it to the world part’ can be difficult for artists and it’s often not something they can or should spend time on.
“I need more time on the bench, Nick.” The best thing for our world is Zaiba spending all her time at her bench making jewellery and telling her story. It’s not doing the things that I’m going to help her with.
Last week I put this project out on Instagram and the inbound feedback has been beautiful. Lots of people reaching out saying, “I need your help.”
I feel full and grateful.
This is an art is something I’ve been thinking about and chipping away at for years, but it’s all come out in the past couple of weeks.
This is a list of the things that I and this project like and dislike. It’s the beginning of a manifesto, something to point at and say, this is what we believe.
See you soon.
Likes
Dreams
Sketches
Late nights
Collisions
Visions
Today
Tomorrow
Printers
Paper
Pens
Planes
Whatsapp
Voice notes
Dancing
Wine
Bluetooth speakers
Bunnings
Tears
Love
Dislikes
Yesterday
Kmart
Instagram
Bare walls
Your day job
Your boss
Whoever told you not to
Sunset lamps
Not starting
Not finishing
Not sharing
Not believing
Not showing up to things
Not love