Summary

An artist living in a tent reflects on how the U.K梦幻联盟 climate impacts their creative process and art production throughout 2019梦幻联盟.

Abstract

The artist describes the significant challenges faced while living in a tent, including extreme weather conditions like cold winters and hot summers, constant rain leading to dampness, and a lack of resources such as electricity and proper storage. Despite these hurdles, they persist in their creative梦幻联盟 endeavors, producing art, crafts, and jewellery梦幻联盟, and adapting techniques to suit their circumstances. They also deal with uninvited guests in their temporary home, namely spiders, mice, and local dogsゼンアート通販.

Opinions

The artist expresses frustration with the constant dampness ruining artwork and the difficulty of getting paint to dry in the tent.
They show a sense of resignation to the梦幻联盟 presence of spiders梦幻联盟 and mice, while finding the mouse less bothersome than the proliferating spiders.
The artist梦幻联盟 values fresh air and bemoans the suffocation felt in the tent梦幻联盟 without proper ventilation, especially in the warmer months.
Despite the challenges, there is an evident appreciation for moments of progress, such as being able to open the tent door, the learning of new skills, and the sale of some pieces in a local shop.
The artist appears to be resourceful梦幻联盟, making use of second-hand books to further their knowledge and skills while avoiding materials that require梦幻联盟 electricity or pose a fire hazard.
The high temperatures of summer are seen as unmanageable, leading to the necessity of keeping the tent door open, which inadvertently allows local dogs to enter and disrupt their workspace.
There is a feeling of uncertainty regarding the sales of their artwork and a concern about the dwindling supplies needed for both art and jewellery making. -梦幻联盟The approach of autumn梦幻联盟 brings some relief from the heat but also signals a return to wet conditions that affect their work and lead to moulding supplies.
The artist seems determined to continue their craft despite the difficulties, as evidenced by their investment in proper storage and watertight sealing to protect their remaining materials.

Reflections on a Year of Creativity from My Tent.

Weather forecasts: a bird’s eye view from the homeless!

I’ve been living in a tent for two years now. Trying to maintain creativity and pursue it as a career. It has been challenging. This is a summary of how each season in the U.K. climate has affected my work in the year 2019. Below is a small portion of the work I’ve managed to produce.

— «winter —

The winter months have been too cold to function for very long. My hands freeze up and won’t operate with the dexterity needed for fine art, crafting and jewellery making. To be honest, all I’ve wanted to do is curl up under the duvet.

It seems like the rain never stops around here. My tent door stays shut most days, trying to keep the deluge out. Only making way for a quick exit or entrance when necessary for vital supplies.

Nonetheless, it still gets in, causing large puddles on the tent floor. So, a bailing out bucket has taken up more or less permanent residence at the moment.

Many pieces of art I created in the beginning months, I have later found ruined by the constant damp. So, I could do with some proper dry storage.

Getting paint to dry on the paper is infuriating. No matter what I’ve tried, they remain wet. I’d love to hit them with a heat gun — but alas, no electricity here!

I splashed out (with my little remaining cash) on a wonderful Japanese watercolour palette by Komorebi. It has such brilliant colours. I love to use it, but it doesn’t enjoy living in a tent. Every time I come back to it, I find the palette flooded and sticky.

The spiders and mice are also seeking protection from the harsh outdoors and yes, they have chosen my tent to do it in. The mouse is no bother, he just curls up in his bed and sleeps.

The spiders however are multiplying rapidly. I’ve trained most of them to stay in the kitchen, but some are still persistent on running round the bed. This is rather annoying when they try creating their webs over your face in the middle of the night. But I tolerate them. They are a gift from Mother Earth!

— »Spring: a little better. —

It’s starting to get a little warmer, so my hands work with a little more dexterity.

I’m lucky if I see two days a week when it’s not pissing down with rain — so I can at least open my tent door once in a while. AGH ‘air’ — it’s unbelievably suffocating in a tent without it!

The creativity continues, although due to the constant damp I’m re-skilling myself. I’ve tried some different techniques, ones with less temperamental media. The paint still rarely dries.

I’ve picked up some resource and technical books from the local charity shop. Always willing to learn some different skills. Not involving too much paint! — still need to sort out adequate dry storage.

Longer, lighter, warmer days mean I can make a start on some original creations. I’ve created my first pieces and took some items of jewellery to a local shop that’s prepared to sell for me.

The bug population is also increasing. Now it’s warmer we seem to be under constant invasion by black beetles.

— « summer is here —

It’s extremely hot in the tent, and I’m frequently invaded by local dogs investigating with their nose. The heat of the tent is unmanageable by ten in the morning. This means the door has to be open, to breathe.

The only work surface I have is the floor, so that’s where all my materials go. Until a local pooch, comes trotting in and spills all the containers of beads. I spend most of my mornings reordering things. I will have to start a puppy training school!

Many of the jewellery making techniques I was using when in housing, use too much equipment (which I neither have nor have room for). They rely on electric (which I don’t have) — or are an extreme fire hazard in a tent.

My base supplies are running out, and I won’t know if anything has sold for another week or two! The heat has meant I could at least get some smaller pieces of artwork done, and they would at least now dry! But it has used up the few supplies I had.

Getting supplies to the tent is tricky! I have little of an investment fund at the moment, besides which there are no reliable local stores. A bus or train trip eats up any funding I have. And since I am ‘no-fixed abode’, without postcode — the local postie doesn’t deliver.

— »Autumn approaches —

Summer has been too hot to do regular work in the tent. I appreciate the autumn cooling air. But it brings with it once again the rain clouds. So, the door is once again closed more often than open.

Not that that seems to stop one friendly local pooch. My partner made the mistake of feeding him a cookie. So, he now sits outside, whining until the door is opened and his cookie given.

The damp levels are once again becoming an issue, paint once again not drying. Rust creeping in on my limited tools. Paper emphera sodden and moulding. An autumn clean reveals the truth.

An enormous bonfire ensues to clear out the unusable, which were once treasured supplies. Everything else packed away. Water tight sealing and some proper storage invested in!

Rhoda (aka Cruzinjewlz) is an original struggling homeless artist, crafter and writer. She creates original jewellery and hand made gifts from repurposed materials. She creates t-shirt and apparel designs at redbubble. She writes personal essays reflecting on life, poetry, and short fiction. And willingly accepts all donations of coff.ee. This post was originally published at CruzinJewlz where you can find all the links (as they are created and as technology allows)!