Wednesday 5 March 2008

Art Tours

What an interesting customer today....getting right back
to the place I originally started with my idea to host
Specialty art tours for people who were made to become
Engineers or secretaries when they really wanted to become artists.
Now in their mid-careers, satisfied financially, but not otherwise,
they would still like to experience the life of an artist.
They don't want to be toured around a museum or studio
with a group of other wannabes.
They don't want a schedule as they are on a schedule in their usual lives.
They want to have a more personal, in depth experience
with one or two artisans
Spending all day in the studio setting
with an open itinerary not necessarily planned at all.
Completely bohemian random events...normal life, free of time pressures and deadlines....
experiencing the natural rhythms of the day
Not something contrived to exhibit or show or teach.
The visitor and artist decide together what to do...
Making art side by side, going for a walk, paging through art books.
As she put it...
"Finding the pattern inside that has been locked away
for so long. That this is a very fearful thing to knock and see if it is still there."
"I only became an engineer because my mother wanted this for me so much.
And I did not want it at all. We should never listen to our mothers.
This is about listening to ourselves again."

I was happy to hear this from her as I had suspected that there were
Many people in this situation. If I were to make a package with ESL as an option,
I would only be going backwards into something I have done too often
and still be putting the art as the side dish rather than the main course.
This is something that has to develop gradually.
It makes sense to invite people from France as it is nearby.
And they have the sensibility for this
whereas people in China...I don't think the general population
Are at this point.
If she were to help me find people from Paris interested in doing this,
or a travel agent in Paris who would offer this,
it would be good.
Quite a few Parisians have been breezing into the shop lately
As the eurostar now comes out at Kings Cross.
This could also be a simple extended weekend.
One week might be too long.

No comments: