Jennifer Funnell

I’ve been going to art school in London for 2 months now, OH what a time it has been.

Something I want to mention is the amount of change that I’ve experienced and the highs and lows I’ve felt.

LONELY?

Loneliness is inevitable, but living in an attic room (where artists have lived before me) gives me space to romanticise it all.

However, a month into my new chapter, I was met with an overwhelming sense of loneliness, like it had all been combined into that moment.

To be concise, I had been pushing away any feelings of being lost or unsupported until it all hit me at once. I called 5 different people that night. Some were on buses on their way to a night out, some were on the train home, some didn’t pick up.

A month on, I think I’ve come into a different state of mind where I feel everything in the present as best I can.

JOY!

Moving on from melancholy, I think what I’m doing is exactly what I am meant to be! This life, in this present moment, is exactly what I have been craving for years. Being able to go into art school every day of the week and spend hours on projects that don’t even feel like work to me is such a joy. I really wish I could stay like this forever.

Last Tuesday , I went to a glass making workshop with three other people on my course. We spent hours with two glass making artists who knew everything about the subject. It was inspiring to see how these two women had spent decades studying what they’re passionate about. I think I’d like to do that too.

MENTOR

Another part of this post is going to be focusing on my mentor, D.

D came for dinner one night, to visit the couple I’m staying with, she told me about all the books she’s written and the galleries she’s visited. She told me about artists and writers she’s friends with, and the places she’s been. After sharing chocolates with her, the couple and my older sister (who was staying over), she said “Jenny you must come over to mine and we can chat about you and your situation”. So I have a mentor and she is D.

A week or two after the dinner. I took the train to Chalk Farm and made my way up the hill to D’s house. Her house is full of art, plants, books and a large collection of ceramics. She laid out chocolates, pastries and other sweet treats that I haven’t been able to afford to buy with my student income.

I’d previously mentioned my predicament to her – Fine Art or Art History????

And she shared the opinion of many other people in my life, why not do art history? it’ll only add to your artistic practice.

So I think I’ll study art history after all, even if it’s only for a little while.

COFFEE SHOP AT DAWN.

so… I got the coffee shop job i’ve always dreamed of.

though I have to wake up at 5am for it.

Still, it can be romanticised.

thanks for reading!

Jenny Funnell