I met today with Jonathan at CSM for my tutorial. It was nice seeing him in person and having face-to-face discussions. I was lucky because Jonathan had some meetings on campus so he could meet me there. I had planned to go to CSM to carry on with my my etchings.

I discussed with Jonathan the book I made and took to Belfast. I explained that I’m currently at a point where I feel unsure about its form, and it seems that there is something missing. He suggested exploring ways to engage with people when presenting the book—having an audience experience it while I’m present so I can narrate its story and spark conversations as I flip through each page.

I need to research artists who have done something similar. It would be interesting to see if some have incorporated storytelling or audio recordings of their narratives, allowing viewers to listen while going through the book. We discuss the possibility of recording these conversations so that they can become part of the narrative.

We then discussed the etchings I’ve been making. I admitted that I don’t fully understand why I’m making them—I’m just creating. However, I see this as a progression from where I was at the beginning of the course when my process was much more scripted and overthought. Back then, I needed to know exactly what I was doing before I started. Now, I’ve embraced a more exploratory approach, starting on a journey "just because" or "why not", allowing accidents to happen and observing what emerges. I recently noticed a beautiful moment in my work that came from an accident, reinforcing this shift in my process.

Jonathan and I also talked about the possibility of creating another book featuring the large watergrams and chemigrams prints I’ve been making—something big, around 60 x 50cm. I’m unsure how it will look yet, but I need to produce more work.

We also touched on the end-of-year show. I have a roll of darkroom paper 36 inches by 15m, and I’d like to do something sculptural with it—perhaps hanging it from the ceiling, allowing it to twist and curve. This could exist alongside the book(s). I’m considering chemigrams, possibly incorporating collage, but I need to start experimenting. One idea is to photograph black-and-white elements and use my enlarger to print onto the paper, creating an abstract piece with a narrative element.

Another key point we discussed was my pattern of engagement with making. I go through intense bursts of energy where I become almost obsessively with making work,

followed by periods where I disengage almost completely—almost like burnout—where I don’t make any work or engage with art at all. We talked about ways to soften these extremes and find a more sustainable rhythm. Instead of stopping entirely, I could engage in other ways during the low-energy phases, such as visiting galleries, reading, thinking, reflecting, and observing. I probably already do some of this, but I need to be more intentional about it. It's nice to be aware that this item exists, and I only need to "soften up the curves", as Jonathan put it.

Looking at my progression since the start of the course, I feel there’s been a significant shift in how I think about and engage with making. I’m now more open to creating without the anxiety of needing a predefined purpose. Recently, I started clearing to draw before even questioning why, and I enjoyed the process. Moving forward, I might need to integrate more reflection into my practice—allowing the work to “talk back” to me or investigate it and consider what it means on a deeper level, and then also asses where it stands in the art realm.

Right now, my interests seem to revolve around memory and narrative. My drawings reflect this—they emerge from various inspirations: a fleeting figure on the street, a photograph, a story I hear. These fragments come together in my mind, and I first sketch them in pencil before developing them further with charcoal. It’s a process I quite enjoy, and it is therapeutic. Perhaps it is another way to look at the way I make art and start understanding why it helps me. My drawings are very busy; Jonathan noticed that there are predominantly 5 elements of figures in my drawings; why?