Building

Instead of doing what i should have been doing – writing – i spent today working on the new studio with Rich. I realised recently that most days i’m recording video for something, and am always ‘making do’ with the sound, light, and availability of whatever space is free – but video has become part of my practice, much as writing is, every day.

So: armed with an electric drill, little talent, but much enthusiasm, we found a little used space and have claimed it for our own, insulating and boarding it up, even building a table and fitting the lights. It’s far from finished, but the structure is there now.

It’s funny: writing is always enjoyable. But building made a pretty good change. I enjoy making things, which is especially easy when friends help out, and of course we managed a celebratory lunch after we got the ceiling up (my arms still ache). I guess shared achievement, and something tangible to show for it at the end of the day really do count.

Next step is to sort the soundproofing and lighting, which is probably the harder part of the job – none of us are experts, so we are just going to give it a go… luckily i do have friends who are experts in this space to ask for help from!

So there we go: a long day, with no writing done. Except this piece, to reflect on the hard work…