Kirsty Hall  |  Artist & Curator

so i'm on the 4th listen, and getting more and more from it each time. the whole thing you say about reflecting on what you've done and creative composting. i feel like that's what's happening for me just now, all the work i put on the pile 15 years ago has finally come out of the pile and, save for a few twiggy lumps and bits of crappy plastic, i'm finding all the good stuff, all the disparate elements that went in over the years, and even years beyond, which seemed so unrelated but which, with the benefit of having had time away from them, i can see are all linked and cohesive. or at least, could be, if i work through them well now that they have been re-found.

and finishing, well we've both talked about this one before, but blimey it pays to keep bringing it up lest the enthusiasm (startitis, loved that) for the next idea whisks us away from the end goal...again, oops.

when you talked about your boxes of knitting i could feel myself squirming with the knowledge of my own stash after stash of unfinished knits (not worth finishing) crochet (worth it so plan to try) and goodness only knows what else that is under and behind the initial wall of boxes and bags. but hey, re you other post, no guilt, better that i finish one than feel guilty about finishing none. and on that note, perhaps i will go and finish one blog post for today...oh dear, now i've put e teeny tiny drop of pressure on myself so i likely won't get it done. pah, self destruct in 5 seconds.....

I listened, I loved it, you rock! Wetting myself with laughter when you said "if I have to write about drawings ever again I will be a happy woman!", so funny and I can totally imagine how that felt. I struggle so much with how to write anything on my own blog, especially about the work of people I most like because I'll just be repeating myself, ooh I love this, i love that etc. I need more vocabulary.

I really admire that you stuck with it, especially the writing up, I'd have caved at that point, to much pressure. I'd be yelling at the Mac "I DREW it, I FILLED it and I POSTED it, what more do you want godammit!?!" I remain evermore in awe of your abilities.

Here's what I posted in the comments at craftypod....

Fabulous!
I'm not sure how I ever stray from craftypod, life's distractions I suppose, but I like that someone who's blog or work I enjoy always pops up and directs me back to hear what they sound like in real life, and naturally I stick around and listen to more because they all talk so well about their chosen areas, and Kirsty is no exception. One of the reasons I so much enjoy her various blogs and journals is because of the way she expresses herself so well, and the fact that she is so fantastically creative despite having CFS.

Whenever I look at her Diary project I always love the drawings (I'm a sucker for the organic, and also for black, white and red) but the thing that strikes me most is that she DID it, did it every day and the WALKED to the post box. My post box is about 10 mins walk and I know that there are days when it just would not happen for me (I also have CFS) because my brain would say 'hey, you don't HAVE to do it', so I am really inspired by that level of commitment to her art.

Also, for me, just hearing Kirsty has been so lovely. We are both Scottish but have never met, we know each other purely through our blogs. For me hearing her today was like living in a foreign country and then getting a package from home full of shortbread, oatcakes, tunnock's teacakes and irn bru. Such a treat.

It was great, I felt so Scottish and so connected with home. I think the feeling was so pronounced because my CFS has been so bad in 2007 that I've been increasingly stuck at home and too tired to talk to people, so the only conversation I have is with my best friend who is English. To hear that Scottish voice talking about a subject that is so important to me, and for that person to be someone I already have a connection with, has been a highlight of the holidays. Thank you both for making it happen.

OOh, excellent, this is going to be a real holiday treat, I'm going to check out the interview tonight when I can't sleep, ideal, and hopefully it will trigger creative dreams when I do sleep.

Hi Hanna, thanks for your kind words. Wow, a role model - that's a lot to live up to! I'm glad to be inspiring to other people though. I checked out your blog and was equally inspired by your links on goals and resolutions.

Hi futuregirl, thanks for the lovely comment. I'm always biting off more than I can chew, so I definitely speak from bitter experience.

You're my role model for the upcoming creative year! :-)

Thanks for being on the PodCast so I could listen to your advice and find your envelopes. I looked through them at flickr and that is quite a cool collection! I hope you will do some envelopes during 2008 too, so you don't miss it too much! :-)

Happy New Creative Year!

The interview is amazing! You are such an inspiration. I think it's so smart that you tell people to start small. It's so easy to feel ambitious this time of year and bite off more than you can chew.

Congratulations on such a creative and productive year! :)