Tom and I are very lucky to be able to do our monthly free CGO Surgeries. Last Saturday (January 7th) we had a packed day, and whilst the content of course of each discussion is confidential, I don’t think any of those present will mind this generalised account – in the hope it inspires others to have meaningful creative conversations.
Over the course of 8 hours I met a storyteller & filmmaker working with a global project to bring laughter to young people in all nations; an amazing photographer and arts worker who, through her small company, has had 20 projects working with 1500 of the most dis-enfranchised young people across Westminster – now cut completely Ahhhh; a colleague I’ve not seen in 30 years ago now giving gainful employment to actors to play the roles of pretend litigants under the watchful eye of real trainee judiciary…and championing an emerging playwright; An amazing historical researcher who is moving from library and microfiche to studio theatre and spotlight to tell extraordinary stories of Victorian Murders; An international 3 dimensional artist exploring bamboo and the re-envisioning of buildings and entire cities; And a professional bass player who wants to give opportunities to gifted young musicians in London to improve their musical communication and finetune their art and creativity alongside their existing honed technical expertise. Oh then I went on to meet a visionary artist from the US who has fallen in love with her spiritual home of London and is looking at a transatlantic creative existence.
What a day – and how on earth can we help: a young commercial theatre producer and an aging paper-pushing arts administrator/marketer with half-a-lifetime described as the guy who you call if you have a new musical. We help by having a conversation.
We don’t need to know about bamboo, Victoriana, bass playing, filmmaking or your artform at all. You know about that. Our job (or delight) is engaging with you and talking about what you do, and aspire to do, in a structured creative conversation.
We become involved as artists through you. We listen, absorb, give ideas, coffee, the occasional tissue when it gets raw [and my god some of the challenges emerging artists are facing at the moment make you scream and weep with frustration]. And hopefully, by the end of an hour, you have a load of notes, we may have a couple of leads to pass you on, and we part.
We must pay tribute to all our established colleagues that we champion and suggest they will be delighted to meet/help/listen to someone who has come through CGO Surgery. We try to make good fits, and we hope that they respond to approaches in as open and excited a way as we do. Do let me know if they don’t, and we’ll check in find others to whom we can make referrals.
The next couple of CGO Surgeries are filling up nicely – Sat 4th Feb nearly full, Sat 3rd March still has spaces. If you are professionally challenged by your artistic aspiration – then get in touch.
And hopefully we’ll meet some new extraordinary artists at D&D – Devoted and Disgruntled – Sat 25 Feb – Mon 27 Feb . Can’t wait for that juicy 3 days of exploration with 350 other souls who share so much of what we all care to call creativity. Contact www.improbable.co.uk to lead you through to a booking system – £20 for the 3 days.