Naomi Harwin
Hailing from Cambridge, Naomi is an artist who predominantly focuses on sculptures, paintings, prints, casts and etchings. Here core artistic value revolves around exploring the essence of an object and how we assess the visual aspects of an object.
After leaving university she took up a 6 month graduate residency in Stoke on Trent. Whilst there she was able to connect with other artists outside the SoT area through the company Air Space Gallery, which provides professional development opportunities, studio and exhibiting space and support for artists..
For her first solo exhibition outside of university, she used crowdfunding to raise the vast majority of money needed to realise her vision. As part of installing and running an exhibition/gallery it was very helpful for her to be interacting with other artists to gain additional experience.
Her processes comprises of making an initial sculpture, then making a drawing of it that extracts the core shapes and forms which can in turn be used to create a maquette. This technique allows her to break down each of her ideas into their purest forms.
After her residency had come to its conclusion she managed to get hold of a studio space back in Cambridge though a company called Wising. In Cambridge she was able to meet and collaborate with other artists multiple times by another company called Circuit. She believes that working together creates more energy and dynamism.
An example of this is when she collaborated with a graphic designer to help produce a publication that described the research that is not initially obvious by the final outcome/process.
The next milestone for Naomi was securing an interview with AxisWeb. This consisted of an artist of the month feature which detailed a description of the processes she uses that she hasn't disclosed before. Additionally it provided valuable exposure.
After the interview went out she was asked to join a project called Additions. This was a non-commercial project which was based around the idea of swapping pieces of work with other artists.
Her next project involved working with the council - filling out application forms, risk assessments etc. related to working with outside organisations.
One period to date involved working as an artist assistant to Tye Shanning - helping with the production of work. This provided the opportunity to work with new materials and experiment with new processes. This was an opportunity brought about through a curator at Wisings.
Naomi works for her local council for additional income.
Review
Naomi has been a very fortunate young artist, who has benefited directly by building collaborative and personal relationships with other artists. Her talk really highlighted to me how being a collaborative practitioner can be such a positive part of being an emerging artist.
In my own terms, I can see this way of working being of great advantage to me by giving me the chance to learn new and alternative skills relating to my photography. This would be similar to being a studio assistant of the past, learning like you would as part of an apprenticeship. In my case though this would be something that takes part extensively outside of the studio, more so on location. At the moment I feel like I have a lot to learn, especially as I have been almost entirely self taught as a photographer.
One essential part of growing your personal brand and gaining sought after exposure is having your work put on display in a gallery or at a show. To make this more accessible to emerging artist it is clear through hearing Naomi talk that combining powers with other creatives makes this easier. If a group of you wanted to display your work it would be far easier to team up and organise your own exhibition or showcase. Your own exhibition can b curated any way that you like, providing you with the opportunity to display your work in a way that shows it to the public in the best possible way.
One way in which I would like to develop my own brand would be to work with someone else who could potentially help me develop a personal brand revolving around my photography. This would potentially involve creating a portfolio website and a unified social media experience for the viewer with consistent posts and themes. This is one thing that Naomi didn't talk about - her use of social media. However it was evident that she gained important exposure through the inclusion in a magazine article. Any press is good press, as they say.
Also evident from her talk is the importance of getting involved in different projects and efforts put on by artistic organisations and charities. These are often developed as a way of giving various artists a stronger voice and impression. I believe it will be essential for me to partake in projects etc. revolving around photography. This could include things such as photography walks led by an establish photographer or simply entering different competitions. You never know, you could win and gain valuable exposure.
Additionally, something I should definitely think about for the future is providing my self with an extra source of income. Starting out as an artist is not always so easy, and almost always comes with small amount of income. I am interested in work that is usually provided by freelancers. This makes it harder to narrow down exactly how much you may earn on a monthly basis. Building good working relationships with clients and brands increases your chance of getting repeat work. Selling prints, doing talks or even becoming a part time educator of some kind could provide opportunities for extra revenue.