Whenever I feel like giving up, I take a look at a piece of photocopied paper, with a picture of a rhino on it and these words.

Go Thee rhino and make your dreams come true

I do not know which book it comes from, I found it attached to my wall on my first day in an art studio that I used to rent.

An image of the work Water Singer by Jojo Taylor.
Jojo Taylor – Water Singer

It resonated with me at that point in my life. I had just left my career as a youth and community worker to be an artist. I didn’t want to do my plan B full time anymore, as much as I loved it, I needed to concentrate on me and my plan A again. I kept the piece of paper ever since and take it to my new studios to remind me that I need to pursue my dreams and that is ok!

When I re-started my art career I didn’t realise how difficult it would be to return to it. And despite all the rejections you get as an artist you develop thick skin just like the rhino.

I have been a practising artist for several years now.  In my pursuance of artistic improvement, I decided to apply to do a Masters Degree. I had no idea how I was going to fund it, but the time felt right. I needed a fresh perspective and some professional feedback and critiques.

I got a place at Central Saint Martins and won The South Square Trust Scholarship award. I had the most wonderful time studying there. I learnt about myself and my work and that coming out of my comfort zone was essential for my progression.  I also learnt that it is ok that I do not always know exactly what I am doing. Experimentation is a good thing and from come exciting results and collaborations.

When people learn that I am an artist one of the most common questions is ‘oh what do you paint?’ . When I reply I don’t paint these days, I am sometimes asked, ‘well what do you do then?’. My weeks vary. Recently my practice has involved, filming lighthouses, interviewing someone about chronic eczema, devising short performances and then I was playing horses teeth and singing down a teapot in a recording studio.

But there are days when I make no art at all. I have funding applications to fill out, opportunities to find and apply for, galleries to visit, meetings to have. I am a member of two crit groups and I need to be able to be good at self-motivation, time management and promotion. Be this plugging on websites and social media or undertaking interviews. And then there is the self employment aspect-where I need to earn a living and fill out my accounts. There is no notion of working 9 to 5 in my life and all days are work days.

When I explain what I do and the mediums I use, I often get a blank stare. But I’m not discouraged by this. I take a moment to remember that I am doing this for me. I gave up a lot to pursue art and I make what I need to make in a way that I deem necessary.  Not in a selfish way but in a self-connected way. And that is how it needs to be.

When I am making work for someone else, I make what they want in the way they want.  When I am collaborating I am considering the whole team and when I am making for me, I do just that. No apologies. There are different strands to what I do. Different ways to adapt, depending on what the goal and process is and depending if there is me or a team.

Would I have started this art malarkey if I had known how long it would take? Would I have begun if I knew it may never happen? But what is the ‘it?’ Is it making work you are proud of?  Making money?  Gaining a wider audience? Having exhibitions in prestigious venues? The ‘it’ varies from artist to artist, but I think it involves some form of recognition. And I suspect that all artists in pursuing their ‘it’, make sacrifices to achieve their goals. And it is a good job we do as I think we would all find the world a much duller place without art.

An image of the work surfacing by Jojo Taylor.
Surfacing – Jojo Taylor

I never quite know if I chose art or it chose me, but here we are:  Together, neck deep in joy, frustration, impatience, wonder and a whole heap of emotions as I go through the process of making. I am determined to enjoy as much of this process as possible, so I like to bring joy and humour into my making at times, as I know that the process is possibly all I will have.  I might never achieve all my ‘its’ so I make sure that I enjoy the actuality of making as much as possible.

I have a lot of projects on the go at the same time. Prioritising them is important.  I thought I prioritised well, but a friend shared an adage about choosing ‘rocks’ that helped me think differently about my priorities.

So…the rhino encourages me to carry on- on those occasions when I question what I am doing and the big rocks help me work out how best to achieve my ‘its’.

 Jojo Taylor is a recipient of the 2018 Lifeboat Residency. Lifeboat is a year-long studio residency, and career development award for postgraduates from University of the Arts London.  2018 awardees were Sabrina Fuller, Davide Meneghello, and Mētra Saberova. The residency was funded by ArtsTemps and supported by ACAVA.