DEPOT SOUND:MEMES

Memes...

Artslab: a year in images...

ARTS LAB

WABI-SABI

Emily Norton Artslab Creative Employment Consultant

Resilience, confidence, and general wellbeing all depend on the ability to think positively.

Not toxic positivity, which does not allow for processing difficult events, but an ability to notice our own thoughts - particularly those holding us back. In our ArtsLab workshops we try to foster that deeper level of consciousness and self-reflection using various positive psychology tools.

One of my favourites is the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi. WabiSabi is all about finding the beauty in imperfection. An artist seeking perfection is doomed to endlessly bang their head against the wall.

Through Wabi-Sabi we can learn to appreciate imperfections as part of the unique character of something. This includes our own work or little quirks.

Wabi-Sabi can also be applied to relationships. Rather than being annoyed by the way our partner squeezes or doesn’t squeeze the toothpaste we can adjust our thinking and try to love those cute little things they do a bit differently.

As 2020 comes to an end and we continue experiencing the fallout while regrouping and shaping the future, having a well-stocked wellness tool kit is infinitely valuable. And in the words of someone on the internet…

“A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour.”

Artwork: Going Places by Robyn Gibson

The Beginning and Not the End From Lynn Lawton

In February next year I step down from my role as manager of Depot Artspace.

My journey here began in 2003 when I was contracted to fill a short term gap as a Career Consultant on the then fledgling PACE programme. Twelve months later, I was still here managing PACE and this amazing initiative where young and emerging creatives developed professional skills and networks, worked on their practice and achieved sustainability. Henry Oliver from the then band Die Die Die wrote recently in Spinoff about his time on PACE in 2004:

‘PACE taught me how to make a living from my own creativity. It gave me the opportunity to do it with a $200-a-week safety net. It gave me time to learn about how to live on an intermittent income, about balancing work that pays well with work that provides creative opportunities. It taught me how to hustle, how to find

and create opportunities, how to work hard and be dependable in an industry where many people don’t and aren’t.’ 1

In the first decade of the new millennium, the Depot was embarking on many new initiatives: Cultural Icons, Depot Sound, running pilot creative apprenticeships and establishing our city side galleries Spiral and Satellite. I found my role morphed into Operational Manager and I loved employing my skills and passion to develop operational and financial systems to keep pace.

A significant time was in 2014 when we undertook a capability study of our whole operation resulting in a transition from an incorporated society to charitable trust, and my role changed to Depot Manager. "My time at the

Depot has been the very best years of my professional career; amazing opportunities to develop professional and personally."

1 thespinoff.co.nz/politics/29-05-2020/whatthe-pace-scheme-did-for-me/ Through working with amazing creatives, especially Linda Blincko, I have gained an appreciation for and engagement in the arts and community that will remain with me in the future.

I will remain as a trustee of the Depot Arts and Music Space Trust and from February be contracted part time to manage ArtsLab (Creative Employment and career Path for creatives). I also plan to spend more time in the Hokianga developing the Community Arts Centre (No 1 Parnell2) Linda and I established 6 years ago.

And as someone said at our Volunteers Christmas function, Lynn will never be too far away from the Depot!

2 no1parnell.weebly.com

The Other side of lynn...