That Girl Has No New Ideas

1-4 September 2022

I took a year out after second year (2021-2022) for my mental health. For the first half of the year, I had no desire to make work and it felt like the most massive loss. I joined a print studio and worked there for a bit to try and get back into making because I was desperate for it to come back, slowly I became more excited about making again. In September 2022 I exhibited a collection of prints entitled ‘That girl has no new Ideas’.
At this time my process was informed by a combination of being in therapy, understanding my own mental health, exploring printmaking and trying to enjoy making again.

Unwittingly I had created the optimum conditions for Csikszentmihalyi’s flow. I was learning new skills, building my understanding of sugar lift etching, while at the same time developing skills in therapy. This resulted in two parallel connected activities that were both (high skill and high challenge) flow activities.