skills / verity here

skill

an ability to do an activity or job well, especially because you have practised it

this is what a skill is according to the cambridge dictionary. i’ve been playing tennis with this term in my head for the last few months or so, ever since i wrote the proposal for this residency.  i’ve been thinking in terms of personal skill sets, professional skill sets and what we feel are relevant skills for specific professions. for example, “i” as the “artist”  historically shall be depicted with having a wealth of practical, aesthetic, artisan skills.  ”i” can paint, “i” can sculpt, “i” can draw.  

one of the questions i have been asking at the market is “what skills do you have?”. the responses are mainly skills that are used to generate money, professional skills. it seems that there is no place at the market for personal skills (a few have been revealed: parenting, studying etc)

i decided to ask my network as “the artist” to email any skills that they think i have. these are listed below unedited:

friendly, helpful, approachable, warm, organised, good with idea’s, technically good (making things / using equipment), organisation, working with different types of people, understanding a brief and responding, good lollypop lady, attention to detail, consider a range of options, determined, committed, following things through, believing all is possible, lots of energy, communication skills, being able to talk to people of all walks of life, curiosity, asking questions, interest in surroundings, social engagement, involved, caring, kind, motivated, proactive, imaginative, a visionary, hard working, excellent at making time for friends, a communicator to all, problem-solving, adaptable, energetic, inventive, sarcastic
pertinacious, insiting, communicative, perceptive, ironic, 
photographing, printmaking, scribbling, filming, listening, 
knitting, socialising, kissing, communication, partnerships, relationship management, strong artistic practice, photography / dark room, video / editing, design & layout, screenprinting, drawing / illustration, typography, photoshop, after effects, final cut, indesign etc, project planning, idea & concept development, organisation, liasing with suppliers/services, presentation, partying, falling over, writing stuff, making beautiful art, making clever art, getting shit done, will power, being there for her chums, cutting funky shapes on the dance floor, colouring in, spelling, socializing, finding a shoe bargain, organiser, film maker, artist, party maker, diy supremo, emphatic nature, dvd maker, determined sensibility, vegetarian shepherds pie, video post/production and all technical aspects involved, communicating with/expressing herself to/eliciting information from people with diverse backgrounds/ages etc, organising her time superbly so as to dedicate as much time and commitment (as is humanly possible!) to a variety of competing projects, sinking glasses of red wine, cheering up weepy friends, keeping her cool whilst in meetings, mixing & matching a variety of dresses, tights and accessories, creating compelling videos that blend sound, image & trajectory to great effect, throwing shapes on the dancefloor, good at talking to people, collating information, laughing, laughing while talking, developing rapport, providing support, representing others, managing time, attending to detail (colour cataloguing) , meeting goals, making decisions, capacity to laugh in face of adversity and encourage others to do so, having composure, joke-telling, collage-ing, attending events and visiting places, approaching people, a fantastic eye, paint, draw, mend, make people laugh, dancing, singing, tribal dancing, jazz hands and guiness drinking, advisor, confidante, a good eye, team-builder, loyalty, dancing, lipstick wearing, getting things done, galvanising people.

this list was compiled by friends, family, colleagues, academics, artists and pretty much anyone that happens to be on my mailing list.  what i find interesting is how skills and personality qualities appear to have some duality, or is that now in our contemporary digital society having particularly personality traits does indeed class as being skilled.

i am going to present a list of the first fifty “skills” that “i” as the artist, received and take them to the market as currency. so far i’ve managed to collect an array of goods for my stall, some plants were delivered to me by patrick the flower seller, in return for some tea and chat this week and fabric was given to me by izi as a gift (i’ll document and update everything collected in due course).

i’m amazed at how many “gifts” i have been given.  most of the conversations that i’ve been having have been centered around the current economic climate and frustrations about their personal situations, even when i’ve offered to swap a skill for something, most have refused and insisted i take it as a gift.  i’ll see if a hard list will make any difference this week.