François Matarasso

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  • Other People’s Books: some recommendations

    Over past year or two, I’ve had a series of conversations with people about books they’ve been working on. Some have been long, collective processes, others more individual, but all, I think, will interest readers of this blog in one way or another. Several of these projects have now come to fruition, and it’s a…

  • ‘Wish You Were Here’

    A community art project during lockdown In late January 2021, in the depth of winter and the midst of lockdown, a small group of people gathered online to take part in a creative writing workshop. Living in or close to Boston, in Lincolnshire, they were gifted writers with varied backgrounds and careers. The workshop had…

  • Another Standard: How to judge community art

    How do you judge a work of art? Even asking the question implies a series of judgements and beliefs. The best answer might be why do you need to judge it? Art asks only that you experience it. Perhaps art’s most interesting questions are about us, not itself: how do we respond to a work of art,…

  • The difference between a professional and a non-professional artist – A Postscript

    The other big difference for WBOS is that they are enacting a production created by others – by professionals. They do not have to invent how to stage a scene, or how to make the show come together. They know it works, because others have done it before. Amateurs are not usually looking for originality…

  • The difference between a professional and a non-professional artist – Part 3

    In the previous post, I outlined a range of resources that professional artists can draw on in their work, including education, skill and expertise, knowledge, experience, context, informed judgement and talent. It is a formidable, but not exhaustive list. There will be some things I’ve not thought of, as well as other resources like social…

  • The difference between a professional and a non-professional artist – Part 2

    What does ‘professional’ mean? Like many words, professional has changed its meaning over the course of history, adapting itself to society’s evolving concerns. Its origins were quite high-minded. To profess is to make a public declaration of adherence to an ideal or a standard. Such a solemn ‘profession’ was – still is – made by people entering…