Almond Zigmund

1.  How are you and where are you?

I am at home in East Hampton with my daughter and husband.  We are all ok and had adjusted somewhat to a new schedule and way of living, and now that it is getting warmer and phased reopening is starting we are bracing for another readjustment.  My studio is at home and I have been able to at least be with the work that I had been doing prior to the shutdown which has been good.  I have not been able to spend extended periods of time working like I had, but I make sure to at least “touch base” with my studio and work practice every day, even if that just means sitting at my table, which is what I do most days.  I was also in the middle of working on a large scale public commission that is moving forward which gives me some focus which I am grateful for.

2.  What is your routine?

My routine is tied to my daughter’s schedule. I get up early to have time to read and be quiet, then I “get her to school”, walk the dog, exercise, prepare her lunch, help her with work, etc.

In between those things, help on the back end with my husband’s businesses, and the other work of keeping the home together, repairs, cleaning, shopping, etc. These are the things that I try to find cracks in to make time for work. I have found that I need to commit to a certain period of time each day and guard it, regardless of what else is going on, to be able to take the time to be in my studio.

3.  Is this a creative time for you, do you find inspiration these days?

This is not a particularly creative time for me, in as much as I have not had the time to create or to practice, which is where I find “creativity” comes from – the actual doing and making. It has, though, been a profoundly liberating time as I am able to have some distance from that work and practice and feel as though I have been set free from some self imposed parameters as well as habits that had developed over time. This has been really helpful in allowing me to re-envision my work, what and how I produce, and coming to a better understanding of why I produce, believing more than ever in the importance of the process and the necessity of the outcome.

This image below is me posing with the installation I did in front of my house for a project called Drive By Art, organized by Warren Neidich. 50 artists installed work in front of their homes or studios for people to drive by and see.  My pieces were made out of shipping boxes.