Preparing to retire …

Still very happy working at the Library, when my daughter moved to Rio and I could no longer commit so much time to ITAS and a time for a natural break came. That, and the idea that I might consider retirement and the fulfilment of my own dreams.  I began gathering and sifting my previous knowledge and its relevance to a more personal creative future.

So how does this seemingly dry and dusty career lead to me wanting to fulfil a dream to become an artist. As a 16 year old was talented I may even been gifted for whatever reason it went under the radar.   However, I did learn other skills that took me into creative world but from another direction

Moving to Reading in 1980s I wasn’t sure of the job opportunities; the library was not foreseen  yet.  I took what was available in cars sales and advertising; not very enlightening but soon found myself as a volunteer wardrobe mistress for the Reading Operatic Society.  They put on shows twice a year at the Hexagon. I undertook this role for 6 years until my third child was born.  They were big productions and I worked closely with the choreographer.  It was an exciting chance to use my buying skills when hiring costumes from agencies and the imaginative opportunities were more about making a size 10 frock fit a rather larger frame or vice versa.  With my child in Sunday school Beavers and Cubs Again, not far away from creative world.

After a short break I returned to work, in the Bank.  Here I was given to opportunity to do an Open University Degree in Art and Humanities including art history, philosophy, Classical history, enlightenment etc and being able to take a step nearer my dream.

As explained I was ‘only’ library assistant which allowed me to have a more light-hearted approach to the subject matter.  I wasn’t paid to be important; giving me time to enjoy the materials in a professional environment.  Almost forming relationships with artists and craftsmen dead and alive dipping and in and out of their lives for colleagues and researchers as I retrieved and returned requested materials.

During this time, I began a blog called Living, libraries and dead languages; posting daily about my life in and out of the Library mostly about items found during other researches; snapshots of the unseen. I became popular and I enjoyed writing.  When I retired I changed its name but seemed less hopeful.  Posting from my printing room and Instagram proved to be in more interactive and relevant.

I attended lectures during my lunch breaks regularly and also staff training each Friday morning during term time (for 18 years) as staff members we could choose from a small selection of sessions.  Everyone including the Librarian, it was staff lead. It could be a visit to another department in the University, to another establishment in the town, learn conservation and book binding, or be just health and safety or customer care.  Again, learning that goes unnoticed.

Also, I discovered that other colleagues were members of local creative groups not just art but drama, creative writing, singing, dancing etc. so, I found my way into other community where I could enjoy art hands on and long before I retired I was learning printmaking, illustration, book binding, letterpress with local artists and those further afield as I gained confidence. I am now fully practicing artist and exhibiting with the Reading Guild of Artists.

It seems that we can learn skills and some take us in the wrong direction but I was a good clerk and provided well for my home and family that was not without the trauma and upset can contribute to my being a creative person.