Where Should Lily Live? Part 1
- lilyjclifford
- Jul 16, 2017
- 2 min read
Last month I went on a tour of Britain. I've been looking for work or to do an MA and I was trying to figure out where I would feel happiest. My criteria of places were that they had to have a creative scene, I also wanted to stay Northern if possible and they needed to be in my price bracket. I started off in Glasgow, just for the night but I felt good in Glasgow, people weren't friendly but they weren't ignoring me either. I had a drink in a bar and then felt awkward about being alone and finished it way too fast.
Next I headed Northwards, to Strathcarron to stay with the amazing Vicky Stonebridge of Balnacra Arts. I've known Vicky casually for years, we met at small press comic conventions and I was thrilled to meet a ceramicist in the wild. I volunteered to help out in her studio for a week in any way I could, Vicky was way too generous a host. She took me up mountains, took me to yoga in a treehouse and let me make stumble around remembering how to make pots.
Locharron was beautiful and it was the perfect recharge for me. Talking about how important the community was for Vicky and realising how much of my degree I'd retained was so uplifting. At one point an Iranian couple came in to her studio and decided they'd like to throw some pots, and I helped someone make a pot. I've been running workshops since I graduated but in glass, never clay. I'd thought my reservoir had dried up but it turns out it was still there, waiting for me.
Without being able to drive, living the highlands of Scotland would be tough and I got a sense that I could go stir crazy. I like how easy being sociable is in a town, in a village you either have to luck out and love thy neighbour or commute to friends. So reluctantly, I crossed Locharron off the list of places I might move to.
Comments