First Draft

Peptalk
Website update
I want to thank the pioneers in live drawing Eimear McNally for being a real inspiration in Ireland when I first saw it in action in 2017 for the confidence to start this journey, my aunt Niamh O’Donoghue making me aware of this art and Angelia XU Yingge for driving me forward at the beginning of lockdown with her professional support .

May 2019 Peptalk – the adventure begins
Thanks to my uncle Declan O’Donoghue for the big break on this journey & James Brogan of Peptalk for hearing me out
Well fair play to James for giving me a go – yes we have a team well-being group coming up & it might be the place to showcase your skills .
Talk about a baptism of fire – it was apt that Bernard Brogan one of the all-time greats of Dublin football would be at the meeting (a partner in the company )
The night before with the meeting agenda in hand I took to planning – you want to leave a bit of structure and room for play

I remember the walls looking like a prison break plan – my flat mate Owen asking at the time – so how does this work as I asked him kindly to help out on masking tape duty .

That was it – the night before the big match is to speak – I had my plan of action and the bare bones materials . In some ways we always try to add a few more markers here , distracting ourselves from the real objective that this is new territory – there was nothing really to prepare me for this situation and that is what I would advise any visual note-taker that really at the end of the day the huge anxiety can be placed on ‘Oh my God my visuals are they gonna be ok, what if I freeze , what if I run out of paper yada, yada, and really there needs to be a shift in mindset .
Tell yourself – I’m not the star of the show here – the conversation flow is the star & the discourse – I need to get out of my own way .
That is the passion behind this line of work for the next generation – the role of the artist in a gallery removed from the world is no way to be living all the time – I have lived in an isolated world full of fear for a big reveal followed by a neurotic review of critiques only for it to happen again .
Really there needs to be a break-down of the classic artists role in society .
And I believe visual note-taking to be one way for the next generation to live a more balanced life using their skills and enjoying what else the world has to offer .
So this first piece is a welcome for the young artist / creative type curious about how to get into this field .
Thank you