Art, Sex and Creativity


Vibrant discussion at Charleston Farmhouse as part of the Charleston Festival between Grayson Perry and his wife Philippa ably  chaired by Helen Bagnall.

Funny but insightful discussion about relationships and how they influence creativity. Philippa admitted that she had partly been driven to write books on psychology because of being jealously of the attention Grayson got when he won the Turner Prize which I thought was interesting and honest. Grayson commented on how people think artists are very Bohemian but he said “Artists are middle class professionals”. To create successful art you need to work hard and meet deadlines.

There were some brilliant quotes on relationships “We form in a relationship” her and she said a relationship was about “mutual impact” which I loved. Also from her “Your authentic self is good enough” and “You can change your link in the chain”.

They also talked about children and her book on bringing them up. He told us how drawing with his daughter had brought him back to the discipline.

Of course when talking about Grayson Perry you have to comment on what he was wearing and he was sporting an interesting new look.  It felt more grown up with vintage feel of the 1960s. His dress was an orange mini which matched the set beautifully. They had been a replacement for another speaker who had cancelled hence his quote of “Nothing makes you feel older than standing in for Alan Bennet!”

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