I have the pleasure of belonging to Studio21 a textile based exhibiting group.  Members meet every month to share work in progress and to offer each other support and informal crits. We have recently introduced the ’60 second pitch’.  At each meeting, every member has 60 seconds (or less) to tell the group about something related to our art practice, something we are hoping to do or to explain an idea we have had since the previous meeting.  This could be triggered by something we have read, heard, by the work we are making or anything at all that has led to a thought which connects, however nebulously at this stage, to our practice.  If we are excited, puzzled or intrigued, we have the opportunity to share it with the group.

The idea behind this is to help each one of us to clarify our thinking and to find the necessary words to explain our work and to learn about each other’s work in a non-threatening and non-judgemental way.  Having to say something aloud, and to explain an idea to others, helps us to clarify our thinking and to acquire the relevant vocabulary.

I have found this exercise very useful. To be restricted to a minute or less leaves no opportunity for digression or diversion.  I am forced to sift through bubbling, unformed thoughts to pare down thoughts and to focus on the exercise.  I begin by putting words and phrases down on paper as they occur to me.  The next stage is to search for connections and to bring order to the list.  Some ideas are discarded, others parked for further examination at a later date.  The sifting and questioning process allows me to refine my thoughts and I begin to formulate the final text.

The final stage is to read through the text aloud and to make sure I can deliver the final draft in 60 seconds or less.