Probably?

I've found the perfect venue for an exhibition next summer: a dusty Methodist chapel with fading paintwork and cracked plaster walls. I've been mulling over some ideas for installations that I think will work well in this kind of environment, and it feels like serendipity to have found it now, so I've decided to take the plunge and curate my first show.

I went over last night to have a second look at it and to discuss terms with the owner... there's an awful lot to consider and my head's already spinning! I want to curate it alone as I have fairly specific ideas of the theme I want to explore, but of course that means tackling all the organisation alone too - from public liability insurance to publicity and grant applications. Essentially, it adds up to a lot of time and commitment. Not least of my concerns will be trying to come up with the money - the chapel doesn't come free, and nor will the printing costs, insurance, advertising, transport...it will be like running a business again, but hopefully a bit more manageable than the last one!

The first decision I have to make is when to hold the show. So far I've earmarked the Whitsun holiday or the early part of the summer break - both in the school holidays so that I can invigilate the show without having to leave to collect Kim from school, and of course so that I can (hopefully) attract more visitors during the holiday period.

Okay, so now I've got some possible dates how do I decide which one to go for? Sooner rather than later suits my impulsive streak and will give me a tangible deadline to work towards, but with all that organisation (and a job) it doesn't leave an awful lot of time to make any work! And the 'problem' with waiting until the summer is that it seems so far in the future that I will probably leave it too long before I get going and will feel time pressured anyway! Maybe I should ignore what I need and think about what other artists need, which will probably mean more time might be more preferable. Probably.

Hmmm. So that's a likely date; what's next? Probably should be a budget. Probably...but they're a bit dull aren't they? I should probably get my head down, get some quotes and figures and just get on with it, shouldn't I? Probably. Buuuuut......there's a few things in the studio I want to go and play with first. And I'm sure I left a bar of chocolate in the fridge that needs eating up while I finish reading that wonderful, unputdownable book I've just picked up. If I put the budget on hold for a few more days, even a couple of weeks, it'll probably be alright, won't it?

And so the decision making/prevarication process will undoubtedly continue until about four weeks before the decided date when I will suddenly swing into action like a woman possessed: making decisions at the snap of a finger; tearing my hair out with the stress of waiting on other people to do what they've promised; working until 4am on my artwork that I will undoubtedly overlook until 3 days before the show is due to open... Probably?

More than bloody likely: GUARANTEED.