Carla Wright In Conversation

January 24, 2019

By Caf Fean

I’ve never run a creative studio before. Using a kiln, being the guardian of other people’s work: it’s scary! Every time I come in here, I just think: I’m so pleased this is my job!

I left home at seventeen – my favourite subject at school was art – it was all I was interested in. I never thought university was an option for me.

I worked in cafes, travelled a bit – road trips, not as a gap year. I saw an old friend who was at Goldsmiths, seeing her at uni made me think “can I do this?” I managed to convince an old teacher to let me come back to college; I did my degree and then got a scholarship for a Masters.

I love the localised living that Hastings gives me. I live five minutes from my son’s school. I hated having to travel so far in London – every job was over an hour away and we didn’t get to know our neighbours.

Collective support is so important with a one- and a five-year-old in tow. It takes a lot of hard work to strike a balance. I’m part of a collective called Vulpes Vulpes who made it possible for me to act as an artist whilst raising small children.

Piano or Spanish are the two things I’d have another go at.

Believing in what you’re doing is the secret to a successful project. If it’s a community project, or a social project then listen and try to understand where other people are coming from.

Full conversation here