Balance November 2017 - 11

bac k to the fu t u r e

T H E B A R E FA C T S

For those who
know their
Botticellis from
their Pollocks...

s
r
e
'
m
i
T
Firsutide to...
G

MECHANICAL WORLD
by GEMMA CORRELL

life drawing

The 'world's least
talented artist',
Jamie Glassman,
draws people
without drawers

T

hey call it life
drawing because
'staring at people in
the buff for two hours drawing'
is a bit clunky. And there's no
sneaking a peek here. It's full
on staring only. At people. In the
buff. And drawing, of course;
don't forget the drawing.
I wander into a gorgeous
bright room with high ceilings
at the Westminster Quaker
House near Leicester Square and
I'm asked to hand over £14 and help
myself to art supplies on the table.

PHOTOGRAPHY: IAKOVOS KALAITZAKISDS GROOMING: VICTORIA BOND

ALL CHANGE
Not wanting to look like an amateur,
I nonchalantly take a few sheets of A3
and pick out a piece of grey charcoal. I
find a seat and only a few minutes after
walking in, I'm cheek by jowl with their
cheeks and jowls.
There were 60 in the class altogether,
standing and sitting around two people
in the altogether. It's amazing how soon
this all feels normal when you're with
people for whom this is normal.

There's no teacher in
this class, just a facilitator
who takes the cash and
every now and again asks the
models to change position.
He calls out all matter-of-fact,
'right models, new position
please, five minutes' and the
models, all matter-of-fact
would lie or kneel or crouch or
splay themselves into another
weird and wonderful position.

DALI OPPORTUNITIES
Are these models struggling
artists in need of dosh or
struggling exhibitionists in
need of an audience? There's
a break for tea and biscuits after
an hour and I start to chat with the
others. I learn you can find a life drawing
class every night of the week somewhere
in London, that models get around £15
an hour and that chocolate bourbons are
the nude model biscuit of choice.
A glance around at other people's
drawings and I realise there are some
actual artists here tonight. Sadly, I'm not
one of them, in fact, I'm the world's least
talented artist and yet I loved this class.
It was two hours of silence in a lovely
room where there's nothing to do but
lose yourself creating something.
To see some of Jamie's pictures,
go online to balance.media.

HOW TO SIGN UP
The details:
Life drawing

Where:
Westminster
Quaker
Meeting House
(meetup.com)

Level
Suitable
for all

Cost
£14 (six
sessions £70)

Time
Two hours

November 2017 BA LA N CE

life coach corner
WELLBEING
AT WORK
by SARAH WOOD
However big your workload, you
need to be at your best and that
means investing in your wellbeing
and knowing when to stop.
For me, the 30-minute walk to
work every morning creates the
headspace I need to start the day
with a clear focus. It also doubles
as my exercise fix and helps form
positive habits which are good for
my mental and physical health. 
In a high-pressure environment,
it's worth thinking about how
you can find the balance between
commitment and being overloaded.
Stepping Up: How to Accelerate
Your Leadership Potential is out
now (£14.99, FT Publishing)

11
http://www.meetup.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Balance November 2017
