Starter for 10

Nearly all jobs in the Arts I have come across start at 10, then drink coffee for 30 minutes then get inspired then go nuts for several hours and then 5 go home to get out by 8 and socialise at some art thing like an opening until late. If I'd known this as a student I would have joined in sooner and still be there.

Well probably not, I wasn't a typical student I got into debt by ordering too many pizzas and cooking for friends, we sometimes had wine but drinking was herbal tea or british rail bog standard at epic breakfasts, sure some nights I stayed up late, some days I slept in and one night I stayed up all night in a sleeping bag on a hillock only to discover how ominous bunny rabbits in a line, like native americans on a ridge, eyes flashing in the dawn's early light can truly be. Unforgettable that sunrise - but not in the way I had envisaged.

Also I lacked certain types of confidence. Art History students are a mix of public school kids and mature students who love art. I made friends with the latter and was scared of the first. I spent most of my life as a student feeling like I'd snuck in and had no right to be there. I worked, I loved the library, I found the subject fascinating and discovered big concepts fazed me not and that was unusual.

I backpacked in Scotland most easter breaks and in Edinburgh had my first experience of gallery fatigue. I saw everything and got to the point of not being able to take anything in visually at all any more. I went to Glasgow and got drunk for a few days instead, then visited every Rennie Mackintosh site I could.

This leads me to how does a girl from a state school end up studying art history anyway? Too main factors mum and dad. So far so standard. Dad because he had sunday access to me and my brother and galleries are cheap and good in the rain so we went to many and disagreed in taste extremely, this tired him. I recall seeing Rene Magritte's the empty mask, I would not be moved from in front of it. I was 6. It still makes me sort of happy and calm and mesmerised now. It's not an intellectual response it just is.

Then mum, when I was studying for A levels she and I clashed somewhat so I went to the Central Library to study and the reading area was next to the art history books. Midge Ure had done a documentary on Charled Rennie Mackintosh and there was a book at the end of the row about him. I started reading the entire section and neglected my home work. When the UCAS sorting questionnaire came around it ask "Would you like to study Art History?" I said yes paid my £15 and went away to find out what the devil Art History was. Predictably it predicted I should study art history and because aside from being crap at technical drawing I'd be as Architect by now I looked for course with Architecture too. If you can't do, study.

Last day in temp job today.

Tomorrow the arts festival.

I start at 10

Jen