Just when you think you’ve found your groove, and life has a sense of rhythm, along comes a speed bump causing life to wobble until you shift gears. This happened at the beginning of August when I decided to find out if I wanted to work in radio again.
Destabilising reforms to NSW arts funding over the past couple of years meant my future as a contracted freelance arts worker in the regional arts sector was no longer viable. Along with short-term projects as a content producer, this is what had underpinned my creative practice for the past five years, providing just enough income and loads of flexibility. But I could see the writing on the wall. The lack of secure arts funding for critical regional arts organisations means fewer opportunities for professional creative practitioners in the regions.
The opportunity to return to public broadcasting came at the right time. I was just a little bit slow to recognise that. For the first month I couldn’t see the forest for the trees. While trying to get to grips with contemporary radio craft and the technical elements of broadcasting, I was increasingly worried about how I’d maintain my arts practice if I returned to the airwaves. Early conversations about my return had me thinking it would be possible to do both part-time. That illusion quickly evaporated.
Only a few weeks into this return to a place I started my professional life as a journalist in in the early 1990s (1992-1996), I was really struggling to keep my art projects moving forward at the same pace as before. It’s not that things aren’t happening, but my timeframes and expectations have had to adjust. Instead of having four or five days in which to make things happen, I now have one or two and a few hours on weekday afternoons if I’m not too exhausted.
What I have slowly come to realise in recent weeks is that my new role is the professional challenge I’ve been seeking for some time. I’ve spent decades providing training in professional practice to others and have struggled to find meaningful opportunities for myself. Aside from recently completing an intense but wonderful three-month course in acoustic ecology, on-the-job training and air-checks along with very public mistake-making on live radio has been hugely challenging—and I’ve loved nearly every minute of it. There have also been quite a few days though where I’ve been too exhausted to see this.
Things will have to change in terms of what creative projects and opportunities I take on for a while. It won’t be forever. Nothing is forever. There are two group shows to get sound works ready for before the end of this year in Western Australia and at Mudgee Arts Precinct — both fast approaching, as well as an opportunity to share my soils sound work with listeners at The Landing Project Open Day in the UK at end of this month. The ecoartspace Soils Turn book, that I’m in comes out in October, and the Australian Walking Artists book I’m part of will be out by November. There are also grand jury member commitments to the international walk · listen · create Sound Walk September awards to fulfill in November and contributions to make in my new role as a board member of the Australian Forum for Acoustic Ecology . Then in 2026, there are two solo shows and a project publication to make happen by the end of the year. The international arboreus.earth project I launched this year won’t be going away either. There are more sonic tree portraits to pull together before the end of this year.
Things that will have to be parked for now are any big new projects and travel, as well as delivering the online Power of Sound course. Plans for an overseas residency in 2027 might also have to wait — more time to find the right opportunity.
Jobs on lists are slowly being ticked off. More lists are being made. I’ve had to say ‘no’ to some amazing offers that were incredibly hard to knock back—that’s the downside of a second chance in my professional life. But this is an opportunity to become a better storyteller, to finely hone my audio skills, to connect with communities across my home region, and bring a greater sense of purpose to my artmaking. I have to keep some distance between my two professional lives — I’m constantly considering conflicts of interest, but there will always be bleed. And, somewhere amongst all this, I need to find time for me to listen and walk quietly.
I am still an artist with a commitment to exploring the layers of nuance and complexity across the rural and regional the territories that I work, seeking the hidden elements that make them vibrate. I now also bring that to my role in radio. Life is full and overflowing.
Additional links
SOIL+AiR project
The Landing Project (UK)
ecoartspace Soils Turn book
Australian Walking Artists book
walk · listen · create Sound Walk September
Australian Forum for Acoustic Ecology
arboreus.earth
ABC Western Plains Breakfast
Check my homepage for details of upcoming exhibitions, coming soon.
kvgoldsmithart.com 