Artist Residency at Hawkwood: Temi Wilkey
I was a part of the artist residency programme at Hawkwood in the last week of May 2022. I felt a really unexpected and extraordinary sense of calm when I arrived. It was really special to have a large room with a gorgeous view as my dedicated working space and then another lovely room, with a desk, as a bedroom. I think, before the trip, I’d underestimated how revitalising it can be to spend time in nature and that was a wonderful part of the retreat. The grounds are so beautiful and going on a walk at the end of the day or in the middle of a difficult patch when I was stuck on what I was writing was a real boon. I feel like I breathed different there! It was a very spiritually expansive time.
![Temi at Hawkwood Temi](https://www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/image_50404865-scaled-e1664812295949-1024x705.jpg)
![Temi Wilkey](https://www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Temi-Wilkey-e1664812246728.jpeg)
While I was there I worked on a passion project of mine that I’d been wanting to develop for a few years. Being at Hawkwood gave me the time to be creatively productive but also to go inward and examine why I wanted to write what I was writing, what I wanted to say and what I was offering to the world. It was a really holistic experience.
I’m a real extrovert so I expected to find it difficult to spend so much time alone but it actually ended up being very therapeutic and I also had really edifying chats with another person on the residency, during our meal breaks.
![Land-Without-Dreams-Gate-Theatre-C-Cameron-Slater](https://www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Land-Without-Dreams-Gate-Theatre-C-Cameron-Slater-e1664801987232.jpeg)
![Hawkwood Landscape by Temi Wilkey Hawkwood CFT Landscape by Temi Wilkey](https://www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/image_67164673-scaled-e1664801943110-1024x768.jpg)
![Temi Wilkey](https://www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2020204-ES-Temi-Wilkey-MW-019.jpg--e1664802043276.jpg)
The most profound thing about it for me was the feeling of being taken care of. It meant that I could simply focus on writing, rather than having to think about or plan where I was going to work or what I was going to make myself for lunch or dinner. This might sound trivial but, as a freelance artist, all you have is yourself and you have to do so much work to take care of yourself every day in order to be in a position to be creative. The food at Hawkwood is absolutely delicious and I genuinely think that really helped my creative process. Feeling nourished and held by an organisation like that for a week was truly invaluable.
Words by Temi Wilkey.
With thanks to the Francis Reckitt Art Trust, DCMS & Arts Council England for their funding that make these residencies possible. Read about our Artist Residency Programme here.