I Finally Found the Words

Maria Giergiel

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Lead Artist at Expecting Something in Lochgelly Maria Giergiel has recently said goodbye to the families of Expecting Something, and in her final blog, talks about what she has learned over her time with the mums and babies.

Goodbyes are really hard…

Why is that?

I’ve had so much trouble writing this blog . . . I think I don’t really want to say goodbye . . . I’ve had too much fun and learned so much and it feels really sad to close this chapter of my life! So I’m going to use this blog as a chance to look back at two years with Expecting Something and tentatively think about what’s next.

Whenever I think back, about the work I’ve done with Expecting Something, I always want to tell everyone about how cool it is. How radical it is to work with babies and how vital and important it is to make space where children and parents are free to play, express themselves and make connections with other people. I want to shout to the world that we need more spaces like this, that strives to put babies and parents and artists on level creative ground.

For me as an emerging artist, Expecting Something has been an opportunity try just something out. A time to just see what happens when you, an idea and 8 young families are in a room. It’s exciting and a bit scary  . . . sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn’t and generally the best moments came out of the thing I didn’t really expect . . . A piece of fabric, unexpectedly becomes the best toy ever . . . A song materialises out of almost nothing . . . The fact that the Lochgelly Centre’s studio is a great open space for newly running babies . . . It’s shown me that inspiration comes from everywhere, and sometimes, you just need to be ready to be surprised . . .

So thank you to all the lovely people at Expecting Something. To all the babies who have made me laugh and made me think harder than I’ve ever thought. To all the parents who’ve been so open and willing to try something new and full of good chat. To the other artists who’ve brought their skills and enthusiasm to the group. To all the people at Starcatchers who work so hard to show how vital the arts and creativity are for babies and young children in Scotland. I’ve had an absolute blast.

As I sign off here for the last time, I’m in my flat in Denmark. It’s just me, an idea and my boyfriend in Denmark and I’m ready to be surprised . . .