Notes from the Studio: with AC Larsen

HP What is the first thing you do in the morning?
ACL I like to keep the studio as a dedicated making space – admin and research done elsewhere. That usually means, if I’m in the studio, I’ll get straight into making, picking up wherever I’ve left off with a work in progress. The other thing I do at the studio is source materials. I spend a lot of time scouring secondhand market places and trying to figure out where I can purchase specific materials, so that’s usually how my time at the studio is split.

HP Describe where you produce your work, and why you chose that space.
ACL My current studio is in Dalston, which is one of my favourite parts of London. I share it with some good friends and we love the vibe there. I live in North London so it’s just a quick cycle away, which is really important for me. I find if I don’t have to get public transport, I’m much more likely to nip to the studio even for an hour whenever I can squeeze it in.

HP Where do you go to feel energised creatively?
ACL For me seeing other work is super important. If I’m feeling blocked or uninspired I’ll schedule a day where I can just go and see lots of shows and look at other work. Walking is also important, I get most of the ideas for work when I’m walking.

HP If you could choose one word to describe your work, what would it be?
ACL Intentional.

HP What do you do when you need to escape the studio and reset your mind?
ACL I think taking time away from the studio is vital, just as important sometimes as dedicating time there. Taking a walk around London Fields or playing football are usually my go-tos.

HP What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
ACL ‘Don’t put off till tomorrow what you could do today’ – simple but a pearl of wisdom from my Dad. It’s something I remind myself of, often on a weekly basis. It’s always remarkable how much of a motivator it can be to complete works or finish up a task in the studio.

HP If you weren’t an artist what would you do?
ACL Presently I’m also training to become a counsellor – so probably that. It’s been very different from other work I’ve done to sustain myself financially, which has always felt like it’s been competing with my practice, stealing time and energy. Counselling training, and I hope eventual practice, has enabled me to understand myself and other people in ways that have been really provoking for my art practice, and I see them co-existing in the future in a really exciting way.

HP What is one thing you couldn’t live without in your studio?
ACL My battered leather desk chair – it’s very handy for swivelling between desks.

HP What book are you reading right now?
ACL On Becoming a Person by Carl Rogers.

HP What is the best decision you have made?
ACL It’s cliché but doing an MFA. I didn’t study a BA in Fine Art, so going straight into an MFA was so transformative for my practice in ways I never could have imagined. I studied at Kingston for two years and my work changed so much during that time, which also coincided with my late twenties and me growing enormously as a person too. I don’t think my practice would be where it’s at without the input I received and that dedicated time to solely focus on developing the work