Interview With Anastasia Tilston

Last Friday, the exhibition team visited Chester Art Centre to get inspiration for Northern Song. The blog, advertising, film and TV teams also tagged along to document their research. Whilst there, we spoke to Anastasia Tilston, director of Chester Art Centre and photographer.

Anastasia Tilston, director of Chester Art Centre.

Amy: "Would you be able to give us a brief introduction to who you are and the work that you do?"

Anastasia: "Oh God, that’s a very difficult question! It’s a very difficult question because I do a lot of things. In terms of the gallery, I’m kind of the boss, although I do various things here. In terms of photography, I’m the sort of person who would say, “Well, no, I’m not really a photographer” - I’ve been doing it for fifteen years! But, “No, not really a photographer, no”. But yes, I am.

"As you can see, I’m editing a wedding, so… I’m not a wedding photographer, but I can do a wedding if it’s a friend of mine, or if I’m paid very well! It’s a difficult thing to do, it’s a very, very exhausting day’s work, but if you know what you’re doing, then it can be a lot of fun, depending on the people. However, what I really enjoy doing is art photography, so I go to… dark and depressing places - you know, broken glass, and rusty fences, and stuff like that.

"I really enjoy travelling, but travel photography is not really my thing. I will take pictures, but I think they’re not as good as they could have been, you know what I mean? So,

capturing people unaware, and all the crazy, quirky shadows, angles, that’s what I do. And obviously here, I photograph the artwork professionally, so… [I’ve] got a photo studio upstairs, and sometimes do shoots as well.

Amy: "What are three essential things that you must have when you’re editing photos for a long period of time?"

Anastasia: "The essential things?"

Amy: "Yeah, like music, tea…"

Anastasia: "Music, tea, sometimes a glass of wine helps - depending. But yeah, music and tea - brilliant!"

Amy: "What’s your favourite form of procrastinating when you’ve got a creative block?"

Anastasia: "Ah, creative block, that’s something I’m writing a course about actually. Creator’s blocks, and how to get rid of them. I don’t normally get them, because I’m so busy, and I’ve got so many things to do. Quite often, I want to do something, but I don’t have the time to do it, so… yeah. I used to suffer from creator’s block, and I used to be very… yeah, it used to be a very different time, let’s put it this way! I got out of there, so I’m happy now."

Amy: "What other artists inspire you at the moment?"

Anastasia: "Well, actually, working here is most inspiring because you meet a lot of different

people, very interesting creative people. Very often slightly mad, which helps. Pretty much anybody who walks through that door. You guys inspire me, for example, because all of a sudden I thought, “Oh, it’s going to be a quiet day”, then a group of students come in! You’re clearly doing something that you’re enjoying, and that’s

"I like different styles... of art. I can’t say that I’ve got one favourite."

really, really nice - that’s what we try to promote, push and encourage people to do what they enjoy doing, really.

"In terms of artists, if you mean fine art, well... plenty. Plenty. I like different styles, and different forms of art. I can’t say that I’ve got one favourite. A couple of weeks ago I went to see the Da Vinci exhibition in Liverpool. It’s fantastic! I’ve seen Da Vinci before, but it’s nice to remind yourself of what it is in real life - it’s one thing flicking through an album, and the other thing is just standing there thinking, “Wow. That is it. That is it.”. And the Mackintosh exhibition was superb as well, totally different. You’ve got Da Vinci, you’ve got art deco Mackintosh. Both are just as inspiring. And you think, “Ah! I’m actually jealous! Why did he design those chairs, why wasn’t it me!” You know what I mean? It’s like, “Ah! I need to go and do something that is actually worth it”. So, yeah."

Amy: "What is your favourite work that you have produced this year?"

Anastasia: "I started incorporating resin, so I’ve done a little piece which is art photography, and I put a little piece of clear resin over it, and sprinkled a bit of gold leaf over it. For my next exhibition I’ll try to do series of them. I don’t know if they’re going to be good, but… you can only try, and see what happens. But this one worked out really well, so I’d like to keep doing that. And I’ve got a couple of jewellery collections, in my head. It’s just finding the time, to create them. That’s probably what I’m going to do."

Amy: "What galleries and art exhibitions that you have been to in the North have inspired you creatively?"

Anastasia: "Any place can be inspiring, if you’re in the right mindset. So, in terms of galleries, I went to a lovely little gallery somewhere in Wales… Recently I bumped into a lovely tiny place, I would not remember exactly where it is. It’s a glass art gallery, so they make pieces there. I did not know it was there, a really cozy little building, two floors, very quiet. Fantastic pieces of work. You get obviously all the little souvenirs, and pieces of jewellery, but at the

same time, you’ve got larger pieces, you’ve got sculpture, you’ve got things that go on walls which are made of glass… I was really, really pleased to have found it - of course, I bought a few little things, so… It’s really hard to tell which art galleries, because anywhere you go, you will find something inspiring. If you’re looking, sometimes it doesn’t even have to be an art gallery, you can go to a bar and think, “Wow, this is one cool sink!” Who says it’s not art? It’s design, it all goes hand in hand really."

Amy: "What piece of advice would you give to someone who is trying to get in to the creative industry?"

Anastasia: "Don’t give up. It’s not going to be easy straight away. Don’t give up, it’s worth it. You see, I gave up. I gave up when I started doing it, then life happened, and I thought, “Oh no, there’s no future in that, I’ll have to give up, I’ll have to do serious things.” I did for a while, I did serious things. I do not regret that bit, because actually you learn a lot of stuff that’s helping in the business side of the gallery. But I lost my creativity for a long time, I felt like it wasn’t worth it, nobody needed it. You just have to keep doing it, and believe in yourself, and surround yourself with people who are on the same wave - that’s important. Because as soon as you’re out of the environment, that’s when doubts start creeping in. So keep pushing it, it will working out."

Amy: "Thank you, thank you so much."

To learn more about Anastasia, you can visit her Facebook page and her Instagram page. To learn more about Chester Art Centre, you can visit their website, as well as their Facebook and Instagram pages. You can also see more shots from Chester Art Centre in the behind the scenes section of our gallery here.

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