Although this year has had many physical limitations, the online opportunities have been wonderful. As a member of a-n.co.uk (artists-network) I was invited to attend a free online drop in on 11th December on zoom. The event focused on how to fund your arts practice. When I applied initially I was told that the event was full and my name would be put on a waiting list. However, on the day I was pleased to receive an email offering me a place.
The session was led by Julie Lomax, who has been the Chief Executive for a-n since 2018. Previously she worked as the Director of Development at Liverpool Biennial, Director of Visual Arts at Australia Council for the Arts, and Director of Visual Arts for Arts Council England.
The event started with Julie introducing herself and opening a Power-point presentation which explored how to write good proposals, how to make a successful pitch and in turn, develop a more sustainable practice. Her style was helpful and direct, her knowledge and experience in the field was clearly evident and after her presentation she invited questions from the audience.
Some of the many valuable points made in the presentation and discussion included 'remember the 90/10 rule. Which translates as 'expect to spend 90% of your time dealing with paperwork, applying for funding and the business side of art and 10% actually making art'. This is quite a dramatic breakdown of time and it made a big impact on me. Also, although you will be successful in securing funding it is likely that you will be rejected too. Rejection is a normal part of the process and is not the end, it is a start off point. The thing to do is get feedback, then you will be able to adjust your application and reapply.
Other points that were useful for me personally were :
A short bio is 2-3 sentences.
Think about creating a short film, less than 3 minutes.
When writing about your work keep it simple and think about who is going to be reading what you've written, adapt as necessary.
Get help when you need it.
Make sure any links you send, work!
Be aware when you're given a word count that they may include the spaces in that word count.
Finally, 'Dream a lot, Plan a lot'
Overall, I thought this was an excellent presentation, really helpful and I will be looking out for any further events like this. Julie did mention that more are planned which go into more detail about each stage of the process. I was unsure about continuing my membership with a-n which is due for renewal in January, but after attending this event I will definitely be sticking around!
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