I got arts council funding!
When my wife suggested I apply for Develop Your Creative Practice* funding (DYCP for short) from the Arts Council, I thought they were a bit delusional.
I really struggle with things like writing long applications because of my dyslexia, ADHD, and chronic hand pain. I also wasn’t sure if I was there yet, professionally. The people who’ve received this grant before are incredible, and I still struggle with believing I’m good enough.
Getting help
The Arts Council has a budget for Disabled artists to get a support worker to help write the application. They know this sort of thing can be inaccessible for many reasons, and I genuinely think I couldn’t have applied without that support.
Stella Sideli, my support worker, was incredible. She was full of knowledge on how best to phrase things for the funders, and was great at helping me think out of the box on what I actually need and want.
As usual, there is also no way I could have gotten it without my wonderful wife who helped put into words what I was thinking, and soothed my fears about not being good enough.
Getting the grant has opened up a whole new world and given me more confidence in myself and my art. I see now it's the right step for me and am so grateful for the help that got me there.
What I’m going to do
My project is called Shared Ecologies: Access-Led Ecological Sculpture Practice (very wordy, I know!). Combining my skills as an artist and gardener, I want to create more accessible spaces, art, and art workshops in sculpture. This could look like going on a course to learn about cob, working out how to create cob sculptures, and sharing that in an accessible workshop format. Or it could look like learning to weld, and taking on more public sculpture and community-led public art commissions.
What’s great about DYCP is that you don’t need to produce anything at the end - you just have to work on your knowledge and practice!
Access support
Did you know that the Arts Council can give you extra money for access costs? For example, someone will be coming to help me organise my studio in a way that works for my very neurodivergent brain, reducing overwhelm and allowing me to focus on creating.
What I’m most excited for
I’m most excited to have paid time to play and experiment with art. As artists who need to make a living, we’re often pushed into a space where we’re wondering is it going to make me money? It can be really limiting. I’m hoping that the paid time to create will take my practice into areas I never imagined.
I’ll be doing blog posts throughout the next 12 months, reflecting on my experience with this funding. If you want to see what I get up to, follow along!
* Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) is a funding programme that supports you as an individual creative and cultural practitioner to focus on your career development. The programme encourages development by allowing you to learn, innovate and take creative risks. It’s all about you and making a meaningful shift in your practice that leads to future opportunities.
