Show notes
Paula Blair talks through a successful grant application to Arts Council England, radical honesty, and time-saving strategies. In this episode you’ll get advice on the stages of applying for a grant such as the necessary preparation, where to find specific guidance, compiling a budget and networking. Issues that arise include paying yourself and others fairly, identifying eligibility, what fund is right for your needs, and access requirements for submission. If you get something out of this or know someone who will, please share it.
Music: commonGround by airtone (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. Edited by Paula Blair with Audacity. Recorded June 2022. Get early access to future episodes on Patreon.
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hello everyone thank hope you’re dating while you’re very welcome to the audio visual cultures the podcast three comments lots of different areas of film and the arts and media I’m your host Paula Blair and today I wanted to talk about his ground applications I’m gonna try to remember to you read my notes slowly and deliberately so that the auto transcription produced by my host a cast has the best chance of keeping up so that these notes which I have hundreds %HESITATION I’ve charted destroying at various times find nice had a bit of a child since usually when I’ve managed to get her to walk and it’s a little bit Sunday and I’ve managed to get some sun if you know me personally you know I cannot bear the coals and I find it really difficult to regulate my body temperature so I am basically a lizard Hey enjoys lying in the sun as much as possible I’ve been really congested it’s this past week but I just saw this was good opportunity to record this because a call quiet heists and the street is quiet at the moment and I just thought I’ll just start recording at least get the first section done so I’m gonna try in to this quite so earlier very free of course to speed it up if you want to read a story or you just want to hear me signed like pinky and perky or alone in the chipmunks whichever references preferable TA so then this can be a bit more accessible hopefully in case when they talk about aids proved useful sandy one and I really hope it well before I get into talking about eight grams applications I want to give my huge thanks to our awesome patrons on Patreon dot com forward slash a C. cultures and a big thanks as well to all of her followers Messner’s as opened in every episode lately we’ve been getting really lovely feedback and and creating a note from my dear friends Mister James hall he has been on the show before and am is a big supporter and Dick said that they just wanted to say that the last episodes of audio visual cultures was really good especially for the generous candor ax ax and that was referring to the episode one hundred and seventeen where I eat I just checked in with everybody and I talk about how things have been going so far this year so in a way this is a bit of a sequel so that so this is high one of the things I talked about it and not turn the heat as I mentioned applying for the grants that I’m going to tell you bites today thought was successful so and I just wanted to share some stuff because it’s a ruling grants from arts council England a lot of people hi to every rind so if I can give back and help other people because there were people he helped me get mine then hopefully we can just keep that circularity main thing in get people more recognition for their work so those of you who know me personally or follow my personal kinds on the socials you might know that hyphen Trent it really take my life and career and hands this year so I decided that twenty twenty two was the year in which I was determined to make things happen for myself I was feeling really stagnant appoints the podcast and I was feeling very stuck in terms of being able to get a job have more income and T. something west my skills and knowledge and developer writing career and there’s been a lot holding me back from all of those things so I’ve talked a bit about that in the past in may will come up again it’s not really going to be the focus of what I want to talk about today so I suppose it’s just giving you a bit of background about where I am and where I’ve been I knew going into the center of her that I needed to prepare myself mentally for a process that would involve a lot of rejection disappointment and feelings of failure and so I went into this trying to embrace failure and embrace it just not working I did just not happening inspired very much by Maisie hill he I’ve mentioned before you know I’m trying to realize and remember the thought to some have to mean anything about me S. I. M. rejected from jobs that I apply for even though I’m perfectly qualified leads and I have experience or transferable skills it doesn’t say anything about me as a person if I tried it and it hasn’t worked on aids and a lot of the times and may just be I haven’t beat the algorithm because that’s how a lot of recruitment searches work Miami is our applications are three programs algorithms that Packer eight certain words and if you don’t have to spas words that they’re looking for %HESITATION or at least not in the right places you’re gonna get chucked alright so they’re talking I perfectly good applications because sometimes humanness and even reading them so there’s a lot of factors that go into a not getting shortlisted for a check up but again that’s not what we’re talking about today but again part of the broader boxed off of all of this this is something I’ve been doing to normalize failure is I’ve been posting to my blog and that is find out P. A. B. L. A. I. R. dot blogspot dot com and I’ve been posting on the blog rejected cover letters and supporting statements and project proposals so this was I suppose a form of cathartic release as well as a way of setting the record show that I tried and not I continue to try and the face if all of that rejection so I’ve had some very warm responses to these as well and it’s got me thinking about how you dismayed I am that making the effort two times guter flowing prose and narratives can’t beat the algorithm and I find it really so less T. tryin rights statements that might speak the algorithm so I think that’s something I’ve realized by myself very recently and sites you know I need to think about what kind of writer I might that I feel like I cannot compromise on that anymore and I’ve been getting complimented a lot on the very personable way that I try to write and that is very much what the Scranton surprised that I’m I’m going to tell you about it so it’s a mentions in hundred and seventeen if the opposites ago I’ve been putting more energy into seeing what I’m saying S. H. all these notes that is writing and that brings me to the my kidneys the so this block of notes I wrote on Thursday the second of June and on Monday the thirtieth of may I was notified that my application to the arts council England’s developing your creative practice grants scheme was successful no this episodes is releasing an eighth July when I should be in my research phase but as I write I haven’t told very many people and it’s been a real flurry of activity to get the paperwork sorted to secure the money and kept picking on to training courses and ordering backs because it started this week I’m recording this first block of what I want to say and this episodes on Friday the tenth of June I technically started to make rounds periods on Wednesday %HESITATION September first two days and really it’s two days a week up until the end of February so I basically have a part time job until the end of February at this point but I still got the money three but it was just one of the core says surrounding started on Thursday yesterday so I just got started with the whole thing this week I should stress that this is not a huge grounds but the point of this game S. T. buy yourself time and to get skilled up bits hi are you gonna step up your practice it’s with the intention of leading to your career development it’s basically the time and money in this space to really push three and step up with your career development what that means for me is it covers fees for some specific types of writing course fees to pay people for me to enter he and to get mentoring from and it will give me his face for my time spent developing the skills and then moving into testing ites the writing practice I want to develop I’m not writing practice is a creative critical practice that combines life riding our trading and creative nonfiction so it’s really space to experiment with those and see if I can develop a pic manuscripts from not kind of bland of things because you know me I can’t just do one thing here as we were talking about it and the previous episodes with Jordan lamb everything’s connected and for me things are very fluid and borderless so that’s exactly what my writing is going to pay it’s going to be from a personal perspective but it’s still I still wanted to have her bust researching criticism and analysis but also to be accessible creative nonfiction as well I want people to want to read it to enjoy reading at CP and rolled in the narratives and T. G. something that gets people excited about art and I said if it’s people he wouldn’t normally engage with art and culture even better so it’s quite big aims and intentions there so this is going to be as they say two days a week until February so I’ve got two days a week eight four console into February which is a massive relief U. S. I was mad as I was saying earlier I’ve made this really concentrated efforts over the past six months or so really since late twenty twenty one to apply for jobs and funding and the two things that have come of all of all of the many things I’ve applied for while they’re not a listing or earning me enough to have financial freedom you enough for their sense it is a bit of breathing space and it’s supposed to do with writing and there’s things that I really feel and taste of bytes limit excited about them so without feels goods and I don’t feel so bad about the rejections because you have to be perfectly honest to buy those things my motivations are always floods when I apply for certain jobs and these are the sorts of things I really want to say but it’s just a real pity that they’re not taken seriously enough that there’s actual proper page work especially if you’re trying to transition from a career paths that distant and quite go where you imagined it might and you turn it something different this feels really difficult since he’s out certain I and a lot of my friends have done this and it really hasn’t been easy and I think mine is quite directionless because I can only ever be a freelancer from this but again I digress what will happen quite a lot said bear with me as a side note I has been applying T. select academic positions I wasn’t applying for every job on the market hi Kerry had done before but select places around a certain places I would be prepared to go tape seeing that I’m not that wasn’t all it was applying for I was I was trying other things as well but I just didn’t have the precise experience that anybody was asking for to give me a chance and I haven’t done any volunteer work in those sectors at least not for quite a long time I just didn’t have the experience that they wanted they wanted somebody I think very often it’s not necessary that they wanted it sets people who have the experience or looking for appliance Seton Catholic and one of the Jacksons I had was really lovely and it showed to me that you’re a human being had actually read my application and appreciate at the thought that I put into it some thought felt really kids whereas all the other attractions I pod of to spend from it Charlie and just the same form rejection that everybody’s getting some of them coming three at midnight at the weekend which is really on professional universities stopped a month of April it’s not that I’m pulling it’s very at that time but it’s just I can see what time it sent out as not okay working ours plays like this is why there’s a massive crisis in academia the minute because you’re treating people like machines saying that applying for those academic positions and feeling very Mister play out it it should be why I wanted to re embrace rejection and failure I think of it more as reeling things right for me and making a decision for me so that I wouldn’t sign for it anymore I wouldn’t be going what ifs I feel sorry for me that you need to apply for stuff because she one hundred percent on cat it if you don’t apply and then if you apply and you don’t get it well that’s your decision made free eight there’s nothing else you can say about that and you know we stand because it sets when you’re young and you’re trying to date yet and you’re trying to ask people are you done it’s such a brave thing to do is to ask somebody all right again not something I never had very much success huts but it’s good because I would spend aegis pining over somebody and imagining that they were feeling the sting and bite me and they never were you know and hi many people who actually were interested in me was I ignoring because I was pining over somebody else he really didn’t want me in that way and it’s better to just know mean fantasizing sign but it’s better to just know where you are and things like that so that he can just move on and get on with something else and so wasting your time we’re so limited you know I can listen to me as a hell and her period part podcast has been really helpful in helping me I suppose firm up to those ideas I I knew that I should be thinking like thoughts but I wasn’t practicing it properly and I think listening to her has really urged me to date out properly because apart from anything I’m thirty seven I’m too old to pine over things and you know I’ve done enough mourning for the life that didn’t turn out to be for me you know it’s time to just get on with what is for me and get on with finding that you know so with academia as well there’s a lot of troubling stuff going on in and it is a profession that is harming people one way or another it is harming people I’m a survivor of thought harm and I know %HESITATION of folk he didn’t make it and they didn’t make it in the most heart breaking of Weiss you know when I have other people in my life here also survivors he I’ve also been transitioning away from it it is like coming out of an abusive relationship and it’s just takes a lot of time to work outside of your system and find another way especially when if you were like me you really need to go if I you you want to thought sure life and your career and G. three yourself and to identifying yourself and not why that’s a lot to let go of it really is see you so I don’t say any of this lightly a toll but I do feel that I’m done and then I have something else to offer that I have other things that I can find content content because that really doesn’t matter so much more than the job and that means I’m even more happy to have been offered this grounds it really means a lot it’s really validating it gives me permission to try something I didn’t believe for the longest time was open to me to try that’s why I wanted to take time to talk through this in case anyone who listens regularly or he stumbles upon this right there on the internet this is for you Hey this is to try and communicate to people thank you you can feel that maybe those opportunities can be for you Terry or that you can dare to try even when you don’t really believe last because you one hundred percent won’t get it if you don’t try so I want you to feel like he can and you should just try just give it a try what are you going to lace ET and a chance that something might happen I also wanted to talk three my experience of this application process in case any of the tapes on the approaches to applying for a grant could be useful more broadly so this is going to be really specific to the arts council England and this particular phone said D. Y. C. P. fund that is quite a personal funds it’s primarily for individuals who may be very very small grapes it’s to develop your practice and it’s a small ground it’s between two and ten Tyson’s pines but I will try to generalize as much as I possibly can and Casey advice as transferable wherever you are a lot of this advice is also coming from the very generous people he picked their own experiences online and he attended supports and discussion sessions and contributed their own experiences so so much of what I’m gonna tell you E. as not just coming from maybe it’s coming from a really wide range of people who’ve been really generous and shared dais of so I’m trying to share it as well his the Marvis to can be successful the better for the arts this is better for us old and more office can access these things solo getting awarded the grant is my achievement I did take advice from many sources and Bob have full of preparation and generous sharing please K. E. T. my first time success I mean not as a point in itself when I say first time I mean it’s the first time I completed the submission this is important because my first point is that the application needs to be led by a genuine idea and needs to be something that you are doing or that you want to be able to say something you have an idea for already and that you can’t make that step with the help of the arts counselor here for the funding party as an autumn twenty twenty for a long box three to the S. I wanted to apply for a much more ambitious projects grants from arts council England and I designed a podcast series specifically to apply for that night the idea it was an aids kids it’s a solid idea could still be done but I brown it passed a few people and they thought it would be really axle and they thought it was a great idea it really has my ex and I should go for it but when it came to the crux my motivation was wrong I was staying at as an attempt to make paid work for myself and it wasn’t necessarily work my heart was truly and also the things I budgeted a rinds kept changing and the people I wanted to involve also had dramatic changes in circumstances and one person actually died of cold foods another became debilitating the L. so then mentally I wasn’t in a good place to be overcome and keep everything every time something else happens I felt more and more frivolous and it felt more Mar few tile because people I wanted to involve just Martin bear anymore and and the scientists possible ways and this was a dear friend as well so it was quite a tough time anyway and it is best to step back and just give it a better time I made the decision to leave it and then twenty twenty one I may use increasingly towards working on myself both in terms of my house and professionally I just felt increasingly that I couldn’t be part of a team and property contributes or needs when I’m broken and I was feeling unrest so that’s what he said I took some time I it’s kept up to podcasts they kept up momentum on this show but otherwise and you know I’ve tried to do the paths of writing but I think even that one by the way side in this twenty twenty one and by the end of that year I was better at going okay you need to set clear pine trees and communicate them because I think this is been a big problem with me is that I haven’t seen clear enough supply my own pine trees even to myself and that can lead to you feeling like people are walking all over you and taking advantage when sometimes you need to look at your own behavior and thank well you said it’s that person yeah sure just give me insight I can help I’m happy to help and then when they take your phone masts it’s just a taking up and not more than you anticipate it’s on more than you actually felt comfortable with he got annoyed with them and you have to sing that’s not really fair because you’re the one he said yeah sure and then just expected them to know what was too much not some already fire so I think communication is really the key there and even being clear in myself you’re anticipating no if that becomes too much I look at cranky again he’s at somebody really doesn’t deserve it that’s just not a cast so far so it’s a P. I think just about self evaluation and self awareness is really important and I felt that the only person who could take any of that and hand with me it was signed to me to sort out all right it’s no one else’s responsibility and I started writing again and I have been without really realizing it what I’ve been doing is attempting radical honesty maybe that’s too much I don’t know but I suppose I’ve just been trying to be honest and my writing even when that means confronting something potentially unpleasant by myself because I think in doing that I’m not putting myself dying it’s not being self deprecating it’s a way of I suppose and our need to empathize with yourself as an M. perfect being and then hopefully you can empathize with other humans he are also imperfect moral just voluntary not really knowing how to get this human being saying rights I fell in love with art again and I leaned into that’s a big part of that was the Turner prize show to be honest those shows so not just the shipping not just a radical access but I think the whole show %HESITATION who’s a real celebration of creativity and possibility and working C. Cassar and community so I think that really helps to sparks me up again got me on my way inspired me to start writing again so I really leaned into what I enjoy what I take comfort from I started tracking my menstrual cycle so that I can learn what to expect from my mates and my energy levels and highly unlikely to be affected my brain and my thinking and I am getting better at saying no I’m not happy by thoughts and being more discerning about what I say yes to you on what the terms of that yes might be something I’ve done it seems like quite a small thing but it’s actually really changed the game for me I am priest increasingly automated systems so my pre energy S. and I was taken up by a three inning minds of Othman then I’m not really getting paid for you know I’ve been guesting on other podcasts and I’ve been nicking ideas from high they deal with their guests so it been using Collins lady finally to arrange appointments it’s amazing how powerful it fails to just block off loads of time say none of those days are appropriate none of those times our progress if you want to negotiate something because we’re dating of the timezone okay but it is just sending a message of a company to invest millions of emails back and forth so all the information is and not the kind of stuff they do things like that and with help from other places I got myself into a better mindset and a place of much more as they say radical on the stage and really confronting myself I’m not and I’m self abusing way Hey and a and a very realistic way basically what we say analysts are of having a word with yourself it’s just you know I’m catching myself on this would have been saying and that’s why I was able to go right that should try this and just be open about trans stuff and seeing how it went there’s nothing left today’s iPhone plan a fun mocking a fight with different approaches to our trading and self writing for a really long time get known for fifteen years nine but in some ways maybe a lot longer than that and I’ve always wanted it to be accessible because my learning about art and artists film wasn’t always accessible in fact a lot of it was right right combative and I think this is something I talked about it with Robertson St I’ve done a couple of things with him on my own you tube channel there’s an N. conversation between us and I pretty sure we talked about this specifically and the episode of sunny punks I did with Robert a bites my it’s Aron I think we talked about our film education and a specific person who taught us artists cinema he was a great person great academic terrible teach sure that’s the sort of inspiration I hides I don’t know what it is what you call it when you’re inspired to do the opposite way of somebody puts out was when I traded in my teaching was everything that person didn’t date you know and I feel very strongly that art and creativity should be for everyone not the a late fee he got to determine tastes and fashions and the PO’s words I want to make accessible to others what was not accessible to me what did not feel accessible to me as somebody from a disadvantaged working class backgrounds he was never in the habit of going to E. R. calories before the age of about eight twenty to hear something and even after that even when I was doing a PhD on a lot of that stuff are you still didn’t feel silly welcome and the spaces or that I was allowed to be in them and I don’t want people feeling that way about the arts I think they should be for everyone that has taken a while for me to believe this is possible and a few good friends have been fundamental and convincing me of laughs my dear friends Sophia grace Borda and twine Miller has been championing me and my work for years they’re not the only ones but these two in particular I think over the past couple of years have just been very quietly behind the scenes checking in on me and just supporting my work and certain ways and on those of you who to be has been really really supportive and lots of different ways I think the way they’ve been dating and and has mental and I’m I’m not sure that they know the top so I just wanted to put it right there you know Sylvia and the past two years has got me work Sri SA commissions and she’s pasted me west catch ups over Skype working with an E. at our time difference because she’s right in British Columbia why has been amazing and encouraging my creativity I paraphrased her actually and my arts council application when I told them that a compliment I get for my writing ng is set it’s as if I’m sitting telling it’s TA over a cuppa and that makes me feel so warm inside and I want all of my writing to come across our way is if I’m sitting having a Natter with CA if I’m to develop a style it should be that that’s what I intend today that’s what I am experimenting with all the time because when we are relaxed we can enjoy things and learning and sharing ideas should be enjoyable and I think it should be joyous there’s so little to be positive for bites and the world at the moment it is terrifying I thought her there’s awful things happening terrible conflicts and rights are being stripped away that were hard fought for and it is scary there he knows who’s people fighting with each other on the internet a boy a couple they don’t personally know whose lives have just been laid bare for the world and they’re more concerned without then so much else thanks so much so much social injustice is happening and it’s pretty upsetting to me you know I just want this to be enjoyable joyous to feel contentment but today I mean dealing with difficult topics but it doesn’t have to be in a way that makes people feel guilty about everything all the time or is trying to cause a stir fights or I wanted to be rooted in empathy and compassion if we can do that and maybe that’s from the specific contacts and I’m coming from you know where have dealt with such complex cases of victim perpetrator dichotomies and the same person and I know hi complicated it’s things casts so I really try not to be judgmental and I and I do stress the tri part because I don’t always get this right I am human so that’s what I’m aiming today is not kind of writing practice and I am C. hone and develop that over the coming months that that’s got on to the six Assabet because I’ve bothered on a loft haven’t even really properly started yet I’m specifically to developing a creative critical non fiction writing practice with a view to producing back manuscript my topic is one I’ve been working on gradually since twenty seventeen so it’s been a slow log T. got to this point and inspiration from my friends the novelist and playwright J. A. Mensah who when I told her about using my blog to draft work that I’d Polish and refine for academic publication later asked a strictly why does it have to be academic what if the personal voice and transparency about your research journey is your voice and will be more fun and accessible to rate thought has been working on me Giuliana since November twenty nineteen you know so that’s really what I was staying that’s what I was working on when I was doing all those blog posts %HESITATION a by Chargers from the wreck of the unbelievable but then of course twenty twenty the enormity of the pandemic tickets toll and the strain of locked signs took their toll and I ran out of steam and it felt very frivolous and the face of so much collective trauma my freelance work straight after that year as well and the anxiety up I thought was really awful it was really a lot to overcome personally for me this missile really slow burn I had looked into the arts council funding for podcasting before as it sets and the hips are stringent and I felt disingenuous I experience I read carefully what you could apply for and then earlier this year I read up more carefully what you could apply for when going for developing your creative practice and it being a small grounds I figured that it would be a lot more manageable and attainable his this fund is all about the creator and it’s not about a project and can work two words projects you can produce something artifacts but it is a bite stepping up your skills and taking risks to expand what you Dave and this is really key I understand the fund you’re applying for and make sure you’re eligible a fundamental part of this game is identifying why yearly and white knight I’m not needs to be genuine and it needs to be convincing for me I was at a point where I couldn’t get myself any further on my own I need access to training and resources and paid time to experiment with site the anxiety of not earning money and feeling like the work was a luxury too far I feel like an upset a freeloader which I’ve probably mentioned before I feel like an absolute free loader and I’m not happy about it begin this money coming straight at validates me excuse me a part time job for the next four months so now I feel like I can settle into just doing the work because it is getting paid it feels the gentleman this point is important as well he needs to make sure that you and anyone else here involving is paid fairly cannot just paid not just paid a fee and a fee that actually work site at less than minimum wage okay the point of this is that people get paid properly for their labor no meaning despite people who’ve managed to get me a favor for some writing commissions I am very grateful for those you know I am but let’s all be honest here sometimes see in mind take at isn’t even that day rates for something that’s taken a couple of weeks to put together or maybe it’s something that I worked on for a couple of months and I might to money that wouldn’t even cover rent that’s the sort of thing I’m talking to buy this is proper paid time now this fund is public money and is provided by the government so you have to show why the work is important and can only be funded by top fund by that scheme by thought console private funding body so arts council England are fairly clear that they also need and turned to show central government hi much work involved he the arts have okay so this isn’t just for us this is for them to this is for all of us and the arts we have to show you the value of the arts in doing this we have to fight for their case and so making sure that you have a cute and realistic fee for your only upper is really power mind thoughts and Tyrone guidance as well you should be getting paid fairly and getting paid well for your work this is a tough one to figure right and I really needed help us initially I figured a fifty point day rates would be fine at two days a week thoughts when I arrived to us when I was working I’d eat our days on the a real living wage rounded up a bit I had seen this on an example of a six Assabet that was shared online I think I find it on the white jeep they have great resources if you’re applying for funding and I highly recommend having a look at their website to buy just all the stuff that they’re doing the doing great work so I thought about re it seems fair if somebody else had arrived at the same conclusion however Lela star in the film he runs the northeast cultural freelancers face spec grip and it says Anil rinds force of nature and northeast cultural spheres she hosted a really informative discussion on same there were only six of us there but it was so useful and supportive during that Leila was firm that you must ask for your birth as well as asking for what you need and she made this suggestion which I took on board to have sacked birthday rates depending on what kind of work you’re going to be daring so for example my day rates for the research and training thesis of my grounds timeline are more modest but more than the minimum I was previously allocating for myself and then my writing and editing rate is much higher than the than the training right because that’s when I’m going to be applying the new skills and actually working towards CPEC manuscripts %HESITATION I’m gonna have a lot more knowledge under my belt I’ll have from practicing I’ll have been really pitching up the scales so I will command a higher rate at that point and I think that’s something you come to be behind the door bites he has to know that you will commands that rate he will command this money and I think it’s well in my case to be just the racks of both tests I think given my academic publishing experience already I think I already shoots command a higher rates but people see as just starting our youths as she haven’t on that particular motive this thing before %HESITATION very much my writing and editing skills are already strong purchase taking a different direction on what I sympathizing with for a long time is really stepping up and becoming formalized and much more polished I think when you’re budgeting they can see and Ascari ends up bites day rates for certain skills and tasks so you don’t sell yourself short while remaining realistic he can’t ask for astronomical machines has to be a decent day rates enormity alone it’d RT rate or whatever just today read this a lot simpler and it was easier to work eight weeks since today part time in case anything else work sites and then I’d still be able to date but just pivoting at bats you know so you do need to give yourself the time to really plan if you find tax useful with your podcasts we’ve got two options for you you can subscribe to the audio visual cultures podcast when you change for captioned videos and you can visit all the visual cultures dot com and click the transcripts top both sites are linked in the show notes along with information like this episode sounds in this next part a few days later it’s snowy Monday the thirteenth of June and so in for my money becomes very I’ve had no notification then anything’s gone wrong so now it’s just a matter of waiting for the money so M. square an anxious tanks it doesn’t quite feel real yet until I actually have it but there we go so the next point I wanted to eat Turkey three was lacking in asking Orion’s is really important to get a general sense of doing the application I’m putting it together but also specifically and completing each statement that you need to make so depending on the type of phone that you’re going for you’re gonna have to break things Stein am I mistaken me it’s when I was saying my the initial one I try to go for which is a project grounds I wrote quite a bake T. PH proposal and that is not high he submit your information it’s all quite broken up and divided into separate sections you know there’s no point in actually writing I it’s a beautiful Lhasa he or a prose proposal I’m a you want to save with all the information it because it’s too much to unpack a old with arts council England they tend to ask you things in separate categories so you have to sit Mets individual answers for specific questions on you probably gonna have a word limit on that and then it can be quite constructive so that’s why it’s worse really looking around and really taking as much advice as she can kiss I was fully prepared for the Betty ness of it all and any funding body that you’re applying to you should provide guidance and arts council England does provide quite thorough guidance for filling in its forms and as I said before people are very generous at posting redacted copies of their submission and I will do that at some point in the future with mine you know you have to think about eight tests that the funding body wants to give you the money but yes the applicant have to convince them that you’re eligible and that you need it and that you need it from them I reiterate it really ought to be a genuine projects or goals that you really want to work to words he can’t really just play supermarket sweep when planning your budget you really need to plan a very carefully and needs to be things said he actually needs ands up properly researched costs C. conscious mind everything up to the nearest for example I’m doing a course one of the courses I’m doing costs a hundred and twenty nine pines it come right not up to a hundred and thirty or a hundred and fifty or something like that the pick the actual cost of it in there for them so they know exactly what you need and then as I mentioned check with the funding check with whatever it is you’re going for but I’ve put in a very modest contingency funds just in case prices went up before I was able to back but that may well be money that you end up not getting in the end you know R. II have to get back or something if it’s not used you have to be ready genuine and up from to buy thought you know so in my case is vile with researching my costs there are two writing courses and I’m going to be today and that sorry Keerthi ma on seat the practice and I’m developing and I probably could have done a lot more it’s just stays with the on the to read the timing worked tight while there were others I find and they were happening before the decision dates for the grounds so I couldn’t and create those because they’re happening after I would even find nights whether I kept the ground or not and you can’t spot to see things and you start to pay for something you already a ton because the whole point is that I can’t afford to do this just myself I need the money to pay for it you know so I’ve already started with those courses and I’m not a really short because it started before the money’s come straight but the money’s coming so you know I can manage for a couple of weeks and these courses it’s not just learning about the subject but it’s also %HESITATION that they give me a better community because I’m gonna have classmates and I’m gonna have it an instructor a teacher on each of those so we’ll have some guidance and mentoring even if it’s just for that specific period of time or for that specific practice but it will hold it’s a really good way of getting mentoring and a very structured way where he can also tested all rights as well because then I’m not really having to go and find somebody to be a specific mentor for me but I’m getting some kind of mentoring and feedback which is get them you know in a structured way and not and not necessarily just from the instructor but from peers as well for me as well there are also specific people that I want to see interviewee and I’ve given a clear justification for who those people are and I’ve allocated a generous day rates to offer to them and then that Sir my contingency comes in as well so if I offer somebody a particular Reetz and they say I’ll do it for and if I have enough budget for the laughs then maybe I can a great slots so you really do need to take the time to research I think three I think what is fair what is a favorite to pay people so it’s good to see look around at what’s a good rates C. pay for someone’s expertise as well as your own you really do need time to research and think through all of these aspects of menu clear on them you can right stronger proposals statements and bills here narratives that will convincingly addressed the Y. ye and Y. noisy questions in a specific fund for the D. Y. C. P. funds and likely many others I had to ask someone for a letter of support to submit with my application one of the participants in the northeast creative freelancers coal eight talks about it earlier had previously had a successful bids and really generously shared their letter of support and they stress that it was from an organization and it was an organization that the arts council also part funds on a regular basis and the letter that was submitted to post on the organization’s headed latter paper lucky but it’s part of the narrative as well I suppose I was in a good position to be able to do something quite similar because I was able to ask someone who is both a friend of mine but is somebody who had actually commissioned me to do something for it an arts council funded projects that they had before and then they were really happy because they were happy with my work on that and we’ve got a really good relationship the make already ninety some sort of working friendship as well as an actual friendship and they were really happy to see right the latter to endorse me on behalf of their organization so do you really think about it what networking you’ve already done what organizations or people or businesses or whatever it might be he T. already have that you’ve got a good relationship with and if he hung on any of that where can you build one where could you start to the network and and she sure south to people and be a presence so that he can try and build that up and make yourself known to people so that they’ll be really happy to endorse you process kind of ladder you know and if it’s relevant to the the thing you’re applying for then not so much the better this was something that my person could say as well as that they were looking for it’s being able to work with me again and that this would open up the possibility for staying a lot more workshops to gather because I’ll have a live streaming and I’ll be able to pass it on to other people so that was a really big bonuses at yes it’s all about it maybe but then is there another step to it when it comes to writing your own statements for the application follow to the latter the guidance provided it and look for a relevant examples online of this I really can’t stress that enough it doesn’t have to be worded perfectly and needs to be really clear what you’re talking about there needs to be very clear narrative of what it is you’re dating and a very clear justification you know very cleared all checks so what you’re saying so for arts council England the white jeep website has great resources and if you do an internet search there are quite a few individuals who share theirs in redacted form on their own websites and blogs that something I’m planning to G. as well for mine and I might even offer mindset the White Pete this wild so do you see quite those sorts of things but also check you cheap because there’s a lot of really helpful videos you know funding bodies like arts council England are actively trying to be more inclusive and they do you want people to win the money so our screen to linger in house a channel for live video resources a lot of them have taxed talking images closed captions on their versions with British sign language as well so they’re really trying to be as inclusive as possible and they also need to make the case to the government that we should be awarding more suit to take their advice because they’re the ones here then talking directly to the government and convincing them that this is what people are capable of if you give them these grounds these are the positive things that can come of that use direct clear language right thank you human it’s fine to date short direct sentences that’s actually really ideal because there should be no ambiguity there should be nothing left for them to have to just figure it out for themselves it should be up so that they could hear what you’re saying and to remember G. experience things and tailor it concisely do you explain things that might be nice and don’t take for granted someone else’s knowledge of something or their understanding on the part of the people here assessing your application don’t assume they know everything about what you’re talking about it you need to explain it to them but anyway that just get some up to spades and it’s clear why it’s important and do you always try to get someone preferred place someone with maybe some application experience and success but just really anyone at all that you can get to death to have a look over what you’ve written and make sure it’s really care if they have questions or if they think of something that you might wanna ads and that’s really goods process you need to address those things if there are gaps and something soft not for the experience or if they think of something that you haven’t thought of yourself I shared my drafts with person I asked to provide money supporting statements and they made really great suggestions justice strengthen certain points and be even more convincing you know so it was a really useful process where sharing my drive to work so they were up to speed on what I what it was I was applying for but also they were able to feed back and say you know I know you might be up to see your word limit but can you eat out they send because I think that would really strengthen this particular point and then I would go and I’d federalist some saying I’d say right what words here are non essential and that’s why we did it and I would just find a better space even if it was just to be able to pay for words and see more clearly expressed something where the four words elsewhere that were expendable you want addictive suggested need to be there for example no with this specific grounds with developing your creative practice and I could likely applied see any kind of creative grant that he has spoke of the the case was just by any creative ground you need to supply a sample of your work for example if your portfolio and so this needs really careful consideration what are you going to show them what past prepares them for what it is she intend to stay with the money no because this fund is about developing your creative practice you need to show proof that you both already going in that direction but that’s some things preventing your progression and so the samples ought to indicates as well as back up your claims that you’re ready to step up and only need the right support and resources that only dot funder can provide to you so if you’re someone he has financial freedom and you can just go and buy your supplies and go into the course says this fund is not free a it’s for people who are prevented from being able to just state that it’s for people who are able to demonstrate like I’m on the pathway to this but I’m really stock because of financial reasons because of health reasons because of other stuff going on in my life I need the support and this is another point I was told the funder needs to feel need it this was something I was advice I think it was really left he advised S. he can only do it because of them and I again that still needs to come from an honest place it has to be genuine that it really can only be from them if you’re gonna go down that road you know if you’re gonna make a kind of claim as a safe you’re independently wealthy he need not apply because these funds are for people he just can’t do it by themselves regardless and it is based on needs and demonstrating that needs additionally this will be different from other funds but the developing your creative practice grounds do not expect a finished product they’re not by producing something there’s no end product the end product is that you have increased your skills and your knowledge and your ability to work you know that is standpoint it is preparing you for being able to go on and purchase a piece of work that you couldn’t have done the site this opportunity so if you have a goal for what you want to achieve from the development area it’s in my kiss it’s a back manuscripts and an idea of publishing options plus the ability and the confidence to pass my training and knowledge on to others then upset the day stay at that but it’s not a requirement you’re not required to have thought all figured out yet so whatever kind of funding you’re applying for the really clear on any I come to man’s the funding body has what is contingent on you getting the money and be clear on what your needs C. at the very least report on because even for fun like this you need to purchase a report at the end of it to get the last ten percent of the funds and it’s okay to feel I think failure is fine because the whole point of D. Y. C. P. S. dot E. experiment and you test things and the whole part of that process is that you can feel it thought and then maybe find your direction so as far as I’m aware it’s fine and completely encouraged to report on on anything like that you it’s best to be really up front about how things have gone and where you are by the end if the funding periods but this includes where things haven’t gone to plan I’m not should be okay as long as you’re transparent I thought and that you’ve done what you kids you may be a course didn’t turn right the way you thought it was going into the army of the life happens he and you couldn’t write as much as you thought you were going to be able to say there’s a particular person I want to enter V. I don’t know if I’ll be able to track that person’s nine NFL consent to that so that might be part of my project that feels and I am gonna try everything I can but I’m open to that no parking ites and this is another quick pointed by the budgeting of mentioned before that I’ve added a small contingency funds because prices could increase I may need more pics and I planned for because maybe their core specs for the courses I’m going to say that I don’t know about yet and not not has happened about two more picks than I’d planned C. because Sam they were suggested by the course and I’m currently saying but I’m actually under budget because I bought the backs from a second hands place resident brownie so I’ve managed to save a bit of budget and then I have a bit more for sex in stationary he said I’d originally planned so he can treat myself to some really nice notebooks because actually %HESITATION low note thanks so well the Hyundai for any on time travel as well because at the minute I haven’t planned in any trouble because I can see any part of this work I can do remotely I’ve gone for online courses the people I want to send to your get mentoring from we should be able to say everything if I as a means for example that need to be some travel will come up because what if the person I want to interview once Saddam persons that might involve travel for one or both of us and I’ll be on me so I think as long as it’s modest as long as it’s not a wild amount of money for me maybe I went too modest I asked for just a hundred pines for a buffer and that might not even turn out to be enough but I can pay somebody out of my own family F. I need today by the end if it’s not enough nice supposed to make an end to the fun part the submission process submitting your prepares application arts council England’s uses an online submission portal called around two AM I can’t speak for others but what I can tell you is that this particular form his user unfriendly sorry arts council but it is tray it is not an easy process even if you quite tacky the user interface is very counter intuitive a lot of the time I’m quite challenging to navigate it I think because of the language that she says and necessarily line shared of silicon take a bit of taking a rinds and consulting guidance for how to use it to be pretty find your way properly with what today so it is really quite complex and it is not self explanatory assistant example whatever it is you’re applying to he ever you’re planning to give yourself plenty of time to submit to go through the submission process I spent a few weeks gradually preparing and re drafting my application statements and documents and then when I came to submit it took me over two hours to get everything and and done properly it wasn’t just a matter of copying and pasting everything in there were ways of and petting information that were unexpected it’s there was just a lot to have to figure right as she went and to double check and make sure you got everything in the right place and all of this and I was warned I have been advised that it could be quite tricky so I submitted mine the day before the deadline and that meant I had heaps of time and I lost and panicked I briefly would advise against it even up to the wire you should make sure you’ve got heaps of time so that you don’t miss the deadline because just about everywhere I think it’s going to be really strict but thought so whatever system you’re going to have to use try to find people to talk today you have prior experience of it and be as prepared as you can maybe for any eventuality so for mine I had C. have a map that plan of action that was very clear in time today it adds and it doesn’t have to be rigid and it can change but there should be really clear phase says on a timeline that makes sense so it should show you how you’re planning to progress three year funding period on the ground teams form this takes quite awhile to fell in because she’s doing a little bit it’s individually he can’t just upload your spreadsheets are your table that you’ve made for yourself you have to fill it in and then their specific way filling N. which can take a bit of getting used to you have to look up what terms apply to be the type of thing that you hear and petting because they have a maybe a different way of wording what it is that you’re doing so it’s not a simple as so for example my resources that I was asking for the pics and better money for stationary not would come under assets to them so you need to look up water all these titles that they’re giving first things and what comes under that you know what is my stuff is relevant son you really do need to get an accurate so take the time to look at the guidance that’s provided to liquor bottle coins for each term so this can all take quite awhile to fill in but it will be easier if you have some needs tables or a spreadsheet for yourself as an example again I have a research and training phase then %HESITATION research and networking FIIs followed by a further training and practice VS and then a time to racy is culminating and mentoring and feedback some of this is determined by the timing of the courses that I’m saying %HESITATION so one of them is happening really quickly and then another one isn’t until late October so that’s why I’m a bit back and forth with the training it’s coming and we have some rather than in a chronological order in a way but %HESITATION Ryan does I’ve read it carefully worked at all all right so that it shoots get me wearing EM to pay from Jane until February budget planning here is also essential so I spoke earlier by working I could fees for yourself and anybody who’s involved be sure about it what’s it’s fine for you to ask for and again make a spreadsheet that calculates sold lots and to get to the penny due to the point and I stress again only ask for things the oxy genuinely needs and are eligible for depending on the funds you’re not going to be simply get a new laptop I’d effects and they typically won’t cover anything that you already have or pay for for personal use or other work the E. J. and must be a necessity that is specific to the project the budget can also be a bit bewildering seat and and conte M. E. need to state your overall better minds than break tying costings according to type you’ll need to be clear on what the costing type for each item is a sign which is to say can be counter intuitive the guidance provided by the funding body should have those things explains again G. read this property before and sharing your preparation and submission if you’re able to access it I think in the guidance it didn’t necessarily tell me exactly what the terms were and it wasn’t tell a call to the actual submission form so again just be prepared for that it’s going to take a better time to just ensure that you called the right categories for things an important note is ours consul England a lawyer for application support and if you have some sort of hindrance or difficulty in submitting your application and require access support throughout your project it is find out those for other funders to track their information on those sorts of things I can’t tell you much more beyond that this just exists because other than some confusion and mild swearing on the computer while I was submitting I managed assessment fine by myself but if you’re for example visually impaired dyslexic or have a disability that prohibits you from undertaken these kinds of tasks by yourself then you can have somebody help you with it and %HESITATION submit on your behalf and you can also apply to a separate access fund is not included in your bed of mine so you could go for a bit that’s the maximum amount that they’ll award should be on top of that you can also have access requirements on this if you need to pay for someone who can help you with things don’t pay for care but it’s paying somebody he needs today a lot of the administration for you because you’re not able to take yourself in order or if there’s some equipment that you needs that will help you with the process you those sorts of things night if like me he managed to be successful thank you Grachev nations butts the hard work is not over yet for arts council England’s definitely there’s still quite a bit of work cannot man two days before your money is secured on a lot you need to praise and be prepared to stay the first step was receiving an email telling me I had a decision okay it didn’t tell me what the decision was that was all it said I had a decision so go and sign in to grab the M. and go and get your decision matter for me I saw this when I was in the middle of the other things at once and I just needed to focus on both of those things so instead of just racing to grab them like I want to say I just not good sign and I need to do this other couple of things first and then when I was finished those and I was ready I went to ground CM I struggle to remember how I decide in the ground TM and then I struggle to figure right where this decision that it was high you to hang on I fumbled Orion’s until I go to open and realized I was being offered the grounds so much excitement but even when you get good news they don’t make it easy for you to find it so easy %HESITATION even when you won it’s still quite complex I had to then go through a work flow with quite a lot of more on clear language and instructions to work three accepting the offer and then I had to wait for the next two steps to become available to me because then they had to acknowledge and accept my acceptance of my offer and so then the next day one of those steps became available but I need to complete the other one first so I kept checking my email and then the next day it came as Terry and then I could go in depots and I’ve got those both things in motion and not again it took a bit of time and you need to get in read the instructions carefully you know there are things you shouldn’t submit and certain places and then she should submit in certain places so it is a bit stressful just making sure you’ve got all of this correct and these were important ones to do with banking and ensuring items today they had very careful instructions with lots of red tax show AT red tax so even though you’re excited it’s and you just want to get all confirmed and happening you really need to be calm and patience and careful and okay with going in circles a few times just to make sure you’re getting everything writes Anna’s I write this I am waiting to make sure that is all rights and then I’ll release the first ninety percent of my father and dying of my grounds to me so I’m still as I record this waiting for that I have had no confirm or deny that my bank details for all fine and I’m just waiting for something to happen so with this grant again you get the final ten percent on completion and as long as they’re satisfied and they’re satisfied with your report and if there’s anything where the money didn’t quite get used or anything like that then you probably won’t get top fella minds but just depends hi satisfied they are this is important to be aware of because if a lot of your grounds involves paying other people then you really ought to make sure you’re checking out first and pay yourself last you know so my final ten percent I’m planning for that to be just all of the rest of the fees that are rude to me and I’m gonna make sure I pay everybody else that’s involved before then that’s really yet so that’s much as I can tell you I hope it’s been useful I’ve really thrown quite a lot she over the past while it you know there’s a lot to get three and if you have any questions I’d really encourage you to please some summer public if possible so if you have questions don’t just email me up by them if you could comment on social media posts a bite this episode or on the U. H. shaped PH for this episode’s not would benefit more people and %HESITATION so we can do some community answering because there might be other people who have other experiences he might happen as well so if we could do that if we can keep that discussion public I’d really appreciate thoughts so that more people can benefit from this and get something out of it hopefully as well this is a very specific ground it’s very specific to me you know and it’s a very specific process so if we could all just shared that would be lovely I would be so great for other people the notes for this will be on the episode post on audio visual culture stock com this is episode one hundred and twenty one if you’re needing to search for that there is a search bar if you go to the website there is a search bar if you type in one twenty one one two one ground top the cations that shoots take you straight to the page I hope you can also comment and have a discussion on that page as well their comments available there to you know I really hope this is been useful and informative all the best with what ever you go for and please do you go for it the worst that can happen is she’ll learn something from the process so please go for %HESITATION it and do nothing could you count all right everybody take care of yourselves
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