Grants and “Production”
I’ve spent the past three weeks applying for a small grant through a local Artist NGO. As you can imagine, finding the right words to convince a third part to fund my artistic goals was (still is) a challenge. So…I prompted an AI generator with “Applying for a grant” and it popped out the following:
“As an artist, it is essential to carefully craft a compelling narrative that effectively communicates the purpose, impact, and potential of the endeavor. The application process often entails thorough research into various funding opportunities, understanding the specific requirements and criteria, and tailoring the proposal to align with the funder’s mission and priorities. Developing a clear budget, establishing achievable milestones, and highlighting the expertise and experience of the team are essential components of a strong grant application...Ultimately, applying for funding grants is an opportunity to showcase one’s passion, vision, and ability to make a meaningful and lasting impact in the chosen field or community.”
Well….duh! I didn’t find this particularly helpful. I’ve written any number of budgets, proposals, and “looking forward” summaries during my prior lives in banking, accounting, and restaurant management. I was hoping that the 21st c. version of a p.a. would give me something more. Nope.
Thankfully, the ORG I was applying through broke the process down into neatly managed sections—each clearly identified with specific instructions as to what to include. I mean this in the best way possible when I say…they led me along like an adult teaching a child to ride a bicycle. My disabilities affect my concentration over and above any physical constraints; therefore, anything that helps me to focus on a specific manageable task is very welcome.
Even so, it took me three weeks to finish something that I once would have been able to do in three days back in my working lives. I had already researched available vendors, drafted a proto-budget, established a workable timeline, and did (what I thought) everything possible to prepare for this application. I hadn’t accounted for one teeny-tiny detail…
DESCRIBING MY OWN WORK IN AN "APPROACHABLE" MANNER
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DESCRIBING MY OWN WORK IN AN "APPROACHABLE" MANNER ~~~
The one skill I’ve never had in any abundance—and I have a love / hate relationship with in others—is “salesmanship”. I come by my distrust of it honestly. Combine my innate tendency to being brutally honest with myself and others, being raised in a home where dishonesty ran amok, and Marm’s career in the accounting dept of a car dealership, and I would either have become the best or worst possible salesman. I hadn’t realized (read: made the connection obvious to others) that I’d have to sell my project in order to convince the ORG to fund it. I can’t express how difficult it was (is) to describe my work in a meaningful way without allowing myself to become “that guy” who can go on for days discussing the most minute details of DUNE. It’s very difficult to objectively describe what I hope a viewer will take from a specific piece while, at the same time, conveying the passion that I have for said piece.
I have to wonder whether this is common for artists / creatives?
I used to have the mindset that “my art should speak for itself”…until I realized any viewer still needs a frame-of-reference in order to react to my work. Even when I did “traditional” landscapes—during my university studio days—I found that painting “what I saw” just wasn’t terribly interesting to me. Why paint (realism was a HUGE thing back then) when I could just take a photo, manipulate and edit it, and then submit that? It’s only now that I’m firmly in the camp of illustrating concepts rather than actual landscapes that I realize my art very rarely “spoke for itself”; I was often required to interpret it for the viewer.
I guess that’s what all art comes down to. The artist creates something from a subjective space, that is presented to be objectively pleasing / reactive, in the hopes that the viewer has a subjective positive reaction to it.
I hadn’t realized until applying for this grant that I had (previously) been relying on physically being near my art to provide “interpretation”. Sometimes…I don’t make connections 😉.
Now, I have to believe that my art is sufficiently interesting that I’ll get the grant (I have to remind myself of this daily). I have to follow my own advice and let the Universe do what it will.
Happy thoughts, Gentle Reader. For you and me both!
