Getting paid

Just pondering who to nominate for the Liverpool Art Prize next year:

http://www.liverpoolartprize.com/

Lots of good artists working in Liverpool at the moment and some people whose work I love… but you can only nominate three people. It’s a funny little prize, which I think was the Liverpool-own version of the turner prize for 2008 (Capital of Culture year of course), although I’m not 100% on that. £2,000 or £1,000 in prize money will no doubt make quite a difference to someone. The exhibition is also a nice chance to see a good chunk of someone’s work rather than the odd piece in group shows.

Karl-Heinz Klopf from Linz came round for a cuppa the other day.During the first visit to my flat he was video-interviewing me, so it was nice to not be thinking about the camera shoved in my face! :) I was asking him about his career and when he felt like a mid-career or fully fledged or made a living or however you might describe that stge of a career and he said he still didn’t. Quite unexpected from an artist with a very impressive track record and a lot of good work behind him. He said most of his income went back into making work… maybe it never changes!

Tax return is filed! I made a pathetic £5,372 in 08/09, so it’s no wonder that I started this blog in January in an attempt to address the very serious issue of making more money.

I think I have at least four times that coming in this year, but I reckon at least half of that has been for materials, printing and travel and other expenses: it adds up so quickly. So that doubles my income at least – and takes me just above the poverty line, not bad for a blog.

The receipts since April this year have been piling up and I am collecting EVERY bloody THING: I had my finances investigated the first year I was self employed after my MA and that is not pretty. If I am picked to do that again, I will have to be much better prepared… especially given the increase in work and the fact that I will be putting expenses down for the first time.

Next year, the tax return gets done in April, it all gets too fluffy when you leave it so long!

My husband just sent me this link and I have been laughing out loud throughout. It is an exchange of emails (with pie charts!) and also a very good and hilarious example of how things can go wrong if you ask people to work for free (also if you have a shoddy business plan).

Please design a logo for me. With pie charts.
For free: http://www.27bslash6.com/p2p.html

Warning, much effing and geoffing.

Enjoy.

I would like a mentor please.

To be fair, I think I get bits of mentoring here and there off various people in all different roles – advice and encouragement that is really valuable and much appreciated. But wouldn’t it be great to have someone to build a longer term relationship with? Perhaps work with.. or someone who could remind you of your goals and give you a nudge when you’re heading off track or making wonky choices. Someone whose work you love and admire.

I saw this today, twittered by Hayley Harding of Axis fame:

http://www.rolexmentorprotege.com/en/visual-arts/i…

and thought it looks like an amazing year. This year’s visual arts mentor is Anish Kapoor. A less famour version please!

YSP did offer to help me get in touch with groups in the area while working towards the exhibition.. perhaps this is a good chance to make some valuable links. Architects were mentioned.

Must not waste this opportunity…Must not waste..etc.

I’ve been having to write my entries in notepad this weekend, because I can’t seem to concentrate for more than two minutes at a time. Got lots of reading/writing to do and none of it is coming very easily.

I did a talk/some tutorials at Sheffield Hallum last week and it reminded me of a few things I have been thinking about, mostly slow burn careers. It also made me question how I talk about my own work – I usually manage to get round it a bit by talking about money and things. But, as this was a professional practice lecture series, I could only talk in terms of my own experience. So, for the first time in ages, I went through my experiences since BA (8 years ago) until today, warts an all.

I realised I put myself down a lot and I thought afterwards that maybe I should have done two talks – one presenting the glossy, perfect timeline in retrospect way, and then the same talk again, but with the problems and everything included. That might be a better way to illustrate the reality of it, and would highlight the fact that often you will only see glossy talks. Oh well, lesson learned.

I heard myself saying at one point (to 3yr BA’s) ‘I’m not that much further ahead than you lot really’. I had to think then, because, actually, I know that I’ve been working my arse off for ages, and it feels like it’s just starting to build into something. But obviously I have some issues still feeling like a graduate. The terms ’emerging’ and ‘mid-career’ are difficult ones and I see myself as floating between the two. As I started giving too much of myself away at the end of the talk (always uncomfortable when it’s not a dialogue) I said something about money. This is one of the things that is trapping me, and my work in the former category: I find it very difficult to imagine making things that cost more than, well, not much.

At YSP they asked what I might need for a production budget and I couldn’t answer: I knew if I said a number it would be ridiculously low. When they said that the book budget would have to be under £2,000 I stuggled not to let out a whoop.

Basically I am like the bloke in Warrington who won millions on the lottery but just moved round the corner to a bigger house and upgraded his car to the new model. It’s not that I don’t have ideas that I want and can’t afford to make, quite the contrary, but I don’t know how to make the leap. I am daunted by project managing rather than making things myself and am not confident of my ability to deliver, having never done it before and therefore I avoid applying for opportunities with ‘proper’ budgets.

There, look – I just gave too much of myself away again…