There was a collective ‘oh xxxx’ in work last week as we were all given a letter containing our projected pensions on retirement. One of the perils of working in the arts I suppose. My dream of going back to part time and spending more time on my own work will probably stay a dream as I, like many others will have to try to save as much as we can while we still have a job.
My work load though, is getting larger.
I worked Bank Holiday Monday (triple pay…or in reality, one day of a ‘normal’ rate of pay for an artist earning what they should be entitled to! ) and spent my lunch time making maquettes, scanning them and sending out instructions for the Church Installation. Frustratingly, no one has responded yet. I don’t get these people who don’t check their emails for a couple of days at a time – or is that just me being manic?
At least when they did respond last week (asking for said instructions so that they can start the ball rolling in collecting materials) they did confirm I will get payment. Phew.
On top of all this, I had an email from the Chapel Gallery in Ormskirk asking me to participate in their ‘Land, Sea and Sky exhibition’ in September. I had sent THE worst proposal in for that last year and had forgotten about it as I never heard back. I hastily put the proposal together when I was snowed under with work during the Biennial and remember writing something on the lines of ‘ I’m not sure what I will do for it at this time, but will hopefully have something together nearer the date’. As soon as I sent it, I got annoyed at myself for being so lazy. Its typical though isn’t it? When I’ve spent days and days on proposals, including huge amounts of documentation, I get rejected. Such is life.
So…. After a moan about how I will find the time to fit in all of this work, to one of the recent graduates I work with, I was hastily brought back to reality when she said ‘You are so lucky – I would LOVE to be asked to participate in an exhibition’.
OK. You can’t have everything : /
