24th October
I wanted to write this on the day it happened, hopefully to capture how I feel…
This morning, a big fat brown envelope landed on the mat.
I limped, bleary, in need of tea and paracetamol, to the kitchen, in search of my glasses.
It was stamped “Arts Council”, so a good job I had sat down!
They said “yes”.
I swore.
I chose a better word and swore again.
This feels bloody monumental.
My life has been in turmoil since January 6th this year.
On January 5th 2015, my new project officially starts, my research and development funded by the Arts Council.
I’ve been working towards this a while, my current work hinting at it around the edges. WITHOUT the funding, I would probably have taken about 5 years to do this, and not really to the standard I want, or that would do it justice. WITH the funding, I can apply myself to learning, developing skills and producing sound work of a professional standard to match my textile pieces. I can create this installation exactly how I want it, and can now approach people with confidence to exhibit my work.
I will explain the project in my next post. Any readers who follow my other blog “Threads” will know that how I feel about the work and my life and the people around me is a huge part of my practice. I am deeply emotionally invested in my work. So I make no apologies for doing this bit first.
I want this first post on this new blog to be about how it feels as a 53 year old woman, to receive a year’s worth of funding for my art…. the first funding I have ever applied for. I feel justified in resigning from my job earlier this year, taking that leap of faith. I feel vindicated in all of the decisions I have made over the last few months, concerning my work, and how and where it is shown. I feel appreciated and respected. I feel brave and proud. I feel enormously grateful for the support of my family and friends. Feeling all these things as that 53 year old woman IS A BIG THING. The subject matter of the project is entirely appropriate to this feeling. It feels important. I feel that I have a voice and someone is listening. I am suddenly feeling not so invisible.
Thanks, Arts Council!
