Simulacra And Simulations

Last weekend I did my first Artist's Market. I was hoping to make enough profit to at least break even, but that hasn't happened, nor did I gain any commissions for Lady of Shalott dolls, so it was a financial failure, and despite me trying all manner of guerilla marketing strategies, I only sold a few things, not enough to break even.

However, I had specifically made Lady of Shalott related things to sell, but the Lady of Shalott art works in The Collection aren't being displayed until the end of May, so I'm being a bit previous – no one will be aware of it yet. We have one more date booked at the end of June, so I hope that one will be more successful. I will make sure I make some large adverts and increase marketing strategies for that market – I have a few ideas which might attract more attention to my work. I'm just deciding which Lady of Shalott mp3 is the best!

The positives are that the weather was sunny and warm, we were entertained by a string quartet, I received some positive comments about The Lady of Shalott doll, and I met some lovely people. My son has grasped an entrepreneurial spirit and has made himself some drawings that he is trying to sell from the front wall!!

The film premiere was a lovely event, all the cast came dressed in costumes, some medieval, some Victorian. I met The Lady of Shalott, Lord Tennyson, and Sir Lancelot, who kissed me on the cheeks and made me blush! ha! The film is due to be shown at The Collection from 30th May along with other events celebrating the life and works of Tennyson. How lovely it was to see Tennyson recite the poem, and how it was adapted for film.

I went to support my friends for the Illustration Show, and felt very welcome, but when I went to Fine Art, I was speaking to a friend who told me that just because I'm a graduate I shouldn't expect to earn any money, no, he does a lot of stuff voluntarily…. after that the wine kicked in.

I still disagree. I'm sure that many years ago people said the same kinds of things to black African slaves. Nowadays slavery is frowned upon, but apparently it is promoted within the arts!

Not sure why.

Another analogy that I think of comes from my experiences of an abusive relationship. Financial abuse, keeping money from a wife, is cited on the women's aid website:

http://www.womensaid.org.uk/domestic-violence-arti…

It is something I have personally experienced in the past and emphatically do not want to occur again. I have been forced into abject poverty because of it, and it scares me to think there are still people out there who do not understand that it is a form of abuse.

Hence my insistence on not accepting voluntary work. if it means I do not succeed as an artist, then at least I know I have not subjected myself willingly to some form of slavery and/or financial abuse.

I am deadly serious about that.

I am certain that I can and will succeed as an artist, and will be paid accordingly, and seeing as no one else seems able or willing to pay me so far, I am extremely happy to accept the placement scheme, and I do not accept all the belittling comments I hear from others. I cannot even conceive of it!

Whilst I have been reeling from the disappointment of the Lincoln Artist Network having not achieved success at the Winning Ideas final on Monday evening, we have however been accepted onto the Enterprise Inc business training scheme, with a bursary of £2490 and business support of up to £3,000 to develop the LAN as a business venture!

Hopefully, if this is successful, it will provide a regular sustainable income as a co-operative business venture to support my practice in the long term and provide a much needed provision for artists in Lincoln.

This can only be benefitted by extra support through the Arts Council and NAN funding, although I've been so busy with the business aspect I have yet to apply for either, and that includes applying for Arts Council funding for my doll proposal, but I still have many questions regarding that which remain unanswered, and it will come.

I've also been busy working on illustrative pieces to sell at the Lincoln Artist's Market – I hope to gain commissions for Lady of Shalott dolls, and I still need to create a range of Lady of Shalott illustrated cards.

Tomorrow I have been invited to the world premiere of the film The Lady of Shalott at the Odeon, Lincoln, and then I will be celebrating my recent success, along with offering support at the preview night of my friend's degree shows!!

I have finally found time to be productive, and have made a Lady of Shalott doll.

I have been photographing her in the medieval gardens of Ayscoughfee Hall over the weekend, however, I'm not entirely happy with her polymer clay head. I will make a fabric headed version to see if that's any better.

The Lincoln Artist Network has received support from WAG films and their upcoming film adaptation of The Lady of Shalott, due to premiere at the Odeon, Lincoln on Friday. Annoyingly, after seeking my lone parent advisor out for the past week without reply, typically, an appointment to see her is.. yes, Friday, when I will be busy! Sod's law as usual!

Tonight I will find out how much (if any) funding the LAN has won in the final of the competition……fingers crossed it's a lot!

I think what I am trying to express is how difficult it is to find work at the moment, just an ordinary part time job to support my practice would be nice, but it's nearly a year since I graduated, I've applied for loads of work, both to further my practice or to help fund it, but no one seems to want to employ me, and this isn't helping my finances much.

Undergraduates say to me "I'm planning to leave and get a job…" and I tell them it's going to be worse for this year's grads, but they don't seem to listen…

I'm by no means being negative, I'm not a negative person, I'm being honest about the actual situation.

I balance a realistic experience of the current financial climate and how it's affecting us all, with the hope that when things start to pull together it'll all work out just fine.

I've been for a meeting with the local business group I mentioned. Luckily I had forgotten all about the previous days' issues regarding voluntary work / exploitation.

Some interesting issues regarding what local residents regard as art ensued.

They have offered the Lincoln Artist Network a pitch at an upcoming Gala, so I have been collating ideas for that, organising things for the upcoming Lincoln Artist Market, and attending the 2nd year's exhibition at Liquorice Park, where I met with one of the trustees.

I have learnt that if you ask permission from councils and organisations to exhibit work, they seem inherently capable of baffling you with pointless bureaucracy.

In other news, I had to make a presentation for the Lincoln Artist Network for judges for the final part of the Winning Ideas business competition. I now have to wait until 11th May when the winners are announced to find out how much (if any) funding the group can achieve to get things off the ground.

I applied for a residency in Sheffield, and sent the doll proposal, so fingers crossed for all of these efforts.

I will now resort back to the Lady of Shalott doll and related stuff for the Lincoln Artist Market.

If anyone knows of any part time jobs in Lincoln that would be suitable for a single parent (ie no weekends or evenings) I am STILL looking for paid work.

*edited to add* Much support to Emily Speed and Rachel Howfield – keep up the good work, the issues you're raising are vitally important and need to be addressed!