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nuts and bolts
This section sets out some of the nuts and bolts of
being an artist: where to find opportunities and how to
assess them, apply for themand be paid fairly.
It’s important to form a plan in the first few years out of art school –
essentially a ‘plan of attack’, which you can return to periodically to see how
you are getting along.
ApplyINg for AND ASSESSINg opporTuNITIES
The first way to increase your success rate when applying for
opportunities is by being selective about the applications you
actually make. Artists are constantly bombarded with ‘opportunities’
they may or may not want to apply for. These are advertised through
specialist websites such as a-n, which promotes over £20m worth
annually, as well as via social media, newsletters and e-bulletins.
You can sign up to get this information from art-form specific, local,
national and international organisations.
opportunities can include everything from volunteering and
internships in arts organisations, to online galleries expecting you to
send high-res images and sign-up fees, and public art commissions
and residencies wanting written proposals in response to specific
briefs. The onus, as ever, is on the individual artist to sort the good
from the bad, in order to find genuine opportunities and future
collaborators.
So how can artists identify which are the most appropriate
opportunities to invest their time and money on following up?
We asked a selection of artists and advisers for some tips.
A F
Can you trust them?
Check the websites, Google the
organisations, get the low-down.
If they’re asking for money
upfront from you to participate...
treat with great caution.
Manick Govinda, Artsasdmin
Are they professional?
If you’ve responded to an
opportunity and been successful
but find there are issues you
are uncomfortable with once
contracts are presented, discuss
this with the organisers and,
particularly in the area of fees,
indicate the going rate for the
type of work on offer. You can
cite other projects as examples,
or use a-n’s
as evidence.
Caroline Wright, artist