Setting Off - A Truly Amplified Moment !

Maybe the blog will be more frequent from now on..why because we have arrived at very important point. I am so pleased to know, from now on there will be no more R& D or recruiting Arts Project Champions (they must be powerful, influential & informed for an artist to advance most importantly know & appreciate your work) Project Advisory Board Members all the pre-production etc . The project has secured over eleven grand - eleven thousand pounds' in kind support to contribute to the overall project budget for the main arts funding application. This will be added to other in kind support for marketing and the Igniting Ambition grant award of five grand - five thousand pounds . My biggest arts project to date- but worth all the hard work, despite the setbacks in these harsh economic times for an innovative project to move forward. But create and innovate WE MUST !!!!

These recent and very important resources , are made up of three creative residencies, they are as as follows;- an arts centre dance studio & rehearsal space for physical theatre text performance and music workshops; a digital media centre to record edit and process all the still & moving digital images - for the digital performance platform; several days technical rehearsal and 'sharing of work in progress 'at a major arts venue. The overall arts grant application is being proof read (very important you may have missed something especially for online applications) for final submission this week as all at last all the information is in place GREAT !

Now all the juicy creative arts work really begins in earnest - the text , the improvisation performance , locations , recording images (still & moving) construction of set/props, design and implementation of the digital performance platform etc etc. So now we need some more project management tools,web based/online ones, as a team member reminded me . For better and more quick effective communications for the next phase.

I have used for example Basecamp usefully in the past for an arts project and I would strongly recommend others to try them for their own project work. Especially for sharing documents , images etc quickly the a number of people in a safe secure and private way. When I said I was taking the digital challenge- I really did and the Amplified Leicester course certainly open and prepared to up my level digitally speaking in so many beneficial ways. A few examples apart from arts research references etc., making national & international arts contacts , pitching to arts venues using power points, diagrams, to communicate our vision and concept quickly for the project. Finally, social media to consolidate a range of interest, wider engagement and audiences for the project. I becaome mor amplified as an artist by the day - but also learning to manage and filter !!!

Champagne tastes but beer money - arts funding resizing to fit

At is at this point I can truly say I am in the business of resizing this project in the light of where it is to date. A quick look at my early budgets and its clear that some stuff will have to go to make more room for other budget heads to expand because the are so critical - all the artist commissions, digital commissions necessary equipment and materials are sacrosanct ! Eveything else is up for review this due to the nagging feelling that despite the breath of the vision and the most convincing team to deliver it. There is a context of intense competiton for funds (in a credit crunch scenario), an unmistakable feeling of being some what disappointed after the big wind up to create your best stunning work ever and excel.

Only to find money is a bit thin - that what is wanted is all the fanfare and trimmings, but then to only offer meagre resources . Not mention work that seems looks, sounds a bit different or may require further exploration discussion - most certainly by an older black woman who doesn not really so neatly fit in all the 'boxes'. The half glass possee's are on this tip completely. So these projects are almost certain to be under funded, in the hope someone else will share the 'risk' needless to say this consumes estimable amounts of time on the part of the artist. I'm also told this by an artist colleague I met at the Symposia from Portugal - that it is much the same there - is it an EEC thing ? I will be intersted in this type of artist experience elsewhere in the world. In the meantime budgets beckon and documents files gape open. I must press on but however - not for one minute do I not vision it all (the project ) as supremely marvellous . Much positive development has taken place (I have kept the project people in the information loop) the confidence and belief of my champions sustain this conviction. So time to send out a few diary alerts the new year for the completed performances before christmas mayhem to keep me pepped up !